Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Affiliate Marketing And Market Research

Now that many people’s finances are getting even tighter due to the recession, the idea of making money online is getting even more attractive, and one of the first things many people hear about is something called “affiliate marketing.” While there is a enough information out there to overwhelm most people at first, the basic concept is fairly simple.

Market research is the first step in the process.

First, you must research markets you are interested in. This is your most important starting point, and you can do this by finding out what your potential customers are looking for. This is the essence of “keyword research” – finding the actual words or phrases people type into search engines to find answers to their problems, and you can be sure that if you do not do your research, you will regret it later.

By finding and using keywords that consumers are actively entering into the search engines, you will be able to help your websites and landing pages rank higher, generating a nonstop flood of organic, targeted traffic.

Keyword research doesn't have to be a difficult task, however. Start with the free Google Keyword Tool, which can be found by searching for “Google keyword tool external,” and enter in a keyword or phrase that identifies the product or niche that you are interested in promoting as an affiliate.

Click on “get keyword ideas” to generate a list of keywords and gauge the competitiveness of the the market by taking a look at the number of times people are searching for your main keywords per month.

What you want to do is find a market with existing demand that also has existing competition and products readily available, but not so competitive that ranking highly is next to impossible.

What's important here is that you remember there must be an audience for whatever you choose to market. Since you are an affiliate, your costs for entering a market are not very high, but it’s still a good idea to take the time to do niche research in order to avoid wasting your time.

For more information on market research and keyword research in affiliate marketing, particularly as it applies to CPA, check out the newly-released course.

Make Money Online With Affiliate Marketing

Despite many industries laying off thousands of workers or even outright shutting their doors in today's tough economic climate, there is one industry that is thriving and helping thousands of regular people make money. Some hard workers are even replacing the income they earned at their regular jobs, allowing them to walk away from the 9-5 work day for good and work from home on a full-time basis.

What is this industry? Affiliate marketing.

Affiliate marketing programs are simple by nature: They work by rewarding
marketers for promoting products online. The affiliates are then compensated on a commission basis. Basically, affiliates get paid each time they refer new customers to the website of the company they are promoting.

Becoming an affiliate is one of the most lucrative online money-making opportunities out there, and the breadth of products that can be promoted as an affiliate is staggering. Affiliate marketing creates a cost-effective option for big and small companies alike to reach out and expose their products to a much larger audience of potential buyers. Instead of being limited to just one large webiste, companies of any size can now offer an affiliate program and have their products promoted on hundreds or even thousands of individual sites, at no upfront cost to them.

Likewise, the affiliate marketing industry also provides a virtually unlimited source for income for those who aggressively promote offers. Affiliates have been continually reaping the rewards of larger profits as the affiliate marketing industry continues to grow in popularity. Affiliates can easily earn anywhere from 30-90% of the profits from each sale that comes from customers they refer, and with some affiliate programs offering recurring monthly payouts for their products, the earning potential becomes even higher.

CPA marketing, in which affiliates can earn money just for referring traffic and having visitors do as little as fill out a short form, without even making a purchase, is the latest hot trend in affiliate marketing, and promises to keep the industry highly profitable and exciting for many years to come.

Unlike other businesses, there are no specific criteria for becoming an affiliate, other than a commitment to work hard and some knowledge of Internet marketing and how to go about researching and promoting the best offers for maximum profitability.

For more information, visit and learn how you can start earning a legitimate online income.

Add Google AdSense to Your WordPress Blog

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