Affiliate Programs: Can I
REALLY Make Any Money? by Rosalind Gardner
As an Internet marketing consultant, I often hear the
question, "Can I REALLY make money online with affiliate programs?" To
me, that question speaks of the asker's skepticism, so let's put aside
any question of whether money is REALLY being made online before we
look any further.
Thousands of merchants have put resources into developing affiliate
programs so that others can promote their products in exchange for a
commission, which is usually a percentage of the product's price. If
there wasn't money to be made, Sony, Dell and those thousands of other
merchants wouldn't waste their time and money building affiliate
programs.
I personally know at least a hundred people who make marketing on the
Internet their full-time occupation. If there wasn't money to be made,
that wouldn't be possible.
I am one of those people. The secondary title of my ebook about
affiliate marketing is 'How I Made $436,797 Last Year Selling Other
People's Stuff Online'. Although I dislike that subtitle and its
crass approach, it IS the truth, and it IS effective proof that
money can be made online. The statement is backed up on the Super
Affiliate Handbook homepage with a picture of part of my income
tax statement
from 2002 which shows my earnings. See it for yourself at: http://SuperAffiliateHandbook.com
So, having dispelled any question about whether there is money to be
made online, let's proceed to the REAL question. Let's take the
emphasis off the word 'REALLY' and place it where it belongs - on YOU.
Can YOU really make money online?
Sure you can! IF YOU REALLY want to. Desire is the first key to
success. But here's
where it gets a little tricky. If your desire is for money, as opposed
to what money can buy, your work will be made much harder, if not
impossible.
'Huh? Why is that?' you may wonder.
Money is a concept. In and of itself it does nothing for you, unless
you are very fond of small rectangular pieces of colored paper. If you
focus instead on the good that money will bring to your life, such as
free time and all the fun ways to spend it, then you'll give positive
direction to your efforts.
Think about it.. what can that money buy you? The kids' education, a
new car, a new house, a second honeymooon... how about a sailboat?
Dream a little - dream a LOT, but create some desire, and a REASON to
work hard for what you want to achieve.
And that's the second key to making money online - Work.
Too many people still hold onto the notion of 'get rick quick'. I've
got news for them - there's no such thing. You can get rich a little
quicker on the 'net, but the truth is that nothing worth having comes
without a price. You must invest some time and money. Not much money,
but some. Compared to starting any other business, the amount of
financial investment required to start an affiliate marketing business
on the Internet is negligible.
If you don't have one or two hundred bucks - or can't beg, borrow or
steal that amount - then maybe you can get a part-time job and save up
to start your online business.
No matter how you slice it, you won't find another opportunity anywhere
that has the potential for this much reward for so little outlay.
This IS one of the least expensive businesses you can start.
Last but not least - can you stick with it over the long
haul? Persistence is perhaps the MOST important quality shared by all
entrepeneurs. That's why you hear about those who make a million, lose
a million and then make another million. They go up, then down, then up
again, but they never gave up. You can't let the ups and downs get to
you. Not everything is will go your way all of the time. You'll have to
make some effort and it won't always be easy. But, if you keep your
goals foremost in your mind, learn what you need to know and invest
your resources wisely and with persistence, you virtually can't help
but succeed.
That's how you REALLY make money online!
Article by Rosalind Gardner, author of the best-selling "Super Affiliate Handbook: How I Made $436,797 in One Year Selling Other People's Stuff Online".
Why eBooks Are The Most Overlooked
Path To Online Prosperity by Jim Edwards and David Garfinkel
The ebook revolution is here! The Internet now makes it possible to
come up with an idea, turn it into an ebook, distribute it over the
Internet, and start making money - all in 30 days or less. In the
offline world, 30 days wouldn't typically even be long enough to start
getting rejection letters back from publishers. We say this with
confidence because we have both gone from book idea to book sales in a
matter of weeks - not once, but many times. Between us, we have 10
ebooks currently selling on the Net. Several of our books have brought
us five figures in income. Jim holds the record between us with one
release that made an astounding $43,000 in 30 days.
