Feedback Form
Home Features Mastermind Forums About Advertise Blog Network Contact Be An Author

Internet Business Ideas: Starting An Online Affiliate Business

Internet Business Ideas: Starting An Online Affiliate Business

How many affiliate programs should I join? How do I find the right affiliate programs? If you are starting an affiliate business, these may be just a few of the questions you may be asking.

How many affiliate programs should I join?

Do not make the mistake that many other people have made and that is joining too few affiliate programs on the one hand and too many on the other.

Joining too few affiliate programs is a problem for three major reasons:

Firstly, the bottom line is that you absolutely, must start earning multiple streams of income. One income stream, even two is not enough in today's world. If you are only relying on your job as your main source of income right now, you are a sitting duck for a financial disaster. If you lose your job or your health, you could be in big trouble financially. Most people are just one paycheck away from bankruptcy.

The same applies to affiliate marketing. If you are relying on just one or two affiliate programs to pull in the bulk of your income, you are extremely vulnerable. If you have built up a big residual income in one program and it goes out of business so do you. You absolutely must develop multiple streams of income to be secure in today's world.

Secondly joining only one or two affiliate programs does not give you enough experience to compare strengths and weaknesses of different programs. It leaves you being unaware of different possibilities and that is very dangerous to your financial health.

Thirdly if you only have one or two different products or programs to promote, that is not enough to solve the many different problems people will be coming to you for. You need to have a variety of tools in your affiliate toolbox so you can pull out the right one at the right time for the right person. If you do not, you will be leaving money on the table. It is that simple.

Joining too many affiliate programs is a problem for two major reasons:

Firstly, you will get way too distracted. Focus has great power and if you have too many things to think about at one time, you will get confused. When you are confused, you do not take action. When you do not take action, you do not make money.

Secondly, people will not take you seriously. If you are promoting everything and anything, people will sense your lack of sincerity and have no desire to do business with you. One of the big secrets to affiliate marketing success is promoting things you have some experience with and believe in.

But there is a happy medium somewhere in the middle of having enough products and programs to promote that keep you diversified and capable of solving multiple problems for people.

Five to six different affiliate programs in a niche is generally the best starting point. This gives you enough experience with different programs to compare their strengths and weaknesses. It gives you enough diversity so you can offer your prospects the right solution at the right time. And it broadens your own affiliate portfolio enough so that you can survive a disaster just in case one of the affiliate programs you are promoting falls on hard times.

How do I find the right affiliate programs?

As an affiliate, you need to work with companies that put you first. After all, you are the one driving the traffic to their site and they do not have a lot of risk since they only pay you when you generate a sale. But a lot of affiliate programs do not understand that. In fact, many programs out there are paying 5-15% commission on products they should be paying you a lot more for.

But there is another extremely important factor that determines success or failure as an affiliate marketer. That is whether or not the company pays you one time or pays you residual income for a single sale. This is a huge factor you need to consider before you join any affiliate program.

If you are promoting products from affiliate programs that only paid you one time for a sale, you would still need a job somewhere else to cover your basic living expenses. You need to work exclusively with programs that pay you residual income.

On the Internet, residual income is basically selling a "subscription service" so that when someone buys the product you get paid up-front one time and then each month when that person's subscription renews with the company, you get paid again, and again, and again every month for as long as that person continues using the service.

It is a fact that 90% of the people fail at generating any significant income from affiliate programs because they are promoting products that do not pay a substantial residual income. You need to exclude any program that does not pay you residual income.

Affiliate programs that pay only one-time for a single sale are bad for your financial health. Think about it. It takes the same energy on your part to promote something that pays you only one time as it does to promote something that pays you every month forever. So would you rather spend a day to make a sale that you get paid for that day and that day only or would you rather spend a day and make a sale that pays you for the rest of your life?

There is only one right answer to that question. You should only focus on programs and products that pay you residual income.

Examples of products and affiliate programs that pay residual income:

1) Membership Sites

There are many sites on the Internet that charge people a monthly membership fee to gain access to their services. As an affiliate you earn up-front when one of your prospects joins the program and per month for the life of their membership.

2) Hosting Services

For those who want to have their own website on the Internet a good web host is required. The great part about promoting hosting services is that when people get a website host, they usually stick with it for a long time. Promoting website hosting services is a great way to generate residual income online.

3) Business Opportunities

Online business opportunities offer another great way to get paid residual income on the internet. The reason for this is simple. Millions of people are flocking to the Internet every day looking for a reliable way to earn extra income, so online business opportunities have become a huge industry.

The great thing about online business opportunities is that they are much easier than offline business opportunities. All you really need to do for these is find out where the people are searching for these business opportunities and position yourself in front of them. You do not even have to sell the opportunity. People are going to join these opportunities anyway so all you do is setup your marketing in such a way that people find the opportunity through your link instead of someone else’s.

