Generate Online Money [Tip #3] : Affiliate Marketing Is Not Easy - Here Are 5 Things You Must Know Or You Will Surely Fail

by Matthew Lord

I find it a bit disturbing how so many so-called guru marketers tell people that affiliate marketing is "easy." After all, how hard can it be? There are millions of people online, so you should be able to make at least 10 sales per day, right? WRONG.

Now don't get me wrong, I love affiliate marketing and make the majority of my income from affiliate marketing on the internet. With that said, I have also seen a lot of internet marketers who are just pushing their latest and greatest products, but they do not really tell people how to profit from affiliate marketing. Being a professional affiliate is just like running any other business, and you better be willing to work hard in the beginning to see the results that you desire!

So, in this article I am going to share with you my top 5 tips that you must follow in order to truly make a nice income online from affiliate marketing:

1. Get ready to work. I touched on this earlier, but some people want to make money, but do not want to work for it. Let me ask you a question: What do 99% of successful business owners have in common? I will tell you: They worked their butts off when starting their business. Affiliate marketing is no different, because you need to hit the trenches in order to succeed.

2. You need a website (or websites). Many people will try and tell you that you can earn money with affiliate marketing without a website. In theory they are correct, but as we all know a "theory" and a "law" are completely different things. When you have your own website, you control the content, and as long as you pay your minimal hosting fees and do not let your domain expire, no one can take that away from you. You also cannot perform the next step regarding my affiliate tips without your own website!

3. You need to build a list. Building a targeted email list is not necessary to start with, but if you want to create a successful, long term business with affiliate marketing then you really need to build a targeted email list of subscribers. In order to build an email list you must have a one page website, known as a "squeeze page." A squeeze page, or lead-capture page is simply a page that gives your website visitor a place to enter their name and email address. In exchange for them giving you their information, you typically give away a free report in exchange. For example, if your website is about weight loss, then you may write a short 10 page report entitled "How to Lose 20 Pounds in 20 Days!" I didn't create a list when I first started, and I still made over $1,000 per month. However, when you build a list, things get a lot easier and more fun!

4. Create great content. If you want to become a leading affiliate within your market, then you must deliver great content to your customers. This can come in the form of articles, eBooks, newsletters, videos, webinars, PowerPoint presentations, etc. There are hundreds of ways to syndicate your content, and you need to create great content that people will crave more than their morning coffee.

5. Leverage. Perhaps the most important component of creating a successful web based business of any kind is using the power of leverage. Leverage is essentially doing something once, and getting paid for it over and over again. For instance, let's say that you write a great article, and submit it to a popular blog within your niche. That article could potentially generate hundreds of views, month after month, year after year. That one piece of content can earn you a nice little income for months or years to come.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matthew_Lord

Generate Online Money [Tip #2] : 44 Ways To Generate Traffic

1.  Write and submit articles to the article directories. You can use free and paid sources.
2.  Get links to your site from other sites.
3.  Leave comments on other people's blogs with a backlink to your site.
4.  Participate and post in forums and discussion groups and have a link to your site in your signature.
5.  Write a press releases and submit them to press PR sites.
6.  Use craiglist to advertise your site.
7.  Do search engine optimization for your site for main keywords.
8.  Start a blog and submit it to the 100's of free blog directories. Use blog/ping/tag technology. Use RSS on your blogs. Use multiple domains to post your blogs. Use various C-class IP for your hosting.
9.  Use a signature with your site URL in every email you send out.
10.  Use customized 404 error page which redirects people to your home page. Use with coution though. Google may penalize you for this technique as it considered as cloaking.
11.  Use Pay per click advertising on various SE. Remember that Google is not the only game in the town.
12.  Use "bookmark this site" on your website.
13.  Use a tell-a-friend script on your site. It's an old technique and in many case it does not work. But using some scripts with encouraging users to do so it may work.
14.  Submit articles that includes a link to your website to ezine publishers in your niche.
15.  Give away a freebie (ebook, report, e-course, software) to spread the word about your business and keep people coming back to your site.
16.  Submit your site to any related to your niche directories. Some will require a link back and some will not. Look for directories with high PR.
17.  Participate in a banner /link/traffic exchange program. May not work for majority. But some have success with them.
18.  Purchase misspelled variations of your competitors domain names
19.  Purchase expired domains from the same niche.
20.  Pass out business cards. Used direct mailing.
21.  Use offline media for advertising.
22.  Use outdoor signs, local billboards.
23.  Use advertisement on your car ( license plate, signs, stickers, etc)
24.  Give away t-shorts,caps, pens, calendars, etc. with domain on them 25. Start and affiliate program if you are selling your own product ( this is a must).
26.  Build relationships with future joint venture partners.
27.  Build Network with other people at seminars or other live events.
28.  Use web 2.0 properties such as myspace, squidoo. Etc.
29.  Use video with web 2.0 video social network sites.
30.  Conduct and publish surveys to your website.
31.  Start your own newsletter or ezine or anything else to build your mailing list (this is a must). Use autoresponders for maintaining your mailing campaigns.
32.  Buy advertisement  on other  related to your niche sites and ezines.
33.  Send a free copy of your product to other site owners in exchange for a product review.
34.  Offer your product as bonus for other people's products.
35.  Use ebay to sell your product or link to your site.
36.  Post on free classified ads on any of the sites that allow link to your site.
37.  Exchange links with other related sites.
38.  Advertise on your own  or other people product's "thank you" pages.
39.  Buy easy to remember domain name.
40.  Use Amazon profile to submit reviews for products that you have bought ( or used).
41.  Get referrals form similar but non-competing sites.
42.  Create and sell a product with resell or giveaway rights and include a link to your site in it o others pass it around for you.
43.  Provide testimonials for products you have used in exchange for a backlink to your site.
44.  Use black/grey hat techniques (if you feel comfortable with it). Many of successful "gurus" use those techniques but they will never tell you about it.