If you are looking for a way to work on line but have no idea where to start Affiliate Marketing is just one option and it is easier today than ever to get going

What is Affiliate marketing?

Here I will explain what it is, how it all works and list some advantages and some draw backs.

O. K so here we go…..simply, Affiliate marketing is about you as an affiliate (also known as the publisher) promoting merchants goods or services and sending traffic to their site to initiate a sale.

You’ve got to love those cookies

A cookie is technology that stores information and is used with a web browser for things such as login or registration information, shopping carts and user preferences.

In affiliate marketing cookies are used to remember and manage your links.

Cookies can also remember times and dates. On some affiliate programs you will have a time scale for the visitor to buy the product. For example your visitor may click to the product but not buy straight away. They may then return a few days later, make the purchase and you will still get your commission. Beware however this is not the case for all affiliate programs. Always check and make sure you are aware of the policies for each individual merchant.

The explanation and concept is easy right? But making money from it and earning a passive income is a little more tricky.

Don’t be fooled into thinking this is a fast way to make a million. You are going to have to put work in first if you are going to succeed.

Your success will depend on your dedication, willingness to learn new skills and the ability not to give up. If you are prepared to put the time and effort in you are on your way!

How do I start Affiliate Marketing?

1. Find a profitable niche

A Niche market is a group of people interested in something or a group of people looking to solve a problem.

You will need to decide on a niche and then will be promoting to the people with in that niche. It helps if you are interested in that area and is even better if you are passionate about it as you will be spending your time doing something that you love. This enthusiasm will then show in your writing and how you promote to your readers.

This does not have to be the case though. Sometimes making money is your goal and choosing your niche is based on this.

The only absolute criteria I would stick to is that you must believe in it. A good bench mark is would I be able to talk to my mom or family about it? If so, it could be a goer.

Deciding on you niche

As a rule people generally want to be happy, healthy and have no money worries and if you can help them with that who wouldn’t be interested?

For this reason some top niches are;

Health and fitness
Wealth and money
Relationships and dating
Hobbies and interests
Self improvement

So, now you have the top areas but these can be refined down even further.

Let’s say you are interested in Health and fitness.

This is a massive market and will have really high competition from brands such as Weight watchers etc.

As a beginner it will be difficult to compete with these, so the trick is to refine further

You can focus your attention on something like losing weight after pregnancy .
You could then go even further……losing weight after pregnancy for vegetarians.

O. K so you’ve got the hang it, but why?

By refining your niche you will be targeting a specific person and can tailor the information on your site to them. The content is then relevant to them and not generic. They in turn will be more likely to buy.

2. Create a Website or Blog

Creating a website used to be a huge headache. But not so anymore. Things are now much easier and not so labour-intensive. There are plenty of Free options out their when you are just starting.

This lets you to dip your toe in the water and get a feel for it, making sure affiliate marketing is for you before diving headlong in.

Siterubix,Blogger and Wix are just three They make it easy, just choose your theme create a post and publish. In no time you are up and away.

Siterubix uses WordPress and is powered by Wealthy Affiliate. This platform is free to join and in addition to the website you have the bonus of great training, support and tools to help you get to where you want to be.

3. Create your amazing content

Don’t be put off by this. When you start out you may not be an expert and you don’t have to be fantastic at writing. Creating amazing content is about giving your visitors useful, helpful information.

Research is key and is readily available on the internet.

Use the product you are promoting whenever possible.

You could create reviews, give your opinions, top tips, create tutorials, walk throughs, videos and check lists.

By giving quality information you are half-way their. You are already giving massive value and this is key.

Then make sure it’s engaging and interesting so your visitors want to carry on reading. Use your style.

Finally make it evergreen. Your content needs to stay relevant long after you have published it.

Develop and nurture your audience.

Make sure you stay connected.
Keep your content relevant and make sure you keep adding new content so that your visitors will want to come back.
Answer comments and questions promptly.
Be true and honest, you will build trust and your visitors will want to keep coming back for more.
Then before you know it your on your way to becoming an expert in your niche and your fantastic content is the first step to drawing your traffic.

4. Find products, services and Affiliate programs

It is a temptation to go straight into this as soon as your website is live.
This however is a big mistake. It is essential to build the trust first.
Make sure your visitors have an emotional bond with you. Once you have this then you can begin to promote and sell.Finding products and services to promote and sell is easy.Searching google is a good way to start.

