Join
Connect With Us
Blog
Twitter
Facebook
TM
Loading
Advertisement
BUSINESS/FINANCE/MONEY
Facebook
 | ||||
Advertisement
Advertisement
...coming...
In the military, every day is a day to celebrate freedom. As a nation, we celebrate our independence on July 4th, the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Freedom is a powerful concept and one that can be carried over into the freedom of having your own home-based business. The freedom to make choices, the freedom to have the time to spend doing the things most important to you with the people you care about the most.
There are a lot of home business choices, but one that stands out as offering an amazing opportunity for military families is affiliate marketing. We won't be able to cover all aspects of affiliate marketing in a single article. However, this will hopefully spark your interest in wanting to learn more.
"Congratulations, You've Just Made a Sale!"
So, what exactly is affiliate marketing? Affiliate marketing is a process where an online merchant will pay a portion of their sales revenue to an online affiliate (you) if the sale is a result of the affiliate's promotion of the products and services offered by the merchant.
Amazon.com is probably the most well-known and largest affiliate program on the web today. They were one of the very first online merchants to adopt the idea of affiliate marketing and now have literally thousands of affiliates across the web promoting their products.
This industry gives you the chance to stand behind products you know and love, by offering recommendations on your personal website and getting paid. Essentially, when someone clicks on a product link from your website or email and buys that product, the merchant will pay you money, which is called passive income.
Amazon is not the only merchant offering an affiliate program; and you may be surprised at who does! Next time you go to your local mall, take notice of the stores. Most likely 90% of the stores in your local mall have an online affiliate program. Macy's, Delta Airlines, Starbucks, as well as Military.com, all have affiliate programs that you can apply to join.
What Does it Cost and How Do You Start?
First, understand that this is not 'get rich quick' program, and you will work hard in the beginning and until you are profitable. It takes time to build a profitable affiliate business that generates a steady passive income.
However, it is well worth the effort, for the reward, and you can work your affiliate business on your terms.
Real affiliate programs are free to join. Yes, you read that right. There is no cost to join a true affiliate program of an online web merchant. So, if you see a program that claims to be an 'affiliate program' and asks you to pay money to join, it is most likely a business opportunity program instead. Semantics are everything in this business!
This is the real beauty of affiliate marketing and the reason why it's one of the fastest growing industries today.
It's cost efficient to start, you can truly be flexible regarding your working hours, but most important, it is a business that you can take with you anywhere you are stationed in the U.S. or overseas.
You don't have to worry about bosses breathing down your neck, and you are in control of everything you do with your company and your website. As long as you have a computer and Internet connection, you are good to go.
Now, that's freedom!
____________________________________________________________________
Five Essential Things You Can’t do Without to Make it a Success
1. Desire to Learn
The first quality you must have is the desire to learn. If you're not familiar with affiliate marketing, stepping through unfamiliar territory can be a challenge, but in the military, we're used to many different types of challenges. Consider this just a new challenge to learn something fun and make money in the process.
2. Invest time and Effort
Patience is a virtue in affiliate marketing. You must be willing to invest the time and effort in helping your business grow, even if you don't see immediate results. If you work a full or part-time job, you can work your affiliate business around those hours.
3. Determination
The third quality you'll need is determination. Are you determined to create passive income so that you have the time freedom you desire? In affiliate marketing, as in any business, you will find that you're going to have to push yourself forward. The ability to push yourself to greater heights will determine what type of future you have as an affiliate marketer.
4. Discipline
The fourth quality is self-discipline. If you teach yourself to work every day with all of your heart and soul, you'll be that much closer to reaching your goals and making your dreams come true.
5. Optimism
The last quality you must have is optimism. Let's face it, bad stuff happens. How you react to the challenges of your business should never discourage you from pursuing your dreams in order to make life better for yourself or your family.
Your Next Step
If you want to join the growing legion of affiliate marketers and create the type of passive income and time freedom you're looking for, you may be ready to learn how to create and build an affiliate business.
We just covered the tip of the iceberg today. Next month, we'll address the three basic steps on what to do next and how to move forward. It's not as complicated as you may think!
About the Author:
Patty Gale is a proud Army parent, former Army spouse and successful Internet entrepreneur. In 2001, she turned in her suits, heels and briefcase to start her own business. Visit her on www.PattyGale.com to learn more about her passion for helping families to create their own home business success.
Affiliate Marketing Freedom
by Patty Gale, posted July 2010
Patty Gale
Contributor
Business/Home Based Biz
patty@pattygale.com
Archives: Business Tips/News
