Affiliate Marketing - What's Stopping You?

Once upon at time, and it really wasn’t that long ago – I thought affiliate marketing was something for other people. People with big lists and massive websites. If you’re having similar thoughts, let me tell you now, it’s simply not true.

You don’t need to build a list first. You don’t need to have all the pieces of your business plan in place first. You can get started with affiliate marketing with very little. In affiliate marketing, it’s okay to start small.

Of course, you won’t be making millions in your sleep overnight. That’s not what affiliate marketing is really about. It’s about recommending products and services that you believe will serve others in return for a small commission.

You’ll start small and grow slow, but you’ll be able to build a steady income over time. The beauty of affiliate marketing is the residual effects that are only evident over the passage of time.

I know I had my doubts. For well over a year, I resisted the lure of affiliate marketing. It wasn’t hard to convince myself that it would be a waste of time. Anytime I thought about it, my mind would answer “Who are you kidding? Who is going to buy from me?”

Self-doubt could be keeping you from achieving all you were intended. It gives me shivers to think what my life might be like now if I hadn’t started. Would I have been able to support my son as a single mom over these past years without the income earned through affiliate marketing?

As long as you are willing to commit yourself to working your business and are willing to learn, there is no reason you can’t reap the benefits of affiliate marketing for yourself. It really is a simple matter of deciding that you want to try and then finding the resources that will help you make the journey.

Lack of funds is not a barrier to getting started with affiliate marketing. In many cases, you can get started with no money at all, simply sign up for the programs that appeal to you and start promoting to your existing audience. If you don’t already have a blog and domain name of your own, it might cost $20 to get up and running.

So what’s stopping you from getting started?

Kelly McCausey is the mom behind Work at Home Moms Talk Radio and is hosting Moms Affiliate Expo, a free opportunity for moms to learn more about affiliate marketing.

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What is a Blog? Why Have One?

In the beginning, it was just students and pre-teens that got "bitten" by the blogging craze. Now, almost everyone of any age or status can participate in the blogosphere -- a community of bloggers.

Before anyone else decides to jump onto the bandwagon of blogging, it is important to define your target audience. Take a look at the variety of functions a blog can serve below.

Political Blogging

This is a political year, ironically. Discussions are rampant on the internet regarding presidential candidates and other "hot" political issues. You can use this type of blog to keep the public informed of the issues, candidates' platforms and biographical information on candidates, etc. It is an added benefit to allow blog readers to comment on the blog postings to get interaction from internet users. This information could prove to be useful for any successful candidate.

Opinionated Blogging

Just like political blogging, this type of blog may address "hot topics" of the day, i.e., home foreclosures, mortgage banking, war issues, gas prices at the pump, etc. This is another excellent type of blog you would like to get "feedback" from blog readers by allowing them to comment on postings. Sometimes these comments can included references to other links for articles, websites or blogs. Opinionated blogging can become an outlet for personal frustrations or just simply venting. It can, also, talk about products/services that one finds either good or bad. Lastly, an opinionated blog can be just a generic blog that details one's daily life.

Niche Blogging

These blogs reflect a personal interest or a group of blogs that target a certain market, i.e., crafts, sports, sewing, cooking, etc. Niche blogs will be composed of posts that are related to a particular topic. They become a feasible source of income due to the well-targeted readers that often subscribe to them.

Splogs or spam blogs are the frowned upon version of niche blogs. A splog or spam blogs is when large amounts of uninformative and keyword-stuffed entries aim to just trick search engines to throw traffic their way. This traffic is then "tricked" to click on advertisements or buy products from other sites that the blog owners is affiliated with.

Educational Blogging

Educational blogging has gained popularity over the past few years. Instructors offline and online have become aware of the benefits blogging in relationship to their careers and teaching tools. Blogs can be used to teach parts of a lesson, or provide students vital information, i.e., schedule quizzes, and other school-related activities.

Blogging for Online Business Promotion

The corporate and small business world are starting to see the importance of blogging for their businesses. The benefits are numerous, updating partners; ability to communicate with employees, customers/clients; announcing new products; or information regarding the companies as a whole, etc. Lastly, it helps promote a business.

Blog readers may take a sincere interest in what is being posted regarding business annoucements, changes, or updates. The coveted informal dialog that blogging generates is what makes corporate/small business blogging an ideal tool for grassroots online marketing.

Whether you want a blog to simply talk about your day or to endorse a business, service or product, remember to always offer useful or enlightening content. Keeping your blog readers interested is the key to any blog being successful. Happy blogging!

Generate Lots of Traffic: Leave Comments on Other Sites

Commenting other sites, forums and blogs is actually quite effective in generating lots of traffic for you. In fact, even you do not write on your own blog, you can derive benefits by commenting and putting your backlink on the blogs of others. But why are comments essential? Basically, comments let you reach out to people on a more personal level. You will be able to reveal a glimpse of your personality. Unfortunately, a lot of people have the same idea as you. Here are some suggestions to help you get the best out of commenting on other sites, forums and blogs:

• Comment early. If possible, be the first to make your comment as this helps you stand out from the rest. Visitors will see your comment first but not necessarily the last comment. Add value to the site content so that the author and visitors will appreciate your comments.
  
  
• Give an example. You need to add value to the post. By giving an example, it will stress their point and make it easier for their readers to understand. By doing this and adding your backlink, visitors will also be more likely to visit your site because they want to know more about the things you can share.
  
  
• Extend the discussion. You can add your point that the writer may have failed to notice. People will see that your post is worthwhile because of this.
  
  
• Disagree. You can stand out by disagreeing with the author and other people who have commented on the post. Remember, always be respectful. Arguing can just get you into trouble!
  