By typing your topic followed by affiliate programs google will bring up links to affiliate programs. It’s then up to you to choose your affiliate link and do your research to make sure you believe in that product and the affiliate program is what you are looking for.

Once you have tried the product write up your reviews and provide the links banners etc. Your visitor can then click easily through and make the purchase and there’s your commission!

There are also places like Clickbank. These act as a connection between merchants and you.

This is the way it works:

1.Choose your product

2.Create your link

3.Promote the product

4. Visitor clicks on your link and goes to the merchants site and makes a purchase

5. You get your commission for promoting the product

So there we are the basics are in place. What you need to do now is keep learning. The best way to do this is find out from the people that know

Learn, learn, learn from those that know.

Join online forums where you can talk to people doing the same as you. Find out what’s working for them, ask questions and grow your business.

Sign up to a really good program which will help you learn.

Wealthy Affiliate is an excellent example of this and provides everything you need to help you build and grow your online business.

How much can I earn.

I would love to tell you that I can show you a guaranteed way to make your millions and leave that job that you hate by using affiliate marketing. I’m  sorry to disappoint you but I just can’t do it.

How successful you are will depend on how much you want to learn and how much effort you will put into implementing it. The bottom line is it’s up to you.

Start working your business alongside what you are doing now. Then there is nothing to lose. Many out there have been able to build great online businesses allowing them to give up there jobs and earn far more than they thought possible

Pros and Cons.

Pros

• Low start up costs
• Easy to get going
• Flexible working from anywhere with an internet connection
• Can be started along your job as an added income
• No products to create store or ship
• Multiple income streams. Once you have mastered your first site you can use those skills to replicate another it in another niche.

Cons

• It can take time to build skills and drive traffic.
• It is easy to sign up for affiliate programs so competition can be high.
• Make sure you have a good affiliate program. Some companies have been known not to pay
• Unless you have built an email list you will have no information about the customer. They will belong to the merchant
• No guaranteed earnings

So there you have it the basics on what Affiliate marketing is and how to get started. I hope this has been helpful and would love to hear from you so please feel free to leave a comment or question and I will be sure to get back to you.

If you are just starting out on a new path or venture the emotions can be overwhelming. The excitement of something new then….. aaagh the fear of the unknown! The feeling of wow this is great I can really do this followed shortly after by, what was I thinking? Am I mad? There’s no way I can do this!!

It can be exhilarating at one moment and soul-destroying the next. But there are ways and gems of wisdom out there that help you rise to the place you want to be and achieve the success you deserve.

Here are some top tips I have gathered over the years that have helped me when I have needed it most!

Have the dream – then believe it.

Dare to dream and believe it can happen! Everything starts somewhere and where better than your dream. Something you really want. It can be small or really big but it must be doable with the right plan, help from others and enough work. Then see it. Believe it so much you picture yourself living it. Great athletes have run the race before is started. They see how it’s going to go and mentally cross that finish line first.

Then go on, make that first step -Take action – take the risk!

You will never know unless you try. Jeff Bezos (the founder and chief executive officer of Amazon.com) said he wouldn’t regret failure but he would regret not trying. Be brave but not stupid. Life is full of opportunities but you have to be prepared to take them.

Do what you love – pass on your passion.

Find a niche in an area you love. If you love what you’re doing this just can’t help but shine through. You will be so less likely to become bored and dissatisfied.“If you just work on stuff that you like and you’re passionate about, you don’t have to have a master plan with how things will play out.” – Mark Zuckerberg

One baby step at a time – but keep moving.

It’s OK to take baby steps. On days when it’s really hard and you want to roll over and give up just take that baby step. Momentum is the key. Keep it going and break problems up into bite size chunks. Push through and persevere

Keep it positive

A positive attitude encourages creativity and constructive thinking. It builds strength and helps in problem solving. Foster it and make it a way of life, it’s contagious! Who knows who you will end up infecting.

Grow from those who know

Everyone will give you an opinion and advice. Most will tell you how to be successful but have they achieved it? Probably not. Or tell you it’s impossible and list the reasons you won’t be able to do it. Find the big achievers, the top earners, the people doing what you want to do. Follow them. Study Steve Jobs, J.K. Rowling, Sir James Dyson and other greats. Look at their lifestyle, What was their path to greatness? How have they achieved it, what do they do? Don’t let the negative nay sayers get you down! Find the people who are doing it now! Link with people with the same mindset as you and learn from those who know.

