How to Start Affiliate Marketing and Earn a Good Living

How to Start Affiliate Marketing and Earn a Good Living

The important question newbies ask is how to start affiliate marketing, and who really should become an affiliate. Understandable question, because newbies are searching for the logical way to get started in making money online.

To answer this question, first address the matter of what skills you have. In what do you excel? What topics are you most interested in?

Are your job skills giving you the satisfaction, and especially the financial rewards you deserve? Maybe your skills are being wasted, or underutilized. If your boss is getting all the benefits from your skills, maybe you should consider working for yourself!

And then you did finally look into starting your own business, only to realize the capital you need is way beyond your means? You may be surprised to know that becoming an online affiliate marketer can be achieved with very little capital.

The second deterrent to starting an offline business on your own, is the risk involved. And yes, there is a definite risk factor to consider. Even though financing is available there is still the risk factor. An average of 40% of new small businesses fail in the first year. 80% won't make it to the 5th year.

If you make it through that first year in your uphill battle, there are still several challenges that you have to face. It could take several years before you see any serious profit that you could make your living with. Most of us cannot wait this long. Most people need a constant flow of money coming in to meet our living requirements. So then, who should become an affiliate? An online affiliate is the equivalent of an offline commissioned salesperson.

Becoming an online affiliate can get you started on the road to independence with little risk to you. By becoming an affiliate you sell the products of another company. The merchant you promote takes care of the advertising and creation of the items. He also delivers the product, usually by online downloads. He then pays you your commission. Your only responsibility is to SELL. Your main cost, if any may be for advertising.

The average commission paid for sales of downloadable products is 50% of the selling price. The commission for selling hard goods ranges between 4% to 20%. So you can see here, that selling online products looks quite promising. People who enjoy independence and flexibility in their work make good affiliates. Those that desire or need flexible working hours can gain the most from being an affiliate. You're paid according to how well you perform, not on how many hours you work.

You can schedule your work around your family needs. Be flexible with your family requirements, but don't overdo it. You must put it the needed hours to succeed. If you're independent and a self starter than a career as an affiliate is sure starting to look promising. If you can stay motivated and driven then do consider becoming an affiliate. You can run your own affiliate business from home with no cost or obligation to you.

You normally will start part-time until you make enough to quit your job. If you are good at working independently then as an affiliate you can't go wrong. You'll have the freedom to work as and when you please and will realize the rewards of your own hard work.

But make no mistake, it's hard work. There's no magic pill for making money online. If you don't put in enough hours, and stick with it long enough, you will surely lose out on a good opportunity. You'll have to make some sacrifices, such as watching little or no TV.

Start putting your skills and creativity to work for you instead of giving them away only to your job. In the long run, you could be well rewarded for the effort.

How to start affiliate marketing