For anyone looking for legitimate ways to make money online, affiliate marketing is the best way to get started.
It's all about finding products online that have affiliate programs, promoting them and getting a commission when online shoppers buys from you.
It's very straightforward and simple to understand, but it's not that easy.
Promoting a product online requires a plan and a strategy, there's no free lunch.
Here are the most common ways to do promote a product online:
Article Marketing: Write articles about the product you want to market.
- Pros: Free, Build Your Credibility
- Cons: Time Consuming, Competitive, Requires Writing Skills
Web Site or Blogs: Create a Site or a Blog and put links to your products
- Pros: Low Cost or Free, Flexibility & Control Over Your Content (More Money)
- Cons: Time Consuming, Very Competitive, Require Technical/SEO Skills
Social Media Marketing: Share links to the product you want to market on social media sites
- Pros: Free and Very Easy, Nothing To Set Up, Huge Audience
- Cons: Very Competitive, Require Social Skills, Can Be Labeled As Spam
Why Facebook?
In this article, we focus on the Social Media approach, and on Facebook in particular.
Facebook is a place for friends.
As the saying goes, all things being equal, people prefer to do business with their friends.
And all things being not so equal, people still prefer to do business with their friends.
People will likely purchase something from people they like and trust. If things are done right, and in the spirit of trust and mutual benefits, Facebook is a very fertile ground for good business.
It's also the biggest social network in the world with next to 700 million users. That's a lot of people.
Decide who you are going to be
Before we get started, you have to decide who you are going to be:
- A savvy user who wants to earn an extra cash effortlessly but occasionally.
- An internet marketer who wants to make big bucks promoting a niche product to online shoppers.
As a savvy user, your goal will be to share with your friends and encourage them to start making money together using the Amazon Affiliate program.
As an internet marketer, your goal will be to promote Amazon products on a Facebook page for a niche topic and build an audience of fans who will trust you and buy from your recommendations.
Step-by-step instructions for the savvy user
1. Get an Amazon Affiliate ID
Go to Amazon Associate site and sign up. It's free, it's safe and it's very simple. The only caveat is that U.S. residents from certain states do not qualify for the program, due to differences in state tax legislation. Read carefully Amazon's operating agreement and make sure that you, or a legal representative, can qualify.
2. Find out more about what your friends need and like
This is where Facebook starts to come into play. Facebook has a wealth of information about what your friends like. You can check their profile and find out what are their interests. It can be a certain artist, it can be an activity, or a hobby. Also look what's popular, see if friends of friends like the same thing. You can also directly ask your friends what they need or be aware and take notes when they post about something they want.
3. Find Products to Share
Find items on Amazon that matches what your friends need or like. Find a way to create a link to the product with your affiliate ID, and share that link on your wall or on your friends wall.
DO NOT SPAM. Ever. When you share product links, make sure they are based on what you or your friends like. also make sure not to post too many links on your friends wall. If you want to promote several products, do so on your own wall. You don't want to lose time and lose your friends.
If your suggestion is good, your friends will like it, and Facebook viral mechanism can make your suggestion become very popular. Friends in common and friends of friends can see it and may also want to purchase it. And when someone buys from your link, you get paid.
4. Reciprocate
This is the secret sauce.
Make sure to be upfront and tell your friends what you're up to.
Share your own interests, needs and likes. Reciprocate when your friends share links on your pages.
Make sure they understand that when you need something, you can purchase from theirs links, and they will get paid.
When they need something, they can get it from your links and you will get paid.
Everybody wins.
Step by step instruction for the internet marketer
The steps above are fairly simple, and should be an easy way to start making money between friends by purchasing things you need from each other.
But, If you're going to be an internet marketer and promote products to online shoppers, it's a different story.
The first step for getting an affiliate ID is still the same.
Here are the next ones.
2. Choose a niche and be distinctive.
Select very specific topics such as left-handed guitarists, handbags from a certain brand, luxury beauty products, HD cameras, books about arts and crafts, etc.
Check Amazon best sellers for a list of hot products to promote in your niche.
Use Google AdWords keyword tool to see what is the demand for a specific product/keyword and what is the competition (the less the competition, the better the niche).
3. Choose products you like
You're going to be doing product reviews and recommendations, so pick a topic that you enjoy and know something about.
If you can't stay passionate about the topic, that will show, and it also won't hold your interest.
4. Create a Facebook page
Use a very simple title related to your topic. You want people to find your page when they search on Facebook. There are several guides and tips on how to successfully promote a Facebook Fan page. Make sure to read these. Here are a couple ones:
- Use proven internet marketing techniques (newsletters, subscriber/mailing list, SEO, YouTube, etc.) to promote your page.
- Start by Inviting your Facebook friends who fit your target market profile. Use the "Suggest to friends" link on your page to send them an invitation.
- Add a Facebook Like Box Widget on your Website / Blog if you have one.
- Look for an application named Facebook Fan Page Twitter App. It's a great way to attract your Twitter following back to your fan page.
5. Share on your page
Share products with your affiliate links on your page but make sure you balance offers you post with other less commercial, engaging, fun and useful content to keep your fans happy.
It's very important to build trust and relationships. Again, people will likely purchase from a source they like and trust. That's what all this is about.
Be patient, keep learning and have fun
Like many things in life, you need to be a patient and consistent to have all this kicking in smoothly. Never forget to keep learning and to have fun in the process, and good luck.
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