What is Affiliate Marketing?

If you've been around the internet looking for ways to make money online, you probably have come across the term, "affiliate marketing". What does this mean, exactly?

Well, if you're an "affiliate" with a company, then there is an association or connection with that company.

If you're an affiliate marketer, then, you do the action of marketing products for another company, then you make a commission on any sales that are made. It's as simple as that.

There are various ways and means to market products for other companies. These include
using websites, pay-per-click, using services such as Google Adwords and Yahoo! Search
Marketing. One could market for a company directly (example: someone you know has a website and needs it advertised), or indirectly through what is called an affiliate network.

A special note about affiliate marketing: This is a technique of making money online that actually
requires a fairly thorough education before one can actually make a real living at it. It also requires some time and patience - and plenty of work.

If you're interested in doing something like this for a living, there are some good resources that
can help you get off to the right start. You can check out a review of a number of them right
here:

TheMoneyReviews.com

Another note about affiliate marketing - this is by far my favorite method of making money
online. It's very fun, and has the quality of building more and more over time, which in turn increases your income over time.

Good luck!

Is "Help" a Four-Letter Word?

In the world of internet marketing, there are a number of different types of money-making programs. By many people, these programs are generally known as "scams", "ripoffs", etc.

Well, I've been working online for some time now, and based on what I've found from my own experience, the "scams" are actually in the minority.

Yes, really!

I would be wary of some program that claims you can spend 20 minutes a week on it and wake up each morning to find loads of cash in your online bank account. But there are many many programs that are available that do not make this claim at all. Many of these can help to make someone wealthy. But it takes some real work and dedication.

What else does it take? The willingness to help others.

The most successful online income programs I've seen have been designed for the intention of actually helping others achieve their financial (and other) goals. Yes, the creators of it will also make some percentage of the income along the way, but why shouldn't they? These types of systems take a lot of time, smarts and resources to establish.

If one were to sign up with such a program, follow the guidelines and work on it with tenacity, persistence and dedication, they would achieve the financial rewards that they have been seeking!

If that person also worked to help others to do the same thing, they would achieve long-term stable wealth and a thriving business.

Moral #1: Before making the assumption that something is a ripoff, really take a look at it for it's true potential. Ask yourself: Is it logical that it would work?

Moral #2: If one is willing to believe that something (or someone) can help them, and if they are willing to help others, an awful lot of doors will open up to a new way of life.

And that doesn't apply just to business.

First Day at School

Copyright © Tonya Brisnehan

Today was my little one's first day at school.

It was an experience that I came into not knowing what to expect, and I was looking forward to what might happen.

This really was a landmark day. I think only a parent would really get the full impact of all of the changes that not only occurred with this event, but also what the changes symbolize.

My son is 4 years old and has shown interest in school for about a year now. He has been eager to learn more about the educational basics such as numbers, letters, and is now interested in
spelling.

What I found out when I came to pick him up was not only that he had fun, but that he was considered - by educational standards - exceptionally intelligent. (I knew this before but well, you know I'm his mom. :) )

By the end of his time at the school, he had learned to read several words, and knew what they meant. (Up to this time I knew he had an interest in words and their meanings but I didn't realize he was actually ready to start reading.)

Wow.

OK, now why I mention this - I'm not doing it to brag on my kid. Well, maybe I am a little. :) But my main point is this: Although he is naturally bright, I am a work-at-home mother and my ability to be with him at home has really paid off. He's a stable, happy child and is learning like a thirsty sponge. I know that my ability to spend most of each day with him has been a major contributing factor with his abilities.

This first day of school was actually an emotionally moving experience. The look of dignity on his face almost brought a tear to my eye. His sense of pride from his accomplishments showed in his sparkling eyes and the way he held his head up.

What did I do before I was a mother? I seem to have trouble remembering what life was like - but I do know that it didn't even compare to the pure joy that exists in my life today.

Basic Marketing Strategy

If you're thinking about working with internet
marketing for a living - or even just to make
a few extra dollars, here's some ideas that
will help.

First off, I want to say that marketing is
basically the same - by my own experience -
whether it is done offline or online. Or even
in a combination of the two.

There are 3 important points that should
be applied in order to make this type of a
business succeed. They include quantity of
advertising, persistence (including the concept
of repetition) and good, helpful service.

I'll take up these three points one at a time:

1. Quantity of advertising - I've included
a post regarding this exact point, with the
subject of volume. Fundamentally speaking,
it requires volume - always - to have any
type of marketing be effective. Even if one
single ad is placed, volume also includes
the idea of, "How many people will see this
ad?" In this way, if it is the right ad in the
right place, many people will see it and the
response will be high.

2. Okay, persistence. This is a real stickler
in the Internet Marketing world, and the lack
of it is the main reason so many people give
up trying to make money online. Here are some
statistics that may help to clarify this point:

* It generally takes 7-8 views of any promotional
ad before the average person will respond in any
way - even if it's just a question.

* With one promotional campaign being done
(for example an email campaign done to a mailing
list), it will take anywhere from 6 weeks to 3
months to really notice any kind of respectable
level of response.

* When promotion is done, but not consistently
it can appear that the advertising is doing
absolutely no good. The problem is that to the
average person, they are seeing different ads
more often than not, or in different forms and
the lack of repetition fails to fully capture
their attention.

3. Service - This topic is more along the lines
of how to keep a business successful after it's
become lucrative, but applies all along the line.
For those who are involved in online network
marketing this also means helping your team
to succeed.

Example: A customer or team member/affiliate
emails a question but it takes 4 days for it
to be answered. The result: Frustration and
a lack of security about the whole thing.
(This may be unspoken, but I can guarantee
it exists.)

The way to make a business successful for the
long term is to earn trust with good communication,
good service with the intention to provide some
help on the other end of that line.

My friends, internet marketing is one of the
most enjoyable (and sometimes even exhilirating)
careers out there. It can be a lot of fun even
as a past-time, but as a business it's a total
blast.

When these principles are thoroughly applied you
can count on success.


About the Author:

Tonya Brisnehan is a work-at-home mom and
successful internet marketer.

Online Marketing - Volume Counts!

In my first blog entry I discussed the subject of persistence
and its relationship to internet marketing.

Along with the willingness to hang in there, there is another
subject of importance – volume. When we’re talking about
internet marketing then, we’re talking about quantity of
advertising.

If you think of marketing in terms of numbers, here’s what can
commonly be noticed: A relatively small percentage of people
will actually respond to an ad or offer (my experience has been
about 5 to 8%). Of those people, another percent will actually
follow through and work to grow their business (I’ve noticed
that this falls at about 15%).

If you think of these numbers while you are placing ads, sending
emails, making contact calls, etc., you will have a good idea
of how much advertising should be done to match your goals.
If you use the right volume along being persistent, you will
likely get the results you’re hoping for!

To your success!


About the Author:

Tonya Brisnehan is a work-at-home mom
and successful internet marketer.