Two weeks ago, Mariangie Gonzalez sent in a question

"How do you market your Network Marketing business so yours it's perceived as different from the rest of the reps out there?"

In answer to her question the way to be perceived as different was to set up an incentive package that was related to the general theme of your affiliate or mlm progam. If you missed out on that disucssion there is a huge blog entry about that at http://www.profitspace.com/blogger.html.

What I want to do here is back up a bit...a sort of regrouping you might say and go over what to look for in affiliate programs. Affiliate programs are the easiest, fastest and most inexpensive way for ANYONE, regardless of experience to earn money. What
I want to do is provide you with some insight as to what to look for in a program.

Before we dive in and talk about affiliate programs I do want to say something about starting a business regardless of whether it is on or off-line. You NEED to possess passion for what it is you are doing. If you jump into something for the sake of making money you are going to end up resenting it. Starting a business
takes a lot of time and energy. If you are involved in something that you are passionate about and believe in then those hours don't seem so daunting. If you are in something just to make a buck...those hours are going to seem very over-whelming to the point where you hate what you are doing and will soon resent the business you are in.

So...with that said, if you want to start something online then look at what you are passionate about and what will juice you. From there do your research and find affiliate programs that align themselves to what you want to do.

Ok, let's look at affiliate programs ;o)

The BIG QUESTION...can you make money on-line through affiliate programs?

Answer....YES

It is totally possible to make money on-line, there are all kinds of articles and stories about people who have been successful in making money through affiliate progarms.

It has nothing to do with getting in on the ground floor in a particular program. It has nothing to do with having loads of money to market your program. Yup, you are going to have to have a marketing budget, that is just the cost of doing business. What it boils down to is looking for programs that:

1.	Provide products/services that are in demand
2.	Provide a recurring commission structure
3.	Promoting more than one program
4.	Having your own web site

 

So..let's look at each one of these and it will give you an idea as to why these four traits are important to your ebusiness.

1.

Products/Services that are in demand. This is pretty obvious. If you don't have a market for your products/services then you aren't going to make any money. If you want to know if there is a market for the products/services you want to sell then do your research. Look at site's like Overture.com. They have a great advertisers area that provides you with a search criteria tool. All you have to do is enter the keyword that is the general them of your business and it will pop up a list of words that people have used as search criteria, this will give you an idea not only of a demand, BUT it will also give you an idea as to what search terms people use for that general theme.Another thing is to look at the trends that are happening around us. Immediately what pops into my head is the fact that we are getting older and are more health conscious. The health and nutrition industry is huge and it is also a trend. Have you every heard of The Popcorn Report? It was a book written that talks about the trends and where they are heading. One of the things Faith mentioned was the health and nutrition industry and cottage industry (home based business) was going to boom.

2.

Commission Structure is key. Ummm, let me give you an example to hit this home because it truly is important.You are promoting a hot product from one of the top marketers that sells for $29.95. You will earn a commission on the sale of this product of 50% (let's say it works out to about $14.00 so I don't have to strain over math here). It's a one-time sale which means after that sale is made you are having to go out and find others to buy. You are always having to work your butt off to get a "sale" for that product.

 

NOW...here is another example.

You are promoting an affiliate program that pays monthly, something like ProfitsVaultMonthly, then this is what happens. PVM is $29.95 per month and you earn money:

