HOW TO MAKE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN TWO DAYS

Using affiliate programs to generate fast cash without selling a thing

An Armchair Webmaster™ report by Ty Belknap

This version of the ebook How To Make Thousands of Dollars In Two Days is free to read and study. Copying the information is, of course, illegal without written permission. You can purchase a downloadable Adobe Acrobat version of this ebook so you can read it at your leisure, without having to be connected to the Internet and without ads by clicking here.
Remember, however, it's the ads that keep this version free, so please don't be afraid to be click-happy when you see an ad!

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Page 4 - Clear Your Mind And See The Light

Now that you know what to watch out for, and the pitfalls of joining affiliate programs, you’re ready to learn how to actually start making money! There is money out there to be made, and it’s not difficult. For instance, I make between $300-$800 per month through affiliate programs without much effort, and I’ve proven to myself that the more effort I expend, the more money comes in.

It’s time to clear your mind, relax, and take a good look at your Web site (if you don’t currently have a Web site, now is the time to start imagining it) Write these things down:

• What is the main focus of my web site?
• What message am I trying to send?
• Who is my target audience?
• What are people looking for when they come to my site?
• What complimentary items could I sell?

Let’s look at each of these.

What is the main focus of my web site?
The main focus of Windows Galore (www.windowsgalore.com) is troubleshooting Microsoft Windows programs. The main focus of Certification Galore is to help people become certified in computer-related fields. What is the main focus of your Web site? If you own XYZ company, and you have a Web site for it, is the focus the company?

What message am I trying to send?
Your focus and your message are two different things. A yoga company may focus on their punch-card special, but the message would be that you can feel better by going more frequently. A paint company may focus on a brand name sale, but the message might be that you can have a new-looking home for a small price.

What message are you trying to send through your Web site?

Who is my target audience?
Who is the most likely type of person to come to your Web site? What age, where are they from, what income bracket, what lifestyle? These are important. For instance, if your target audience is younger men looking to get computer-related certifications, do you think advertising about travel getaways will be effective?

What are people looking for when they come to my site?
Visitors to Daffodil Valley Times (www.daffodilvalleytimes.com) are looking for South Puget Sound information. They probably want to know about events in the area, hotels and restaurants, and such. Advertising for Palm Springs wouldn’t do very well here.

So what are people looking for when they come to your site? Someone with a beauty salon may have customers looking for beauty products as well as appointment schedules.

What complimentary items could I sell?
Every Web site has the opportunity to sell something. The object is to find items that compliment what is already there. I’ve told you about advertising that doesn’t work, and now it’s time to look at advertising that does.

The range of complimentary items could be very broad. A massage company could be an affiliate for an online art seller, or align with a book seller to sell books about how to relax.

You are the expert

You are the expert, so trust yourself. Remember, if a certain program doesn’t work, drop it. You’re only out a little bit of time. Did you write down the answers to the five questions above? If you didn’t, do it NOW. You will be happy that you did!

Win the race by going slow

Take your time and research what, and who you want to affiliate yourself with.
Here are 5 steps to picking affiliates:

1. Make a list of 10 affiliate programs you want to join (see the resources section for a link to our recommended list)
2. Write the advantages/disadvantages of each program (see “Picking the right program” below)
3. Determine the top 5 programs you want to join, and list them 1-5
4. Join your #1 program
5. Put banners and text ads on your site, and learn how to track

Let’s look at each of these:

1. Make a list of 10 affiliate programs you want to join (see the resources section for a link to our recommended list)
Research affiliate programs until you can find 10 that fit you and your site (see the resources section for a sample form). Make sure the companies have a good reputation, and look at all negative comments about them.

2. Write the advantages/disadvantages of each program (see “Picking the right program” below)
Compare each program by using the form in the resources section. Sometimes the program you want to use first shows up as the least desirable program on your list. If you really want to use it first, go ahead. But I hope you will learn from my mistakes. 10 years of doing it wrong led me to writing this E-book. J

3. Determine the top 5 programs you want to join, and list them 1-5
It should be easy to determine which programs will make the most money. Pick the top 5. These will be the programs you start with.

4. Join your #1 program
This is important! You will not make a penny unless you start joining the programs, so do it NOW. Read the affiliate agreement. I know, it’s pages of legalese and may put you to sleep. But it also has bits of information like if they will charge you for under-performing; how much you will actually get paid and when; and other useful items.

5.Put banners and text ads on your site, and learn how to track
Get the text links and banners you want from your first program and put them on your Web site. You should only have 1 banner per page, but you can sometimes put text links throughout the page. Make sure the items compliment your Web site.

Most affiliate programs have some sort of tracking, but they’re not all great. The best programs will allow you to see what pages clicks came from, and what pages sales came from. Alternatively, you can put only specific items on each page so you know where the sale came from.

Do NOT go as slow as I did!

Start tracking clicks and income as soon as you put your first banners on the site. You may be tempted to track it every day, and that’s fine, but you should check into each affiliate program at least once a week for the first 3-6 months.

Windows Galore

Windows Galore was doing well with the Amazon.com program, so I didn’t do a lot of tracking when I added the Commission Junction program. I just assumed that, if I put the ads and banners up, I would make money. And why not? It was working with the other programs.
(See “The satisfaction of a hard day’s work” page for why Amazon.com worked and Commission Junction didn’t)

So, after putting up a hundred or more banners, I just went about my other business for several months. I was very surprised that, after 3 months, several thousand people had clicked on the banners and advertisements, but not one person had bought, and there was not one penny in commissions to me.

Effective tracking could have shown the issue far sooner, so I could have changed the way I was running the program. Don’t become complacent, that leads to lower sales and lower commissions.

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