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