1.	$20.00 PER MONTH per referral
2.	You keep every penny you earn from selling the products With the $29.95 product you are earning $14.00 for all your marketing efforts in getting that sale. That's a one time commission, make the sale and scream "next" to find yet another buyer.With a program that pays MONTHLY, you are earning $20 per month for that same customer, next month you earn another $20 and so on. Get two join your affiliate program and you're covering your own cost plus making a bit of a profit. Bottom-line go for those programs within your industry that pay you a monthly residual commission. That way you are earning money from the SAME customer base. If you are going to spend hard earned money marketing your program then you want to make sure that you are getting paid off those efforts EVERY MONTH...not just a one time deal.
3.	Promote more than one program. If you are promoting just one program and no one buys from you then you aren't making any money...pretty straight forward right?? But, if you promote a few different programs that relate to the over- all theme of your business then you stand a better chance of making a sale. Let me give you an example:I want to target the newbie ebusiness owner and provide them with the tools they need to start a business on-line. So...I think and ask myself "what does a newbie need?" They need a web host, an autoresponder, something to sell, leads, a list and incentive products. So, with that information I set out to find those products/serivces and set up a site...a NEWBIE MECCA you might say. Now if I only set out to promote one of those progams and a newbie already has it, then basically I just shot myself in the foot...BUT. What if they didn't have an autoresponder and saw that I had one that I promote, or they needed leads or they needed to learn about using incentive products to build a list. I just set myself up for the possibilities of making money by offering a host of products/services and not just limiting myself to just one. See where I am going with this?? It takes more than just ONE income stream to make money. You need to set yourself up with several ways to make money. If a visitor doesn't need one product/service then you stand to make something by offering other products/services that relate.
4.	Your own site. You NEED a hub. I like the word hub actually. I got the idea from the University of Alberta while I was a student there. There was a central area within the University that had a dry cleaners, barber, hair salon, and a couple of food kiosks and a little general store deal. The Unversity tagged this as the HUB. I am using HUB to describe what your site should be. YOUR central area that promotes the programs you are affiliated with, a landing area for your visitors where you can build your lists, promote your program incentives, provide content that will help your visitors...etc.Now you are probably thinking "but, my affiliate program provides me with a web page already to go."

 

Yup, they do. However...

1.	are you able to make any sort of adjustments to that page that will enable you to promote an incentive so that you can stand a part from the pack? NO...
2.	MORE IMPORTANTLY...are you able to offer a report or eCourse so that you can build your own list? NO...
3.	are you able to promote other programs, so if your visitor isn't interested in that specific program you stand the chance of being able to make a sale through another program? NO...

that's three strikes right there.

Here is a fourth one for you to think about, if the above three weren't enough. Let's say you quit a program, you quit that web page is gone no big deal there. But, that means you are again having to start over from scratch. IF however, you had your own HUB, you can add to or discontinue programs BUT you still have your list building mechanisms in place and you still have other programs that can bring in money. You aren't always finding yourself starting over again from scratch.

Ok, one last thing I want to show you and then you can think about what you just read ;o)

If you are a member of a mlm program you essentially have two
customer streams. You have those customers who are buying your product AND you have those in your downline. Essentially you have two different markets rolling at the same time, each with their own specific needs. Your customers of course want your products and you are selling them along with other things that tie in for that bunch. You also have your downline which of course have the same products as you...but their needs are a little different. They need guidance from you as well as other things...like:

1.	a web site of their own
2.	a list building mechanism
3.	leads
4.	autoresponder

 

Are you seeing where I'm going with this???

YOU have the potential to create an even greater number of income streams. You have this little market that will need these products and services in order for them to do business...just like you. So, find those services that will meet those needs for them and promote them to your downline.

There you have it, the four main traits that, if you put them into place, will put you in a better position to make money with your affiliate and mlm programs.

This isn't rocket science and it works. Again, if you follow the steps of the super affiliates you will find that these are the very same 4 traits that they have in place. They don't have an inside track to anything that you don't. Yes, they have been at it longer than you but that's about all, they had to start from somewhere as well.

The ONLY difference that perhaps stands between YOU and THEM is that they actually did what we just discussed above. They went out and found products/services that had a good market size. They went out and found affiliates programs that tied in and paid them a monthly recurring income. They found more than just one program to promote...AND they created their own HUB.

The blueprint is there for you ;o)

A great book that will help you peg yourself unique and different from the rest of the pack is..."Super Affiliate Strategies...How to Generate More Sales, Profits and Commissions For ANY Affiliate Program. It is a good read and has some very valuable ideas inside. Check it out for yourself http://www.profitspace.com/sas

 

About the Author
Denise Ryder is a Marketing Coach writing from her home
office in Northern Ontario (Canada). Hey...are you a do-it
yourself marketer? Are you struggling a little? Need just a
little help??? Can you imagine how far your business could
grow with a Marketing Coach in your pocket??? Take a no
cost Test Drive TODAY!!
http://www.profitspace.com/coach