Affiliate Programs, Which Opportunities Are The Best

Affiliate Programs, Which Opportunities Are The Best
By Chris Peterson

There are currently 1000`s of Affiliate Programs online that you can choose from. Which programs are proven and profitable? There is a simple system, that I use to evaluate the various affiliate opportunities out there, and cut through all the hype.

Before I talk about these points, let me first tell you why affiliate programs are the easiest way to start earning money from home, working on your computer. If your ready to start your own home business and believe that the internet is the way to go, you are right. The internet has revolutionized the way people are making money from home.

With the click of a button, you can literally send your advertisements to millions of people. No cold calling, bulk mailing costs or rejection to worry about. Your marketing efforts can produce results for you instantly on the internet.

Companies that have products or services to sell have caught on and realised that, they can employ millions of online salespeople to mass market their products on a commission basis. These salespeople are known as affiliates. Companies and their affiliates are both reaping the financial rewards of this joint partnership.

Take a good look at Click Bank and you will see exactly what I mean.This is one of the largest affiliate programs online. They are basically the go-between or system that introduces product sales to affiliates. Lets say that you just finished your e-book about google adsense affiliate program and you wanted to setup an affiliate program, so these affiliates will market and sell your e-book for you.

Through Click Bank you set the affiliates commission and details and when Click Bank affiliates are looking through the site for products to market they come across your e-book and think this will be a good product for them to sell. These affiliates than start to market your product and make sales for you and commissions for themselves. It`s a marriage made in heaven!

Unlike on the street when a someone starts up a business they have to find a storefront to rent, hire employees, advertise, besides all the other costs of running a business. Most good affiliate programs require you to pay a very small monthly fee anywhere from free to $50 a month. The difference is that once you join an affiliate program, your business is 100% setup for you to market and make money.

Yes, there is learning required along the way, but is not there with any type of business? I will personally take an affiliate website that can be seen globally over a storefront somewhere. There is just something incredible about turning on your computer and logging in to your email and seeing that you have just made a commission from the program you are affiliated with.

These are some of my most important criteria for selecting an affiliate program to join and market. they do not necessarily work for all, but it has helped me earn money on a constant basis as an affiliate.

First
What products or services will you promote as an affiliate with this program?
If you think that the masses will need this product or service you are off to a good start! On the flip side, is their a niche market for this product or service that can make you stand out in a crowded affiliate arena?

Second
What is the cost to join the affiliate program?
In my years of internet marketing experience, I can tell you this "most affiliate programs that are free to join originally, will cost you money if you want to make higher commissions from your sales". The exception to this is click bank. If the cost is $50 or under monthly than I would go for it, Losing $50 if the program does not turn out to be any good is a bummer, but losing a few thousand dollars really hurts!

Third
Does the affiliate program offer you free training and marketing materials? This is a must, especially for affiliates that are brand new to marketing online. Also, you don`t want to have to go and make your own banners, ads and graphics to promote their products.

Fourth
Is the affiliate program established? How long have they been around and do they have a good track record for paying their affiliates on time? You can search related forums to find out about peoples gripes with various opportunities.

Fifth
Does the affiliate program offer excellent support? If you have a question, do you want to wait three weeks for a reply? Of course not but this is the turn around time for some affiliate programs support departments to answer your questions.

If you can ask yourself, these basic questions with a yes, than you have found a Keeper. Go ahead and join the affiliate program and start your business today!