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Making Money Online, Simplified:
What Will You Sell?
Affiliate Marketing? Create Your Own Products? Write
an eBook?
Still at the vague 'I need money' or 'I want
to work from home' stage of the Internet business building process? Here are some ideas to get
you started.
Your first choice is whether to sell someone else's stuff (affiliate marketing) or your own. Now,
it doesn't cost you anything to become an affiliate, and you have plenty of programs to choose
from. Lately, we've seen a move to replacing affiliate programs with something called reseller
programs, which are more like franchises and can be a bit pricey.
So for the moment, let's stay with the FREE stuff. When you know your way around, you'll
have a better idea of the difference between money spent and money invested.
One way of finding products you'd like to sell is by surfing
the net and looking around for things that appeal to you. If there's an affiliate link on the
homepage, click and take a look at what they're offering. Or to get the job done faster, just
sign up with ClickBank's one-stop affiliate shopping, with thousands of affiliate programs to
choose from all on one site.
Percentages paid to affiliates vary quite a bit, so compare the possibilities. Also, look for
anything that will provide an ongoing stream of income, such as monthly subscription sites. For
single-sale items, consider the ticket price since, obviously, 75% of $20.00 is less than 10% of
$500.00. Then again, if it looks like something that you might be able to sell in volume, factor
that into your decision, too.
Also, you'll probably want to work around a theme so that the products make sense in the
context of your website. For example, you might build a site around health and fitness, which
could include vitamins, health food, diet information, workout gear, exercise equipment, and so
forth.
But - with all the competition out there, how will you know
if the theme you've chosen stands any chance of actually making you money? Is there any way to
narrow the odds? Why, yes!!! If you haven't done so already, sign in and download the FREE
Magic Manual. It will tell you exactly how to do just that.
In any event, the really great news is that, whether the
products you choose to sell are digitial (like eBooks and information products) or
physical (like fitness equipment or trombones), you don't have to keep any inventory. Not only
is that done by the merchants you represent, but also, you will be provided with a website that
will handle selling, order taking, and fullfillment.
Whew! That was easy! So what's
left for you to do? It's your job to get the customers to your merchant's sales page. Think you
might need a little help? Here's a pretty basic
manual by two marketing pros, Ken Evoy
and Joe Robson, who also happen to be exceptionally good teachers.
And speaking of help, if the choices seem a bit overwhelming, you might want to try working
with the
Affiliate Business BluePrint by
another pair of pros, Rosalind Gardner and Jim Edwards.
In fact, affiliate marketing or otherwise, if you'd just like structured, step-by-step
Internet business guidelines to follow, there's Jim Edward's
33 Days to Online Profits, which also
comes in a
video version. But if you're a
complete beginner, be prepared to take a trip or two to
Webopedia, a truly helpful dictionary of Internet terms.
Jim expects you to come prepared, and if you think FTP means Flowers to Pomona, you may need to
sneak a peek or two. Or three. But don't worry:
Webopedia is FREE.
Or - you could sell your own stuff. First, there's the obvious: write an eBook. Information
is what the Internet is all about, after all, so if you have some information to share (and who
doesn't?), just write the book. Remember: just because you know something doesn't mean the rest
of the world knows it, too. Anyway, some web hosts (such as our own
ThirdSphere) give you all the FREE tools you'll
need to publish it yourself. But, again, if you'd like a little more guidance and structure, you
might want to check out
Make Your Knowledge Sell.
And then, there's Marlon Sanders. Moving beyond eBooks, he offers to teach you how to
Create Your Own Products in a Flash!
There's an appealing up-tempo confidence about this guy. And why not? He's made a fortune as an
Internet marketer. Thing is, it really seems as if he'd like you to do the same. And his
enthusiasm is infectious. The way we see it,
anything Marlon is always worth a look.
Of course, if you decide to sell your own stuff, you'll need a way to accept online payments.
Fortunately, what used to be a hassle in the early days of Internet marketing has become quite
simple. A shopping cart is offered as part of the package with hosts like
ThirdSphere, and for a really quick way to
accept online payments, including credit cards and eChecks,
PayPal makes it about as easy as it
gets.
Okay. We hope we've suggested enough possibilities to get you started. But the bottom line
is: do something . . . even if it's wrong. That's right. Do your research. Then pick a
direction, focus, and DO IT. Look at it this way: even if it doesn't work the first time,
the sooner you find that out, the sooner you can get started on something that will.
Meanwhile, you'll have learned a lot more about Internet marketing.
So sign in, get the manual, and go for it.
And, if you're a homeowner, save a bundle with our FREE biweekly mortage payment
program.