First Steps to Affiliate Marketing

 Affiliate marketing has become the fastest growing sector of internet marketing, and as such more and more people are jumping on the bandwagon.

 Their websites will easily reveal the amateurs and who appear to be the more polished operators - but they are nearly all making money online. They usually do not have a product or service of their own to sell, but as affiliates or 'commission sales agents', they are using their websites to promote products that others have developed.

When purchasers buy from a link on the affiliate marketer's website, their order is processed on the site of the product's distributor. The link is embedded with the affiliate marketer's details, and the commission is paid automatically.

While affiliate marketing is often seen as a way of supplementing an income, there are many affiliates who are now earning enough in this way to make it their primary source of income. They work hard at promoting their websites and products, and have developed all kinds of strategies to bring people to their sales pages.

Getting started

1. You will need a computer with internet access.

2. Build a website - this is not scary! Setting up a simple one-page website can be done by anyone with basic computer skills. There is no need to have any html knowledge, especially with software building programs like XSitePro, simple word-processing ability is enough. However, a turnkey feeder site is an alternative (see below)

3. If you are the type of person who wants to get it right first time, with someone to hold your hand along the way, invest in an affiliate marketing network program, e.g. Wealthy Affiliates. These guys include the easy to use website building software Site Rubix, in their program, but importantly, they also have some turnkey sites ready to go - no development is needed.

4. Carefully choose the products you wish to market. Initially go for ones that relate to your hobby, interest or business expertise. You will find it easier to promote these. Look on websites that you visit frequently and check if they have affiliate programs.

5. Don't make your website look like a garage sale, keep to a theme if you are selling several products per site. Don't combine an e-book on dog food with a 'how to make millions" program offer.

6. Once you have your website and product(s), start promoting them. Submit some articles on the topic to some of the free-publishing sites, with links back to your sales page.

7. Expand and refine your affiliate product range as your experience grows. You may have found a niche which is doing well for you - expand on it.

8. Keep a database with your customers' details. If they have purchased from you once, they are more likely to do so again if they were satisfied with the experience. You can promote directly to them in future affiliate marketing campaigns (but don't be a nuisance, or they will unsubscribe or worse, block your emails).