Believe in yourself

The biggest achievers are not always the most intelligent, best educated or have the most opportunities presented to them. They are the ones that believe in themselves. Henry Ford said “whether you think you can, or think you can’t you’re right”. Just know that obstacles will appear and problems will arrive and have the belief that you will find a way to sort them out. That’s what will make you different to the rest!

Face the fear

Fear is there for good reason. It’s a survival technique which we all need.

“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear”. Mark Twain

So let’s get out there and be courageous. Being afraid of failure is no reason not to try, being afraid of looking stupid should not stop you. Gain knowledge, take every opportunity to learn, listen to the positive not the negative. Then with your armory go and challenge your fear. Action makes you stronger.

So, Go to work and do the time

“He that waits on fortune is never sure of a dinner”. Ben Franklin.

Oh yes and that’s the long and short of it. If you want to succeed you have got to put the work in and do the time.it’s no good waiting for success to drop in your lap. You will have a very long wait if that is your plan.

“if you look closely, most overnight successes took a long time”.Steve Jobs

Everyone starts as a beginner. It takes time to build knowledge and expertise. You will need grit, determination and a lot of hard work. Many start but few finish. The ones that succeed are those that will not give up. They have a vision and want to make it work. But hey if you are doing what you love there is no better way to live.

If you are interested to see how I’m doing it take a look at Wealthy affiliate. it really does tick all of my boxes.

I hope these will help as they have helped me over the years. Please feel free to leave a comment below or if you have any amazing tips I would love to hear these too.

If you have been looking for a way to work online but are not sure how to go about it, or have tried, and want to increase your earnings, Wealthy Affiliates may be what you have been looking for. The problem however is knowing if is this legitimate. I know this only because I have searched myself in an attempt to find a way to work online without falling foul of any cons or scams.”Just because they say it is doesn’t mean it’s so” and no-one deserves to invest time, hard work and sometimes money, just to end up being taken advantage of.

The big questions you want to know first when looking at any online method for making money online are:

1. Is it a scam?
2. Does it really work?
3. Can it work for me?

For these reasons I have investigated WealthyAffiliate in depth (by taking the plunge myself) and am sharing my findings in an honest and in depth review.

I hope you find this helpful and are able to reach your own informed conclusions by the end.

Overview and summery

Owners Kyle and Carson
Who is it suitable for Absolutely anyone who wants online business
Website URL www.wealthyaffiliate.com
Training 5/5
Support 4.8/5
Websitebuilder  4.9/5
WordPress hosting  5/5
Research tools  4.8/5
Price  Start up FREE (unlimited time)
optional upgrade to premium $49 per month
Overall rating 4.9

Affiliate marketing-A very quick explanation

I just thought I would drop this brief explanation in first to help anyone still unsure about what exactly affiliate marketing is.

For affiliate marketing you do not need to have a product to sell. All you need is an interest and this can be anything! By using your website or blog you can introduce clients to companies and their products and earn a commission from doing this. Commissions can be earned through generating traffic or sales depending on the company.

For example your web page or blog may be focused on “how to create the perfect garden in a tiny space”. By researching plants, tools, equipment etc you will find companies which have affiliate programs.

You can create reviews or discuss the products that you use and find most effective. When you have researched a product and are happy to promote it you join the affiliate program and create a link on your blog. When anyone follows the link and buys you get the commission on that sale. It’s that easy!

Wealthy Affiliate -The Background in Brief

Wealthy Affiliate was founded in 2005 by Carson and Kyle who still run it today. I found this really reassuring as it meant it was not a fly-by-night scheme that was going to disappear as soon as I had invested in it.

Kyle Co-founder

Carson Co-founder

It started life as a keyword list membership site to help others succeed online in the same way as they had.

As the membership grew they added a forum and then a training schedule (which is still constantly being updated to keep in step with the ever evolving world of online marketing) .

In 2007, they incorporated their own web hosting and the siterubrix web building service, followed by the WA blog in 2010, enabling members to record their progress and share motivation, inspiration, problems and advice to others on the site.

Live Chat was then rolled out giving the opportunity for members to communicate in real time, followed by rewards for likes, training and comments to other members.

In June 2012 notifications were added, members were now able to stay in tune with was going on currently.

In October 2012 free start up membership was introduced, you can stay at this forever if you choose not to upgrade. This gives you access to startup training, 2 free websites and the information to let you make a start with your own on line business.

In 2013 classrooms arrived, here members receive step by step tutorials, which include videos and clear concise advice on how to go from complete beginner to becoming successful in building your own online marketing business. Then in 2016 Wealthy Affiliate made it possible to register your own domain name inside WA or transfer an existing domain into WA.

