5 Things to Consider Before Starting an Affiliate Marketing Program:

Welcome to all my readers both new and returning.  If you have not already done so why not sign up to my RSS feed for notification of when I post new posts here.

5 Things to Consider Before Starting an Affiliate Marketing Program:

When you are planning to set up a site for Affiliate Marketing there are some things you need to consider.  Do not start with the latest promotion you will not get anywhere as others who have been promoting longer will take your possible customers away.

If you have an area where you are passionate and that you will be able to stay focused on for some time then that is the area you should start with.

Domain Names

You will need a Domain Name and as I’m sure you wont want to spend a load of money in the early days I suggest using Name Cheap they have domains from $2.99 per year.  I would advise getting a .com domain if you can and ensure that it relates to your topic.  There is no point in using a doggy domain when you are promoting cats.

Website Hosting

You will also need hosting and to start with a shared server is what you should go for, a dedicated server will cost a lot more and you will not need it until you are doing a load of business.  Currently I am using Hostgator for my hosting and if you click the link on the right you will get your first month for $0.01.  Hostgator have 24/7 support and are very helpful.

Autoresponder Services

An Autoresponder is essential so that you can capture the names and email addresses of visitors to your site.  Some of them will optin to get updates, newsletters etc.,from you via email.  I currently use  Aweber who charge $19 per month with the first month $1.  For this you have access to their training videos and a 24/7 live help desk.  Aweber is probably the easiest autoresponder to use and has the best support and training I know about.

Time

Before loading your site with adverts be patient, write a number of posts about your topic and focus on giving people a reason to visit your site.  When you do decide to place adverts on your site concentrate on the most relevant not the ones with the highest payout.  Use links in the text as I have in this article as well as some banners for your products.

It will take time for you to get an income from affiliate marketing.  It may take weeks or months before you make any affiliate sales.  But even if say 100 people buy a product from your link in your first week it will be 2 – 3 months before you get paid.  The reason for this is that most sellers have a refund period of up to 60 days and until that period has passed will not pay out any commissions due.

As people get to know you they will come to your affiliate site to see what you are recommending so just be yourself.  Do not try to make out as if you were someone else this will be picked up by readers and they will desert you in droves.  Don’t worry if you are not a professional writer the more you do the better you will get at writing.  Just write as if you were talking to a friend about whatever you are trying to promote and your honesty will come accross.

You can use articles from Ezine Articles or other article directories to bulk out your site but you must not change the writer’s information.  You cannot copy the article word for word and put your name to it but you can use articles as a guide to writing on the same subject in your own words.  To copy someone else’s work exactly is a breach of copyright and could mean you end up in court.

Affiliate Programs

Once you know your topic you can search the likes of the Clickbank marketplace to find products to promote.  You can also search on Google for affiliate programs.  If you have a site for Easter products you could search for Easter costumes or other items relating specifically to Easter.

Your comments are always welcome and if you have anything you would like to add please do so below.  I look forward to reading what you have to say.

Richard