Make Money While You Sleep

Written by yatin patel


Affiliate marketing is a good tool.

IF YOU ARE LIKE MOST BUSINESSES, IT IS A REAL challenge to attract paying customers to your site and still meet your ROI needs. Many companies who are successful in this area have reverted to a very traditional, real-world selling technique. They have taken this technique that has been successfully used for centuries and have finessed it intorepparttar cyber world. It is called Commission-based selling. Its embodiment inrepparttar 102309 online world takesrepparttar 102310 form of affiliate programs.

The easy definition of an affiliate program is “Gain more customers through smaller sites run by others, which usually have a strong, loyal following. The small guys get a commission on sales that they sendrepparttar 102311 bigger guys’ way.” In a sign thatrepparttar 102312 affiliate approach is working, a 2002 Forrester report said spending toward affiliate marketing increased by 50% while budgets for portal deals, e-mail, and banners all decreased significantly. Forrester also says that affiliate marketing is now driving $10.5 billion, or 15%, of online sales. By 2005, this figure will jump to $54 billion (Forrester, “eCommerce Brokers Arrive,”). Today, 97% of online marketing deals have a performance component. Growth rates for pay-for-performance spending will be seven timesrepparttar 102313 growth rates for CPM- based spending through 2006.

“Pre-sell / Warm-up” Phenomena The most popular model is where Affiliates do not “sell”repparttar 102314 merchant’s product, they “Pre-sell /Warm up” their visitor and send them torepparttar 102315 merchant’s Web site in an open-to-buy frame of mind.

Some affiliates even have syndicated content fromrepparttar 102316 merchant on their site and they takerepparttar 102317 visitor as far as possible before switching transparently (one hopes) torepparttar 102318 merchant whenrepparttar 102319 visitor is ready to put a credit card to use.

Inrepparttar 102320 best situation,repparttar 102321 visitor doesn’t even realize that a switch fromrepparttar 102322 smaller affiliate site torepparttar 102323 larger merchant site has even taken place.

Affiliate Revenue Models Sales Commission:

Affiliate receives fixed % of sales as a commission. Traffic exchange: One qualified clicks from my site is exchanged for one qualified click from yours. Pay per contextual visitor Or Qualified Lead: Merchant pays a fixed amount torepparttar 102324 affiliate per qualified click or lead. Hybrid Model: A custom solution with two or more components of above revenue model.

What do affiliates look for when considering your affiliate program? Product Profile: The Product plays a very important part inrepparttar 102325 success of this program. The basic criteria of product qualification are:

• Products / services should be a purchasable item online. • Your catalog and offering should have sufficient content aboutrepparttar 102326 product or market segment • Miscellaneous, complementary accessories and services that will boost sales •A perfect sales pitch with pictures. • Mass appeal is an added plus. • Competitive Price.

High commission

Depending onrepparttar 102327 profit margin,repparttar 102328 merchant should offer a good commission to their affiliates. The simple way to determinerepparttar 102329 commission is to calculaterepparttar 102330 current cost (Cost per acquisition) to make one sale by means of existing online marketing efforts using banners, paid placement, and other traditional Internet media.

Let’s then assume that cost is 15 % ofrepparttar 102331 existing revenue. It is safe to offer 10% commission torepparttar 102332 affiliates withrepparttar 102333 other 5% assigned torepparttar 102334 administration ofrepparttar 102335 program. One can calculaterepparttar 102336 same formula Based on Cost per acquisition too.

Lifetime commission

Many affiliate programs just setrepparttar 102337 identifying cookie to last for a short period of time (perhaps 24 hours, some only forrepparttar 102338 duration ofrepparttar 102339 visit to merchant’s site). Ifrepparttar 102340 visitor doesn’t buy withinrepparttar 102341 short timerepparttar 102342 cookie is set,repparttar 102343 visitor is no longer identified withrepparttar 102344 referring Webmaster and there is no commission paid to that Webmaster.