  
• Write with some feelings. Writing with passion and feelings in your comments will make people curious about the person behind the post. Therefore, they will be inclined to click on your link.
  
  
• Use humor. You can improve your traffic significantly by making other people laugh. People appreciate someone with a sense of humor whether online or offline. Take advantage of this.
  
  
• Ask questions. Comments with questions are the ones that get the most response from visitors compared to all other comments.
  

Newbie's - Fear No More - You Can Now Easily Drive Traffic to Your Website

Newbies on the world wide web -- listen up! Here you will find some of the easiest techniques to improve that much needed targeted traffic for your website. Let us deliberate first on some of the free traffic ideas for your website. Let's get this party started!

Article Writing

Write articles that you can submit to article directories. This one of the best techniques to get the traffic started for your website. You will just have to point that link to your site which will mean long-standing traffic fo you. People will be able to find your website through the articles that you have written and submitted. Here are some great directories to get you started:

articlecity.com
ezinearticles.com
ideamarketers.com
goarticles.com

Blog It!

Create a blog. It is quite easy to make one. After your blog has been created, link it to your website. Google will regularly come by to index the postings. It is advised to keep your blog updated. Your blog content will be fed through search engines. As you write, you should strategically place keywords in the title and body of your article(s).

If you do this on a regular basis, your ranking will definitely soar high on the search engines. Don't know any good free blogsites? Try the ones listed below to get started:

www.wordpress.com
www.blogger.com

Online Specialized Forums

Visit online forums that are related to your "niche" and post some your ideas, opinions or suggestions on them. If these forums allow a signature line, this is a great opportunity for free promotion of your website(s) or blog(s). Please check the rules and guideslines on each forum before creating your signature line. If your are signature line is enticing and captivates an audience to click on your link, this is another excellent source of traffic for your website or blog.

Publish a Newsletter

People on the internet is countless and they have a thirst for information. Publish a free newsletter that will help you stand out from your competitors. Your newsletter should be focused on your niche and published on a consistent basis.

Link It!

Find other business owners online that have products that are not in direct competition with your products and/or service. Write the owner that you are interested in exchanging mutual links with them. Most business owners will jump at the chance to form this type of partnership. Remember, you need to find businesses that compliment your products and services.

To all newbies out there, marketing your website is a very tedius job. Patience is the keyword! You have to learn to do things the right way. Rushing through it will not help you. You will know when you have become successful in completing these tasks. When that happens, you will not want to be called a newbie anymore!

Ways You Use Social Media to Drive Traffic to Your Website or Blog

Your social connections can translate to site popularity if you know how touse them. Think about it! All those connections mean real people that can translate into many things for a website or blog: members, readers, a paying market, a free means for promotions and marketing. If you own a website or blog, you can take advantage of your connections through social media to drive traffic to your site by doing one or all of the following:

Offer High Value Content

If you can produce good, quality content and it is actually read by members of the various social networking sites you belong to, you will have an excellent following. In addition, members will also spread the word about your website and blog.

High value content is needed in social media networks or article directories, etc. After all, conent is what makes the internet interesting. If you want to drive traffic to your website using social media, become popular with its users by offering them something they cannot refuse.

Make Content Usable

Aside from creating original and high value content, you also need to provide you target audience with a way to find it. Your content is more likely to be noticed and read if it is organized and can be located quickly. Make sure your are easy to use and are optimized so anyone looking for information relating to your article can find it easily.

Increase Your Presence

Were you a big hit with one of your articles? Did you create a strong interest in your topic indicated by a large increase in traffic to your website or blog? Don't stop? Keep writing!

Consistency and frequency in submissions to various social media networking sites is very important. You want to make sure that people remember you for not only one great article but for being a reliable source of excellent content.

Each time you create and submit an article, it can ride on the "buzz" created from the previous article written. This is how you become a recognizable name in social media. Your target market/audience will gladly follow your link back to website. Or, they will find you on their own.

Promote Your Content and Your Website/Blog

Don't be shy about promoting yourself! Keep your target market/audience informed about your website/blog through mailing lists, podcasts, emails, and other articles you write. Talk to them about any significant changes to your website/blog or when a new article is submitted/written.

Make sure you let people know who you are and what you have to offer. But, be sure you do not over do it! If you are too aggressive in promoting your articles or website/blog in social media networks, you can appear to be desperate. Members of these networks are likely to become suspicious of your intentions if you sell yourself too hard.

Encourage Interaction

Sure, people like the anonymity the internet provides but they cannot help but communicate with other people they find online. That's why you should provide them with a means to use your website or article to "air" their views. There are tools/resources that can be added to your website/blog to allow this interaction, ie., comments, polls, surveys, and feedback forms.

Using social media networks to drive traffic to a website/blog is not exactly an easy task. It takes time and patience. However, if it is done well, it can be a very effective and inexpensive method to increase awareness for a website or blog. Try to explore what you can contribute to social media and take advantage of this great source of traffic.

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This is a great way to build traffic to your website or blog.

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It will allow you to run a raffle/contest offering all different kinds of prizes. Raffle Site script is customizable. You decide how you want it to run and look. You are in total control. The script tracks how many people enter the contest/raffle, how many tickets obtained and aids in selecting the winner.

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Important Note: The types of raffles/contest I am referring to above are ones where there is no exchange of money. Individuals visit the website and submit their names, email address and may on occasion be required to answer a few questions as a requirement to enter the raffle/contest. Once this is completed, they are automatically added to a newsletter mailing list. It is illegal in the United States to assign a "dollar amount" to purchase a raffle ticket. Please check your individual state laws and regulations before running a raffle where payment is required.