Things That Make You Go Hummm.....

Well, there is bad news and good news and good news again so here goes..

BOSCOV'S:  I began signing up at 7:45 PM because I wanted to see exactly how long it would take me to complete the sign up portion. I entered all of my personal information and picked a Username and Password.  I answered all of their questions.  Provided my Social Security Number, (some affiliates will send in your tax money for you, I guess Boscov's is one of those) and provided information including a brief description about the Blog.



At 8:08 PM  was when I found out that Boscovs Affiliate Program is part of Commission Junction.  I am pretty darn sure that Google Adsense does NOT allow you to have another affiliate network on your site at the same time as them.  Since Google does not warn you when they dump your blog affiliation with them, I was not taking the chance!

So off to Hot Topic:  Fortunately, Hot Topic was kind enough to let me know faster, that Commission Junction was their best friend also--allot faster--like right after I provided them all of my personal information.  Three and One half minutes faster. 


Well, for the good news, if your Blog is not already signed up with an Affiliate Network and you have had your Blog active for at least 3 months, go and sign up with Commission Junction.  Then let us know how you made out.


So just because I could, I went and started a Blog with Wordpress.  I thought it would be nice to see how other places Blogs are set up.  We will definitely get into more about that Blog in future postings but..........


I was not about to leave you guys with nothing because what kind of Illustrators Leader would I be then??  You guys would abandon me, no more stopping over for Maxwell House Coffee and bottles of Coke a Cola and........
Sorry, I must still be in internet scrambled brain mode..//


Now for the good stuff:

Amazon:  https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/

NOTE: Also included with Amazon is Audible.com, Endless.com and Fabric.com 


Provides Tracking: Yes

Commission:  Up to 15%
Calculates Payments: Monthly
Payout:  60 Days
  Note:  If you choose an Amazon Gift Card or direct deposit, they will pay out after $10.00 accrued monies but if you want them to send you a check, they don't pay you until you have $100.00 in commissions and then they charge you a $15.00 processing fee.
Payment Options:  See above.
Enrollment: Upon approval (I was approved  immediately)
Out clause:  Anytime
Tools Provided:  Links, Banners, Widgets, Slide Shows, etc.
Difficulty of Enrollment:  Super Easy  

Make sure you have your Payment information handy as you will need to provide it at enrollment. 

And I signed up for Ebay .  Next time I will provide you with the information and what hoops you need to jump through to get approved.  For some crazy reason, Blogger is not cooperating tonight and keeps changing spelling options on me.

Meanwhile, while you have the chance, look around this blog and see what kind of advertisements Adsense is putting on the blog.  They are not only putting up ads that have to do with Affiliate Programs and Affiliate Networks but are also putting up adds about completely different things like where to hide your money, out of the country!!

Humm, think maybe we are on to something BIG???

Also, if you check the bottom of the Blog, you will see some of the Blog Directories I signed up for to drive more traffic to this Blog..  When you do this, it gets your blog listed in more search engines. As soon as I started getting approved (which was almost immediately) , when I searched the name of my Blog, it  showing right up.

Of the ten directories I signed up with, only one rejected me.

Last but not least, check out the Gadgets  on the right.  If my falling girl is still there, click on her and help her out. She seems to keep getting stuck!!

 Again, thanks so much for stopping by.  Sorry I couldn't offer you some Hersheys Hot Chocolate or  A Granny Smith Apple Pie but with the Swine flu going around, I didn't think you really wanted to share.

Remember: Stop back soon and don't forget to share the wealth and support each others sites.

Tata,

Lizzy

 

#2: Bosvov's and Hot Topic Affiliate Programs

HERE WE GO.......LETS START MAKING SOME INTERNET MONEY....


 Boscov's :http://boscovs-affiliate-program.com/affiliate_agreement.html

 PROVIDES TRACKING:  YES
 COMMISSION :   5 %
 CALCULATES PAYMENT:  END OF EVERY MONTH
 PAY OUT:  30-40 DAYS, AFTER EARNING $25.00 OR WILL ROLL OVER TO NEXT MONTH
 PAYMENT OPTIONS:  UNKNOWN
 ENROLLMENT:  UPON APPROVAL
 OUT CLAUSE:  WRITTEN NOTICE
 TOOLS PROVIDED:  LINKS TO SALES
                                     LINKS TO DEPARTMENTS
                                     BANNERS, ETC.
  DIFFICULTY OF ENROLLMENT:  EASY
  INSTRUCTIONAL INFORMATION:  EASY


AND:           .


Hot Topic: http://community.hottopic.com/content/affiliate-program

PROVIDES TRACKING:  YES
COMMISSION: 5-15 %
CALCULATE PAYMENT:  MONTHLY, AFTER $25.00
PAYOUT:  UNKNOWN
PAYMENT OPTIONS:  UNKNOWN
ENROLLMENT:  UPON ACCEPTANCE
OUT CLAUSE:  UNKNOWN
TOOLS PROVIDED:  LINKS TO SALES, BANNERS

BONUS: PERSONAL PURCHASES INCLUDED IN COMMISSION

DIFFICULTY OF ENROLLMENT:  EASY
INSTRUCTIONAL INFORMATION: EASY

NOTE: NOT ALL SITES GIVE YOU ALL THE INFORMATION BEFORE YOU ENROLL.