Over the last 12 years it has been developed into one of the most respected online marketing programs and continues to be updated to ensure it remains a leading program in online marketing.

What it is!

Wealthy Affiliate is an online training program created by top earners and experts in the industry to help those who want succeed on line whether you are a complete newbie or are already generating an income at whatever level.

It’s the opportunity for you to organize your own life, around your schedule and the things that interest and motivate you. To be your own boss and generate your own wealth and create your own freedom

It is a community of 800,000+ like-minded and motivated individuals who offer support, help and training. It can be a really lonely out there and totally exhausting trying to figure everything out on your own. At Wealthy Affiliate the community is actively encouraged to help you out.

Based on your passions Wealthy Affiliate walks you through creating your niche market, SEO (Search Engine Optimization), keyword optimization, building your website, attracting traffic and earning revenue. At the end you not only know how to create your business but understand how it all fits into the big picture.

What it is not!

Well the big question! Is Wealthy Affiliate a scam or not?

Wealthy Affiliate offers a completely free start up with no card details taken. After you have joined and experienced the training and resources available, you have the option to upgrade to premium, a step I would highly recommend if you are serious about building a thriving online business.

There are only 2 levels, free starter membership and premium $49 per month (with a yearly option $359).Unlike other programs once you upgrade to premium you then have access to all the tools and areas in Wealthy Affiliate. You are not asked to pay any extra, there are no fees to move onto the next level, you have access to all areas.

The answer then is a definite NO, it is NOT a scam!

Wealthy Affiliate requires commitment and a willingness to learn. The people that do not succeed are generally those who give up or are expecting to get rich without putting in the work to get there.

It is NOT a get-rich-quick scheme. You have to be prepared to put the effort in. However, it is evident that this does work if you are prepared to treat this as your business, follow the lessons and engage with the community. The resources available provide you with an abundance of expert knowledge that you are going to need to succeed.

How does Wealthy Affiliate work then?

By using everything available you have a complete guide to on line marketing. These are the main areas which will educate and prepare you to launch or grow your individual business:

Classrooms
This is where you move through a series of lessons which are designed to help you, step by step, from beginner to expert and will teach you everything you need to know. Tutorials include clear instructions and guides, and provide extremely useful videos which make maneuvering the site simple. The tasks incorporated in each session are planned to keep you moving forward without loosing momentum.
Live video classes
52 live video classes are delivered throughout the year which gives you the opportunity for live interaction. There are also hundreds of live classes available on playback which can be accessed as and when you need them.

Websites and Hosting–
On the starter membership you can create and develop 2 free wordpress websites and on premium up to 25 free plus 25 owning your domain using the SiteRubrix platform (exclusive to Wealthy Affiliate).

Wealthy Affiliate claim you can have your website built within 30 seconds and up and running in no time. It sounded like an astonishing claim, I had never created a website before but I gave it a go, and yes it is true and amazingly easy! It’s as simple as a few clicks to create a professional, highly efficient and creative website in minutes ready for you to fill with amazing content and affiliate links.

As a starter there are 12 themes you can choose, on up grading to premium there is a choice of 3000+.The bonus of hosting your website on the Wealthy Affiliate platform is that they have a team that monitors the network and all of your sites 24 hours a day 365 days of the year to protect you from hackers and spam. Unlike other hosting platforms, at Wealthy Affiliate your sites have full redundancy, this means there is always a “mirror” of your site running, that way if it ever goes down it can be swapped immediately and you are up and running again with no hassle.

There is also protection in case you make a mistake (which is easily done in my case) and your website goes down. Daily snapshots are taken as standard for all members. The team can then help you to get your site up and running again.

Domains
 Starter members get access to 2 free websites/blogs. These are sub domains which means that they are put on the SiteRubix domain, so you would have your website/blog name followed by siterubix.com. Premium members have access to 25 plus another 25 where you own your own domain name. Domain names can be acquired through WA or transferred to WA from other registrars. This way you are then able to use all the domain features offered at Wealthy Affiliates. Most members start with a free website and then upgrade later when they have got the hang of it. This is a really good risk free way of making sure it’s for you and also enables you to start with no initial outlay.

Support- through a caring community
It is a community of 800,000+ like-minded and motivated individuals who offer support, help and training. It can be a really lonely out there and totally exhausting trying to figure everything out on your own.

