Where Do You Go to Learn Affiliate Marketing?

Affiliate marketing is my favorite way of working at home. It’s not as easy as some would say, but it can pay off quite nicely once you get it to work.

Or it can be a lot of frustration with little payback. Hey, I said it’s not necessarily easy. That’s just life.

There are a few different ways you can do affiliate marketing. Which works depends on which you put your focus on and matches with your skills.

1. Review sites.

Your basic review site does just what it sounds like. You find products that are associated with an affiliate program and review them.

The best way to go about this is to theme your sites and be very, very honest in your reviews. Constant glowing reviews take away your credibility. If there’s a problem, say so. Even sometimes mention products that you don’t get a commission on. Be the resource that people trust.

2. Pay per click marketing.

This one can add up fast, both in profits and in losses. The worst of it is the learning curve with each product you promote. There just isn’t one ad you can write that will bring in enough sales to make the ad profitable. Too many variables.

3. Linking on your site or blog.

Not necessarily through reviews. Just if you happen to mention a product, you link to it. You can do this very naturally or be deliberate about the things you mention.

Your site of course needs to be generally attractive to people for reasons other than what you’re linking to.

You can also use banner links or sidebar links to promote products, but be aware that these generally do not get a lot of clicks. Especially if you overdo it. Despite the number of ads people tolerate in magazines and newspapers, online they become ad blind very easily. They also are quick to leave sites that overdo it.

4. Ezine and newsletter advertising.

This generally goes with having your own site, but of course you can also promote products directly. Many ezines and newsletters sell ad space, and some of them get pretty decent clickthroughs. It’s something you have to test to be sure of.

5. Classified ad sites.

You have to be very careful with these, as many discourage or ban affiliate links, and many affiliate programs don’t want to be promoted on them. But some sites are very busy.

6. Forum marketing.

I really recommend this most for marketing your own site, but people do put straight affiliate links in their signatures. You look for a forum on a topic related to what you’re trying to sell, see if they allow signature links, and start participating. Not spamming. Just being a part of the group. If people like what you have to say, they may check out your signature links then.

So how do you learn?

How you learn depends on a few factors. You can learn slowly by going to forums such as the Warrior Forum, ABestWeb or Digital Point, or buy an ebook on what you need to learn.

My own recommendation is to combine the two tactics. An ebook to get things started fast, and a forum or two so you have a place to ask questions.

There are a number of really good ebooks on affiliate marketing out there. The Super Affiliate Handbook by Rosalind Gardner is one of the more popular choices. I’ve read it before, and I’m reading it again. Have to do something for those times when I’m too tired with this pregnancy to do actual work. A good reminder of things I may have forgotten is not a bad way to go.

If pay per click is more your speed, Perry Marshall’s AdWords Guide is a great way to go. You’ll probably spend some pretty good money learning all the tricks he has to teach you for successfully marketing on AdWords. He even has a free 5 day ecourse so you can decide if it’s for you.

Those are my two favorite ebooks to recommend. There are many other products out there, and more appearing all the time, but these have not only stood the test of time, but been updated as things change. The affiliate marketing industry has gone through some pretty serious changes in the time I’ve been at it, so that’s important.

When it comes down to it, of course, the best way to learn affiliate marketing is to simply get started. You aren’t going to learn anything completely until you’re applying what you’ve learned. Read up on some basics, then get moving!