The key is choosing the right programs.

If you are promoting the wrong program, one of the following things will happen:

People will not join. People will join and then quit and you won’t make anything. You will get lots of people to join and then not get paid fairly for your efforts. You will get lots of people to join, get paid well for a few months and then the company will go out of business. You will get people to join and never get paid.

Way forward:

If you starting an online affiliate business and want the best possible chance to succeed as an affiliate marketer take heed of this internet business idea. Focus on promoting five or six residual income affiliate programs to earn multiple streams of income. This is often the biggest difference between success and failure for most affiliates.





Internet Business Ideas Starting An Online Affiliate Business - To learn more about this author, visit Cynthia Minnaar's Website.

Like this article? Share it with your friends

Article Feedback
 Article Feedback No article feedback found.
  Leave Your Feedback
article feedback

Article Feedback
Jeff Foster
WebBizIdeas.com is a Minneapolis website design company founded to help people start an internet business by providing them with website, business, and internet resources that help foster the growth of successful online businesses and develop innovative Internet business ideas.  We specialize in internet consulting & internet marketing
- Visit Jeff Foster's Website

Cheryl Matthynssens

Cheryl is a life skills coach, licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and a 20 year entrepreneur.  Cheryl's dedication to achieving a life of balance led to her expanding her teaching from the simple managing of life's daily challenges to adding financial well being as well.  A direct marketer with DrinkACT, she is gaining ground in the online community with her concepts of making sure business owners, entreprenuers and employees have well rounded life styles.  She opened up a small affiliate site - The Balance Guide-  to help others find resources for mental and emotional well being.  Visit Cheryl's blog to see more of the diversity beyond business she has began offering online at www.thebalanceguide.blogspot.com

- Visit Cheryl Matthynssens's Website

Stephanie Robey
Stephanie Robey is President and CoFounder of Pivot Positive, LLC - an Internet marketing business focused on helping people start work at home ventures. Previously, she was employed at The Search Agency with over 20 years experience in graphic design and 10 years experience in online marketing. She was responsible for launching the Conversion Path Optimization (CPO) unit where she and her team have conducted hundreds of optimization tests for online companies across multiple verticals.

She is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold 2 companies and remains on the board of directors of the third, PhotoSpin.com   Stephanie began her career in the direct marketing realm creating and producing direct mail for many of the major cable television companies and directly attributes her understanding of Internet marketing to those early offline experiences.  Stephanie is a graduate of San Diego State University with a BFA in Graphic Arts and also holds an Executive MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University.

Read Steph's Blog
Meet Steph and Dave
Sign up for our Free 7-Day BootCamp: Self Employed & Rich
- Visit Stephanie Robey's Website

John Alexander
John has taught keyword research and SEO skills to small groups of business owners and Webmasters from over 80 different countries world wide since 2002. John is also the Director of Search Engine Academy ; Co-director of Training at Search Engine Workshops offering live, SEO Workshops with his partner SEO educator Robin Nobles, author of the very first comprehensive online search engine marketing courses at SEO Training Online and the SEO Workshop Resource Center.
I look forward to hearing from you! - Visit John Alexander's Website

Richard Jefferies
For an online Car Loan Calculator and finance for a cheap car loan. Get approved on car loans or car finance in Australia with cheap bank car loans and finding a car finance broker. Commercial car loans including business car finance and car lease. Car Loan Calculator has information on finance companies and getting the right cheap car loan from banks at best car loan rates and a online car loan calculator for all finance in Australia. Get the best car finance with our help at Car Loan Calculator and Finance Ezi. - Visit Richard Jefferies's Website

David Barr
David Barr is the President of Venture Opportunities, Inc. David has been a professional business broker/intermediary since 1980 focusing on General Business Brokerage and Mergers and Acquisitions representing client transaction value from $400,000 to $20,000,000. Mr. Barr has handled the sale of over four hundred and fifty companies. David earned a university degree from the State University of New York majoring in economics and business. David holds the Mergers and Acquisition Master Intermediary and the Certified Business Intermediary designations from the International Business Brokers Association. He is also a Senior Business Analyst and a Texas licensed Real Estate Agent. For more information about David and Venture Opportunities, visit www.bizdealmaker.com. - Visit David Barr's Website

Jay Kubassek
(Jay's Full Bio: EvanCarmichael.com/jaykubassek)  In five years, Canadian-born entrepreneur Jay Kubassek went from selling mufflers at a Midas franchise to revolutionizing Internet marketing with the 2004 launch of CarbonCopyPRO, a online marketing education company, now worth over $20 million with customers in over 160 countries.