Good affiliate programs not only setrepparttar 102345 cookie for longer, up to a maximum of 10 years, they also use database tracking onrepparttar 102346 merchant’s system. So, whenever a visitor that has been “tagged” and referred comes back torepparttar 102347 merchant and buys,repparttar 102348 merchant creditsrepparttar 102349 referring Webmaster and paysrepparttar 102350 commission. This long-term cookie and database backup enablesrepparttar 102351 merchant to providerepparttar 102352 affiliate with a “lifetime customer”. Now that really is looking after affiliates!

Customer Service and Call Center Effective customer service and call center support can make or break your affiliate program. Many online buyers would like to call when they make an online purchase. Well-managed CRM activity adds creditability in your offerings. A separate toll free number for each affiliate can add affiliate value by personalizingrepparttar 102353 experience forrepparttar 102354 customer and making certain proper credit is given torepparttar 102355 affiliate for call center reservations.

Syndication Capabilities: You can affiliate with web sites in two ways—first, by placing offers on your affiliates’ sites that link back to your company servers, whererepparttar 102356 sale is made; second, via hybrid models. The program models come in six basic types, and your company can offer any or all of them to potential affiliate partners: Banner or text links, Storefronts, Pop-ups, Embedded commerce, Email, Hybrid

Some merchants that go all out to support their affiliates and help them succeed offer newsletters, promotional ideas, up-to-date information, even whole web sites devoted just to affiliate support.

Top 5 Tips for Frustrated Affiliate program Marketers

Written by Isaiah Hull


You may use this article for reprint, as long as it remains unaltered andrepparttar resource box and author information are included. - Isaiah Hull

Top 5 Tips For Frustrated Affiliate Program Marketers

Do you go through affiliate programs like most people go through pairs of socks? Many Internet marketers do. In fact, 97% of all Internet marketers never make a single cent advertising opportunities onrepparttar 102308 Internet. They jump from one opportunity torepparttar 102309 next and never see results. If you want to break free from this cycle of failure--if you want to earn a living off of your Internet ventures--continue reading. I will tell you exactly how you can earn money from any legitimate affiliate program.

In order to getrepparttar 102310 most information from what I am about to explain to you, you must accept that these methods are not intended to be "secrets." These are scientifically-proven, best-practice methods that all top marketers use. If you want results, you will have to do and continue to dorepparttar 102311 following five things:

1. Know your product. Do not advertise for a product or affiliate program that you are not currently using. I cannot even countrepparttar 102312 amount of affiliate programs and product offers I have rejected immediately from people who know very little about what they are actually promoting. If you want to make money selling a product or service, you have to use it, understand it, and be able to convince your prospects that they should own it. If you yourself do not believe in it--because you have not even tried it--then you will have a hard time convincing anyone else it is worthwhile.

2. Know your field. You must continually become more knowledgeable aboutrepparttar 102313 market in which you are selling your product or service. For instance, I try to read at least 50 pages on Internet marketing each day to complementrepparttar 102314 marketing I do. This keeps me learning about my field. The best part about this is that you can do it without spending any money at all. The Internet is loaded with free content sites where you can find free ebooks and special reports on any subject. The Internet is also loaded with affiliate program promoters who are out-selling you. Use google to find these sites and then reverse engineer them--pick apartrepparttar 102315 source code, page setup, and content layout to find out how you can become more like your competition who is outselling you.

3. Focus your efforts and limit your innovation. As much as "limiting your innovation" may go against your business instincts, it is an absolute must with a limited marketing budget. Figure out what works for you scientifically by measuring your advertising results. When you find something that works, stick with it. If you are getting traffic from reciprocal links, continue to build them. If you are getting constant sign-ups from your newsletter, improve your newsletter and order more leads. Do not stray far from your original plan. Presetrepparttar 102316 amount of innovative ideas you want to try out each night, but center your marketing efforts around getting better results from methods that have already worked for you.

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