You Can Become an Affiliate of Almost Anything
BECOMING AN AFFILIATE IS EASY
My Dad wanted to buy some Christian books and, naturally, wanted to send commissions my way. (That's good, don't you think? Supporting the kid?)
Naturally, I have the ability to sign up as an affiliate at the Christian Book Store he wants to use, but I stopped to consider the request as it pertains to my BUSINESS.
Is it a good thing for me to become an affiliate to any product that comes along? I think NOT.
Now, don't get me wrong. I appreciate the fact that he wants to support my business efforts.
My main focus is on hydroponics. My first website is to review growing plants without soil.
My second niche will be to promote WA. On THAT site, I will have a place to offer various books.
EUREKA! I HAVE FOUND IT!
(Trivia note - this is a phrase most commonly attributed to the discovery of gold in the California hills in 1848. [At a place in Coloma owned by a relative of mine . . . but that's a story for another time.] "Eureka" is the Greek word for "I have found it" which is said to have been exclaimed by Archimedes, the scientist who determined a way to determine the purity of gold.)
The commission paid through PayPal for the book store Dad wanted to use is 8%.
I already have an affiliate agreement with Amazon that, coincidentally, pays the same 8%. In this circumstance, the book he was wanting is also offered by Amazon. You can already guess what my recommendation was, can't you?
You're right! I put the link up on my website and suggested he use that link to buy his book.
Amazon will only pay by check and not PayPal. That's a inconvenience, but a necessary one because they don't provide the PayPal option at all.
WHAT IF THAT DOESN'T WORK?
Okay, I was fortunate this time to be able to offer an alternative and still make a commission on the purchase. That won't work all the time, however.
If you have the opportunity to set an affiliate agreement that you will normally use in your business, then by all means, do it.
If, however, you may be asked to set up an affiliate agreement that you have no intention of advertising regularly, it doesn't make sense to go through the process. Do you agree?
DO YOU NEED A WEBSITE ALREADY BUILT?
In many cases, YES. The group who offers the affiliate program may require you to have a website already built they can check before they grant the agreement.
This allows them to be sure you are not wanting to offer (as in this case) a Christian book on a website that has questionable content. They want to be sure your standard offer is at least consistent with their normal target audience.
DO YOU NEED TO SELL A LOT OF PRODUCT?
It might mean a few pennies commission on a couple purchases, but many of the affiliate programs indicate that you need to have at least $25 in commissions before they will send the money to you in the first place.
It simply does not make sense to become an affiliate in groups where you may find it difficult to sell products.
Using my own website as an example, it would be fine for me to become an affiliate for books or places that sell tools and supplies for hydroponics.
It would NOT make sense for me to become an affiliate for a place that sells vinyl records just to get a few pennies in commission . . . even if the company offers to put the money into my PayPal account.
CONCLUSION
Affiliate commissions is the name of the game in the work we have joined WA to do.
Search out the affiliate programs that will help you earn money. You MAY find a solution there . . . just like how I found similar books within Amazon, you might find similar products for your family in something you already have access to.
Join programs that make sense for your particular niche.
Thanks for taking time to read my thoughts. If you have some ideas to contribute, PLEASE leave a comment below.
Brian.
Recent Comments
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Thank You for this Brian. I had already assumed that your affiliate links would do better if they are associated with the niche you are working within. I like to hear other peoples ideas on it. Now I need to find out more about the payment methods for affiliates. So much to learn.
You're welcome. I agree . . . there is so much to learn.
I was pondering if, in fact, it would be worthwhile to write a blog about this issue. Then I thought, if I ran across the issue, maybe there would be some other "newbies" who might see it as well.
Thanks for the comment.
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Excellent Brain
It is important to let your traffic know, like with Amazon, that even if they are looking for something outside your nice to use your link to the inside. Once your customers are inside they can by whatever and you still make commission.
Stupid autocorrect