 

As an independent film producer, his upstart film fund Aliquot Films is currently producing a films with Spike Lee and Abel Fererra (starring Ethan Hawke and Dennis Hopper.)

 

Jay's entrepreneurial spirit is irrepressible. He’s the owner of five companies, a professional speaker and trainer, international real estate developer/investor, extreme sport enthusiast and emerging philanthropist. 

 

Jay resides in NYC with his wife Jamie, son Milo and dog Cooper.  Visit Jay's official website: www.JayKubassek.com - Visit Jay Kubassek's Website

Anne Barr
Anne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website


To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us.

About The Author


Cynthia Minnaar
(Visit Cynthia's Website) Cynthia Minnaar lives in South Africa and works full-time from home online. She is the proud owner of www.cyns-home-biz.com, the online business ideas site committed to helping others earn a legitimate income online by offering the best, proven online work at home ideas, internet home based business opportunities and online home income resources. Be sure to visit her I nternet Marketing Training Guide for great tips on how to market your business online. She’d like to invite you to subscribe to her free Online Home Business Ideas Newsletter packed full of internet business building tips and free Inte rnet Income Training

Cynthia Minnaar is a Platinum author on EvanCarmichael.com
About The Author

View Author Blog
View Author Blog

View Author Video
View Author Video

Free Downloads


Cynthia Minnaar's

Complete
List Of
Home-Based-Business
Articles

Name
Email
Author's Free Downloads
Article Marketing Icon Article Marketing
Make Money Online Icon Make Money Online
SEO Made Easy Icon SEO Made Easy
PIPS Power Book Icon PIPS Power Book
Start eTutoring Business Icon Start eTutoring Business
Google Adwords Guide Icon Google Adwords Guide

More Cynthia Minnaar
Best Ways To Earn Internet Income Quickly
Ways To Earn Extra Income Online From Home
Home Income Opportunities To Earn Extra Money Online
How To Make Internet Income With An Online Affiliate Business
Online Affiliate Marketing StartUp Tips For Beginners
Best Way To Start A Home Based Internet Business
Starting A Home Based Business Online Things To Consider
Easy Online Product Marketing
Profitable Home Based Business How To Generate Extra Income
3 Profitable Internet Income Ideas
Free Downloads


 
 
 


Evan Elite Authors
Jeff Foster  
John Brennan  
Dave Kurlan  
Evan Elite Authors

Become An Author
Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details.
Become An Author

Evan's Latest Video
Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media
Evan's Latest Video

Business Opportunities
"Learn straight from Evan how you can Make a Full Time Income (And More) from a Website"

How to Start An Online Business

Click Here To Learn More
Business Opportunities



Evan's Newsletter
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
Name:
Email:
Evan`s Newsletter

Free Downloads
Warning Signs Checklist Icon Warning Signs Checklist
Challenges Of Change Icon Challenges Of Change
Networking Difference In A Decade Icon Networking Difference In A Decade
Strategic Alliance Icon Strategic Alliance
Eneterprise Readiness Icon Eneterprise Readiness
Free Downloads - Complete List

Entrepreneur Tools and Guides
Email The Reporters
Email The Reporters
Press Release Builder
 
Top 50 Marketing Blogs
Top 50 Marketing Blogs
Top Marketing Blogs of 2010
 
Entrepreneur Tools and Guides

SEO For Africa
SEO For Africa
Ines Jose Sevene Xai-Xai, Mozambique,
Ines Jose Sevene
Xai-Xai, Mozambique
SEO For Africa

If I Were A Startup...
Lee Segal, >1,800% Growth in 5 Years
Lee Segal
>1,800% Growth in 5 Years
Chris Nguyen, 30+ national clients on $0
Chris Nguyen
30+ national clients on $0
If I Were A Startup... - Complete List

Famous Entrepreneurs
Terry Matthews, Mitel
Rachael Ray, Rachael Ray
Rachael Ray
Rachael Ray
Famous Entrepreneurs - Complete List

Entrepreneur Advice
Guy Kawasaki, The Art of the Start
Guy Kawasaki
The Art of the Start
Michael Gerber, The E Myth
Michael Gerber
The E Myth
Entrepreneur Advice - Complete List

Popular Articles
(Premium Authors)

     Where Has All the Originality Gone?
By Cyndi Webb
     Nice vs. Honest - A Woman's Struggle
By Cyndi Webb
     Are the Online Experts Real Experts or Not?
By Cyndi Webb

Have A Suggestion?
Toronto Salsa Classes / Toronto Salsa Lessons Email us your ideas on how to make our website more valuable! Thank you Sharon from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for your suggestions to make the newsletter look like the website and profile younger entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez and Sean Combs!
Have A Suggestion?

More Evan Carmichael
More Information