At Wealthy Affiliate the community is actively encouraged to help you out. Wealthy Affiliate has the largest community of entrepreneurs who are all building their businesses in every niche you can imagine at every stage of growth.

You can ask any question at any time, WA operates 24/7. I’ve found it’s the most positive community who share their experiences, give expert advice offer tips and help with problem solving through live chat, blogs, private messages and the questions forum. The most impressive thing for me though is that the owners Kyle and Carson are also active members regularly responding to questions and are easily accessible through private messaging!

Key word tool –
A built in tool that enables you to find the most effective key words and phrases relevant to your writing. It will show you the statistics that word/phrase creates and gives ideas for alternatives that may be helpful and help you rank in google searches.

So, what do you get when you join?

Can it work for everyone?

The good thing about Wealthy Affiliate is that it encourages you to use your passions to build you business. By working at something you are interested in you are less likely to become bored or dissatisfied. Wealthy Affiliate will help you identify your niche and then turn this into a money making business.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Free start up package and you do not have to give your card details! No risk involved -this was a great big pro for me and at the top of my list
No pressure to go premium.
Amazing resources
Step by step training
Fantastic community
Really friendly with a positive energy. I found everyone there really wants you to succeed Including Kyle and Carson.
Premium gives unbeatable value for money

Cons

It can be really overwhelming when you start and look at the amount of information and learning resources available.DON’T PANIC keep a cool head and just take it step by step.
You have to be prepared to put a good bit of groundwork in before you see results. It’s not immediate but it is worthwhile
It can take a while for you to get answers. Don’t be afraid to ask again.

My conclusion

This really is worth looking at. There is no risk involved. I at the time of joining was completely new to the whole thing and was able to get up and running within a few days. I had started my dream! If this sounds like what you may be looking for why not give it a go. Make up you own mind without risking a thing. There really is nothing to lose.

Join Wealthy Affiliate here now for FREE

I hope this has been helpful. Please feel free to leave a comment or ask a question below and I will he happy to get back to you.

Hi, My name is Su.

Welcome to my website.

My story and how I got here!

It all started when unexpectedly I found myself a single mom with two small children to raise.

The compromising started then! Working was essential but so was spending valuable time with my family.

I embarked on a path of working several jobs at once around my family.

Rose pollinating ( A fantastic job! pollinating roses in a massive green house while getting a tan) during school hours then telesales (not so great) in the evening from the kitchen.

Farm work in school hours then Kitchen work in the late evening……

The list went on and was totally exhausting! but I did get time with my girls. The pay however was always basic and everything was a massive financial juggle with no room for any luxuries and a lot of going without! But my girls were happy and that was my goal.

Then I thought I had cracked it! I went back to university; studied what I loved most, art and became a secondary school teacher.

Now I thought I had the perfect balance, holidays off and better pay. I hadn’t, after 8 years I had the creeping realization that all the dreams I’d had years ago were never going to happen.

I had always wanted:

1. To be an artist
2. To travel to interesting places around the word with my family
3. To work for myself
4. I wasn’t achieving any of these but I just knew that there must be a way that I could!

When nothing is going right go left

So I started looking

It was while I was researching how I could profitably sell my artwork on line I came across affiliate marketing and a program called Wealthy affiliate.

It was free to join…. forever! And you have the option to upgrade with no pressure if and when you decide it is right for you. There is an awesome community who are constantly helping you.

You can be a complete newbie and still achieve success in a field which you are passionate about.
So did I jump straight in ? No.

I researched some more, read endless reviews looked at other programs, put it off, got scared, thought about it some more. Then in a brave moment, after deciding this was by far the best option I had looked at I took the plunge and signed up for the free membership.

And The Journey begins

This was my biggest surprise. Everything I had read was above board there was no scam! My journey had begun.

At first, I was a little overwhelmed with the amount of information I was given but after settling into it I soon realised it’s all up to you. You go at a pace that suits you and can go back and re visit the tutorials as often as you need. In addition to this there is a strong community of like-minded people who are always there to help.

So now I am a full time artist, using my creativity and training the way I want to and loving it. I get the added bonus of adding new skills to my arsenal and developing my own business through Wealthy Affiliate.

Caring Is Sharing

I truly believe when you’ve found something good share it, if you can help someone help them.

If you are prepared to invest your time, follow advise given by experts who really know what they are doing and know that success does not happen overnight this is the place to be.

I’m on an awesome journey and hope you will join me.

If you ever need a hand or have any questions, feel free to leave them below and I will be more than happy to help you out.

All the best

Su

marketing-moms.org