One of the easiest ways to get started with an online business is with affiliate marketing. You don’t have to create anything or fulfill any purchase – you’re just the go-between for paying customers and quality sellers.
Main eBook Title: Creating an Affiliate Marketing Business Plan
Chapter 1: The Benefits of Pursuing Affiliate Marketing – Anyone can do it. You can be a leader or behind the scenes. – It doesn’t require any money upfront – but you can invest money in it. – There’s an endless supply of items to promote in many niches. – Earnings don’t have a ceiling. You can expand easily or target a variety of niches all at once.
Chapter 2: Create a Business Plan for Your Business – The time you’re willing to commit to your activities as an affiliate – Money that you have to invest in it (anywhere from zero to a hefty budget – you need to map it out) – What strategies will you use for promotions? You want to have it all mapped out before you sit down to implement it.
Chapter 3: Generating Broad and Narrow Niche Ideas – Evergreen niches (diet, self-help, money) – Trend or fad-based narrow niches (hCG diet, kids’ toy trends, etc) – Start out broad like “crafts” and get as narrow as you can to still have a healthy audience base, such as “knitting for beginners.”
Chapter 4: Building an Affiliate Base to Promote From – Register a domain – Get hosting – Install WordPress – Set up the sidebar, banner ads, and other promotional areas
Chapter 5: Researching for Your Promotions – Keyword tools and how to use them (free and paid) – Forum research – see what people are saying, asking and responding – Google as a research tool (news tab) – Social networking sites – looking for trends, discussions in groups, etc.
Chapter 6: List Building for Repeat Affiliate Commissions – Why affiliates need to build a list – What to offer (report, reviews, how-to series) – Which tools to use (Aweber, GetResponse, MailChimp)
Chapter 7: Creating the Kind of Affiliate Content That Converts – Personalized (not just scraping specs off a sales letter) – Real implementation and review of the product – Comparison between one product and a competitor – Add tips on how to make the most of their purchase
Chapter 8: Finding Products to Promote in Thriving Marketplaces – Amazon (Kindle books and tangible products) – ClickBank – JVZoo – Share-a-Sale – Commission Junction
Chapter 9: Pairing Digital and Tangible Promotions – Working with niches where there’s a dual promotional ability – Examples – weight loss – tons of e-courses on ClickBank, paired with tangible products on Amazon like kettlebells, supplements, etc. – Conduct a digital review of the product and whenever something is mentioned (like resistance bands), you find a good tangible item from Amazon to promote.
Chapter 10: Spreading the Word on Social Networking Sites – Facebook fan page – Twitter – Google Plus – Forums – Tumblr – Instagram – Pinterest
Bonus Report: Morphing from Affiliate to Info-Product Creator
Chapter 1: Leveraging Your Affiliate Branding (expertise in the niche from recommending – filling gaps)
Chapter 2: Choosing a Unique Slant for Your Product (what’s missing from what you see being taught in the niche?)
Chapter 3: Creating the Product (membership, eBooks, video courses, etc.)
Chapter 4: Launching Your Own Info Product (ClickBank, JVZoo, Warrior Forum, Kindle, minisite needs, etc.)
Chapter 5: Promoting as a Creator Instead of an Affiliate (spend equal if not more time promoting your affiliate program, creating an affiliate toolbox, look for JV partners for launches, etc.)
Opt-in or Viral Report: Affiliate Marketing Versus Product Creation
Chapter 1: Money Required for Start-Up (can be nothing for both up to expensive for top-level outsourcing)
Chapter 2: Branding Efforts (some affiliates don’t brand themselves, but as a product creator, you have to)
Chapter 3: Profit Potential (unlimited for both, but quicker for an affiliate – less time involved)
Chapter 4: Knowledge Required (far less for affiliate – only have to know promotion; product creation requires more knowledge about creating and launching as well as promotions)
Chapter 5: Niche Expansion (unlimited for both, but an affiliate can quickly build in multiple niches while it takes more time for a product creator. Both may need pen names or personas to cross niche markets)
7-Part Email Autoresponder Series: 7 Mistakes to Avoid as an Affiliate Marketer
Email #1: Jumping Right Into Paid Advertising (start with free advertising options like social networking first – some affiliates who don’t understand paid ads lose more money than they make)
Email #2: Focusing Solely on Trend and Fad Niches (these are great money makers, but your income falls sharply when they die – good to have some evergreen income)
Email #3: Promoting Shoddy Products (always gain a reputation for promoting quality, not quantity)
Email #4: Not Building a List (should start from day 1 and you should find a way to continue recommending to these people listening to your advice.)
Email #5: Misleading Your Audience (knowingly steering them astray just so you can earn a commission is a formula for disaster).
Email #6: Not Connecting Promos to Newsworthy Stories (breaking news is helpful in both getting you traffic and getting your audience to see you’re cutting edge and informed).
Email #7: Relying on Copy and Paste Content (always create from scratch. Too many affiliate tools scrape content and slap affiliate links inside – that doesn’t help you become a top affiliate).
Articles:
#1 – How to Get Approved as an Affiliate (have a site, some original content, etc)
#2 – Work from Home as an Affiliate (time, money, the effort required)
#3 – Make Money as an Affiliate without a Website (using social networks only)
#4 – Affiliate Marketing Training (top tutorials and tools)
#5 – How Do Affiliate Commissions Work? (front end, one-time offers, and funnels, cookies, etc.)
Product Reviews:
#1 – Market Samurai – keyword tool with niche information