     Here are the first two sites for you all to play around with SO GO HAVE SOME FUN.  Like you, I also will be getting my feet wet with them.  Not knowing their criteria for picking blog sites, time will tell if they will approve the kind of site that I have.  Oh well, we will see...

     I had allot of fun with the gadgets and have been adding and arranging them all day.  They are so easy to add/remove/just move.  Caution: They all link to Google Adsense, so if there is one for AMAZON OR E-BAY, don't add it as you will be getting them next.

     Now for some advise:  Keywords are paramount!!!!
 
Advertisers base the fee they will pay for adds on your site through affiliate networks; by certain key words.  I do not want to get too complicated here as that always leads to the yellow brick road of crossed eyes and stale brain, so all I will say is, when you are really bored,  I mean really, really bored--google keywords --and  get a handle on which ones work best for your blog.

Note:  Even if your blog does not lend itsself to the more popular retailers, you can always sneak little words into the blog, without being real obvious.
Example:  "This is not your typical glass of coca cola." Instead of  "not your typical cup of tea."  When using humor or slang, several references can be added easily.
Although I do not advocate blantent obvious advertising on your blog, without letting your readers know about it,  I do not see a problem with products worked into general conversation.  Let me know what you think and maybe we will get a good debate going!!! LOL

     I am off to find us some  blog directories to submit our blogs to because our next big project after this one will be: NETWORKING OUR BLOG.

     Thank you all for stopping by.  If it were possible, I would of offered you some Maxwell House Coffee or a bottle of Coke, but...
Til next time, be nice to each other and don't forget to share the wealth and support each others sites.

Tata,

Lizzy


   
    

      


                                               
                                                  
                                                        
                                                        

Blogger Affilliate Marketing Programs Made Easy

     Definition of Affiliate Marketing:  An internet based marketing practice in which a business rewards one or more affiliates for each visitor or customer brought about by the affiliates marketing efforts. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

PERIOD/SIMPLE
.
   No cost to you
   No start-up
   No download fee
   No sign up expense
   Nodda, Nothing. You just put your personal information in the required fields and sign on the dotted line and that's it!!.

    The only things that are required is:
    A blog
    An avenue for them to pay you.
    IT'S AN INTERNET CASH COW.
 
AND the affiliates will give you different options for payment- them to you-
NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND.

     As we all know, the internet is a wonderful informational tool but like all wonderful things, it has grown a bit of an attitude. It keeps trying to pull us in one direction as we are trying to go in another , desperately fighting to access only the information we want.
    
     Reminds me of a few kids I know!

      Anyway, making money through internet affiliate programs is no where near as hard to do as the Affiliate Networks would have you believe. In fact, it is extremely easy, once you know how.

      lETS CLEAR UP THE FIRST BIT OF CONFUSION:

     AFFILIATE NETWORKS ~VS ~AFFILIATE PROGRAMS:

    Affiliate Networks are ONLINE companies who- for a percentage of your profits-will list their advertisers on your site and control the amount of profits you receive.

  Affiliate Programs are simular but are offered by  RETAIL companies, large and small, cutting out the middle man, thus leaving the blogger with a higher percentage of profits. .

     Now I would love to say something bad about the Affiliate Networks but, alas, I can not.  Even reading the blogs, I really can not find many complaints; with the exception of the blog owners lack of control over percentages being paid to them. Really, that is just a tit for tat thing. It is what we pay them for doing all the leg work for us.

    BUT......

     I guess I am just an information junky because I couldn't leave it alone.  I wanted to know just how much we could really get paid, if we could link to some of them directly, without the middle man.  Well, I found out!!
I found out allot and I am no were near done!!

     WHICH BRINGS ME TO THE REST OF YOU.

     The Holidays are around the corner, people have gotten use to the idea of internet shopping and we have just enough time to start adding some of those other "places" to our blogs.
    
     Oh and don't worry if you are already with a affiliate network, they do not care at all if you add some independents!!

      So here is what I am going to do.

      I am going to add a few things daily along with the important affiliate information you would want to know before you signed up and then you can decide for yourself if you want to join one or two or three or more, for that matter.   We will do it together and we can share the good the bad and the ugly together also.

     Most of the affiliates take a few days to approve your site so as mine are approved, I will add them and if they are rejected I will let you why.
 
     Just a few tidbits I can share with you now.

     1:  The Affiliate Networks that showed up the most while I was researching were:  Google Adsense, Commission Junction, Linkshare and Pepper Jam, in that order. If you are going to add a Network Affiliate, these look like the best bets.  If you are on Blogger, use Adsense.  It just makes sense!!

     2:  All Affiliate Programs had easy outs so no complications should you decide you want to part company.

     3:  All had some type of site tracking available (real important, it is how your income is calculated).

     4:  All settled up at the end of the month or after 30 days, although you still had to wait  "up to" 45 days for payment.

     5:  Commission averages were 5% plus variables (sign up of new customers, more for high ticket items, etc).

     These companies I am refering to are name stores we all know (Boscovs for one) and the Mall speciality stores ( Hot Topic for another).

     So come along for the ride.  I am sure it will get bumpy but should definately be interesting.
  
     Tonight I am going to go add Adsense  and some gadgets from google.  If you have not done gadgets yet, go have some fun and I will catch up with you tomorrow.

Ta-ta,
Liz

P.S.  With the exception of Hot Topic no other retail store will give you a commission for your own purchases so we can all help each other by purchasing from each others sites.
Whatta you think, great idea right? Knew you'd like it. LOL