Here are two discouraging myths you should be aware of:
Myth #1 - It takes a lot of money to promote an ebook. Fact: It
doesn't. Despite what anyone says to the contrary, online information
publishing is still the fastest, cheapest and easiest way for the
"little" guy to earn a nice living online with virtually no risk and
very little money (less than $100).
Myth #2: You have to be a writer to make money with ebooks. Fact: You
don't have to be a "writer" in order to create a best selling ebook -
and it often helps if you're not!
Maybe you've heard that ebooks don't sell. That's not entirely a myth;
in a way, that's true. What sells in book stores will generally not
sell well on the Internet. Although author J.K. Rowling has sold more
than 100 million copies of her "HarryPotter" books worldwide, it's
unlikely she would do well selling her stories in ebook form.
But ebooks sell like hotcakes when they contain PRACTICAL information
in ready-to-use form. Not pages of pages of long, flowing prose like
you find at Borders and Barnes and Noble. On the Net, people buy
step-by-step, cut-to-the-chase information they can use to solve
problems in their everyday lives.
eBooks on how to negotiate the best price on a car, how to sell your
home without paying a real estate agent, how to build muscle mass
quickly, and other narrowly focused topics that solve a problem, are
selling VERY well - at this very moment!
Why is this so? Because the main reason people are online in the first
place is to find information - 9 times out of 10, according to a
landmark survey.
So if you can interest people in extending their search past looking
for free information into purchasing an information-rich,
well-organized, ready-made SOLUTION to a pressing problem, you can sell
ebooks... You can sell a LOT of them.
Jim has sold more than 5,000 ebooks in the last 10 months. David's
publishers have asked him not to reveal how many ebooks he's sold, but
just type his first and last name into Google and you'll find more than
20,000 Web pages where his name appears. The vast majority of those
pages have something to do with one of his ebooks.
One more thing: It doesn't need to take very long to write an ebook.
Why? Because many "book books" are like encyclopedias in prose form -
they cover everything imaginable about the topic.
eBooks aren't like that. They go right to the meat of what people need
to know to solve a problem. They have information about everything
necessary to solve a problem, but no "filler" information that takes so
long to write - and takes readers so long to sift through.
Here are four mistakes ebook authors make that typically reduce or
prevent sales:
1. They don't write to a specific, target audience. The biggest mistake
most ebook authors make is they don't clearly define, identify and
visualize who they are selling their ebook to. On the Web, to be
successful, you must write to a specific group of people who have
specific interests. Make sure that you know exactly who is going to buy
your ebook, and where you can find them online.
2. They don't automate as many of their business activities as
possible. Selling ebooks, though it is highly profitable, is not a
business where you make hundreds of dollars per sale.
Automate everything you can - credit card processing, ebook delivery,
as much technical support as possible.
3. They don't have a compelling title for their ebook. Use words that
convey the benefit of what's in the ebook, as well as words your
audience is familiar with.
A bad title for an ebook: "Online Marketing for Newbies." A good title
for the same ebook: "97 Ways to Promote Your Website - No Experience
Required."
4. They try to cover too much ground. Many ebook authors convey a lot
of information but don't cover anything in-depth. As a result, they
never fully explain anything in enough detail to provide any useful
value to their readers.
As long as you are aware of these mistakes and put in a little effort
to avoid them, your chances of success are VERY high.
So, if you know a lot about something - or even if you don't - you can
put together and market an ebook quickly, and make a lot of money
quickly as well. The large traditional publishers may never understand
or agree with this, but that's actually to your benefit. It keeps the
playing field level and offers you, the entrepreneurial author,
unlimited opportunities for many years to come.
Article by Jim Edwards
and David Garfinkel are co-authors of "eBook Secrets Exposed - How to
Make Massive Amounts of Money in Record Time With Your Own eBook
(whether you wrote it or not!)," the authoritative guide to publishing
ebooks on the Internet. Guerrilla Marketing author Jay Conrad Levinson
says, "If there was ever a 'must read' for this century, it is this
book." For more information, visit www.eBookSecretsExposed.com.