Affiliate Programs
In this section I will group affiliate and network marketing programs under the same category.
In the past there were very clear and distinct differences in the definitions of these two forms of marketing, but that is changing as programs evolve.
The previous definition was that a network marketing (also known as Multi Level Marketing) program rewarded you on both your efforts, and the efforts of your downline members, sometimes tens of levels deep.
Many of these programs rewarded you simply for introducing new members when they purchased so called 'starter packs'. This is now in many cases illegal
Whereas an affiliate program paid you solely on personal product sales that you generated with your own efforts .
Now you will find network marketing programs that pay you on your own personal sales with an overide on your downline members. No recruitment bonuses, no complicated multi level, multi payout schemes, just simple rewards for your efforts.
And you will also find affiliate programs that pay on more than one level with bonuses for exceeding a certain number of sales, etc.
So to save confusion just remember that anywhere that you see affiliate marketing mentioned it also covers network marketing, let's keep it simple shall we?
Why Affiliate Marketing?
Affiliate programs are one of the easiest ways to get into marketing online, in many cases you don't even need to have your own website!
In its simplest form an affiliate program is one where you send visitors to a products site or sales page, and then receive a commission on any purchases made.
Some of the major advantages to affiliate marketing are that in the majority of cases:
- You DO NOT NEED to own a product to be able to sell it!
- Your outlay to get started is ZERO!
- The risk of being left with unsold stock is ZERO!
- You do not have to deal with refund issues!
- You do not need to provide product support!
- You can find and promote a new product in minutes!
There are literally thousands of affiliate programs available which cover just about any conceivable market, take your choice and get promoting.
Here are some that have worked for me over the years:
SFI Marketing Group
Founded by Gery Carson way back in the mid 90's (read their history) this has been part of my portfolio since 1999, my very first affiliate program and still a profitable one.
SFI rewards you very well for your efforts but is not a 'sit back and let everyone else work' kind of program, as you definitely benefit from being proactive.
This really is a program that is rock solid, growing every single year and, more importantly, pays its members on time each and every month.
Without doubt one of the best of all affiliate programs around
It is FREE to become an affiliate so what are you waiting for?
Global Domains International
This is another program that has been in my portfolio for a long time, early 2005 I think, and one that will remain amongst my favorites.
The concept is simple, everyone doing any form of business online needs a domain name, plus email services, plus site hosting, and if you get a site builder program and an affiliate program built in so much the better.
The twist in the tail is that GDI supplies domain names with the .ws suffix. Great for all of those people who cannot find a good .com or similar name to match their business!
I use this as a great filler program, i.e. I promote it as a service that everyone needs (you included) which has the capability of paying for itself many, many times over.
Most of you will not generate a sizeable income from this program but more likely will use it for an extra $50 to $100 a month, plenty enough to cover a lot of your online expenses.
Some affiliates run this as their sole program and target all their resources to promote GDI very successfully, many earning thousands of dollars a month in bonuses alone!
It almost runs on autopilot, I have a few traffic sites promoting GDI and the links are on most of my sites under recommended resources and that's about it...
For a very small monthly payment you get your own website, email address, site builder, domain name, and an affiliate program
Check it out, well worth the effort
More Details And A Program Explanation Here
