Affiliate Programs:
There are basically 3 kinds of Internet Affiliate
Programs:
- Pay-Per-Click: Internet pay-per-click
programs have become very popular these days with the success
and popularity of Yahoo's Publisher Network program--which is
currently in beta mode--Google's AdSense program and others
like it (MSN has new pay-per-click program on the way.) With
pay-per-click, you get paid a certain amount every time you
direct traffic in the form of clicks to another site. Commission
for clicks can vary a great deal but most clicks will pay less
than $1. The most significant advantage of pay-per-click affiliate
programs is--as you might have guessed--that you get paid a
commission regardless of whether the traffic you provided lead
to a sale or not. Another major advantage of pay-per-click programs
is that you can generate revenue with your website by simply
adding a piece of code to your site's pages. Passive income
at its best!
- Pay-Per-Sale: Basically, you
get paid a commission for every sale you make; your cut is usually
a percentage of the sale, but some programs offer a flat fee
for each item or service sold. This is by far the oldest and
most widespread type of affiliate program. One disadvantage
of pay-per-sale affiliate programs is that you need to sell
a lot of volume in order to generate a decent income.
Commission Junction (@ cj.com )
offers efficient access to many of the Internet's finest free
affiliate programs that offer commissions on a pay-per-sale
basis.
- Pay-Per-Lead: Not nearly as popular
as the two affiliate programs listed above, pay-per-lead means
that you get paid for providing leads for a product or service.
The major distinction here is that you get paid once
for each visitor or "lead" you refer. For example,
many credit card companies have pay-per-lead schemes where you
get paid a commission for every visitor you send to the credit
card company's credit card application form. Once that visitor
completes the application, you'll get paid and that's that.
In this example, you can continue to generate income only
by referring new visitors to the company's online application
form.
Like pay-per-click programs, the advantage of pay-per-lead affiliate
programs is that the visitor you refer doesn't have to buy anything
for you to earn your commission.
Commission Junction (@ cj.com)
offers efficient access to many of the Internet's finest free
affiliate programs that offer commissions on a pay-per-lead
basis.
Many of us would love to quit our day jobs and start a home based
business. Working from home offers an endless list of benefits including
spending a lot more time with family and being in control of one's
destiny. Affiliate programs offer a great way to ease your way into
the self-employment game because--generally speaking--the startup
costs are manageable and you can get started without having to devote
a lot of time to the process. With affiliate programs, you don't
have to be a creative genius or a have an MBA to start a profitable
enterprise. You sell the products and services that others have
developed and, if you work hard --and work smart--your affiliate
relationship can be just as profitable and rewarding as selling
your own products or services.
Some caveats are in order.
If, for example, you were to quit your 9-5 job and sign-up with
a bunch of affiliate programs to get your home based, money-making
machine off the ground, you might find yourself spending an inordinate
amount of time trying to maximize your affiliate earnings, time
that you could have spent developing your own ideas or products,
which in turn could have made you a whole lot more money! It's always
best to constantly evaluate and re-evaluate your business plans;
your time is very precious and it's a good idea to spend it pursuing
initiatives that will have long term benefits.
One more serious caveat: watch out for all the scam
affiliate programs out there! Most affiliate programs are legit
but these days an increasing percentage of affiliate programs are
scams.
There are lots of criminal types out there who and very willing
and very able to take advantage of the overzealous and uninformed
entrepreneur. Click
here for more information about affiliate program scams and scammers.
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