Avenues of Earning

[Filipe]

Hi there. This is my second post.

I'm new to Affiliate marketing and even though I've been reading some ebooks about it, I still feel very confused from where to start. I haven't created any website yet in my life so maybe I should start from there..
The formula is very simple from my understanding, you create a website (landing page) where you review some products, or advertise a specific product and then somewhere along the website there will be affiliate links that sends traffic to the advertiser's page.

However in order to get people to our website (Affiliate) we either need to pay for advertisement or we could rank our page through SEO, which is way more difficult or at least takes more time. I think I got this part very well, didn't I?

So my questions are:
1. When people here on this forum say that we should pick an Avenue of Earning, are they referring to CPA CPC, etc... or do they mean we should pick our model of business being a blog or landing pages? I don't quite get it.

2. for an absolute beginner like me, should I start by learning how to create a webpage and develop those skills first? Or building a website with wordpress doesn't require many skills?
3. after should I do some research on the google keyword planner tool about niches that don't have much competition and that I'm also comfortable with?

4. After choosing my niche should I join an Affiliate network like Clickbank and pick a good advertisement?

5. When people here mention that we should invest some money to get some data about our target audience, their demographics, best times to post, etc, how much should we be spending on a campaign and how do we get this data? Should I do it on google or social media?

I really want to get started in this. I will be putting more and more time doing research about this subject but I feel like I need some guidance to start with.

Thanks

 

[T J Tutor]

I'm new to Affiliate marketing and even though I've been reading some ebooks about it, I still feel very confused from where to start.

I'll add something to the end of this post to be sure you are in line with the practices and tools you need.

I haven't created any website yet in my life so maybe I should start from there.

It's a good idea to separate the two terms. Generally a website is thought to have valuable content that i updated frequently, and generally a landing page is thought of as a page with angles, hooks, triggers, and a call to action intended to send the user to a conversion page most often supplied by the advertiser. There are variations of both of these, but still, try to keep them separate in context.

The formula is very simple from my understanding, you create a website (landing page) where you review some products, or advertise a specific product and then somewhere along the website there will be affiliate links that sends traffic to the advertiser's page.

A landing page is to pre-sell the offer in an attempt to convince the user to click through to the conversion page and complete the offer. It has copy that encourages the use to perform and action.

Not all landing pages function exactly the same way, but for the most part, they all have the same goal.

However in order to get people to our website (Affiliate) we either need to pay for advertisement or we could rank our page through SEO, which is way more difficult or at least takes more time. I think I got this part very well, didn't I?

SEO is not a practical means by which to drive traffic to landing pages, and it is never a good primary source of traffic for landing pages or websites. The number one reason is that it is not targeted traffic, and secondly it takes loads of work over many months to get it to perform as well as continual work to maintain.

For our business, paid traffic is the only viable primary means to drive targeted demographics to your landing pages and/or websites. It works fast, it converts much better, and it allows for scaling up the campaigns, which cannot be done with SEO.

So my questions are:
1. When people here on this forum say that we should pick an Avenue of Earning, are they referring to CPA CPC, etc... or do they mean we should pick our model of business being a blog or landing pages? I don't quite get it.

1. Pick a sub-niche of a vertical. Example: Among the most popular verticals are Relationships, Health & Well Being, and Money. Let's say you select Relationships. in Relationships you would seek offers for a sub-niche like Jewish Dating, Christian Dating, Wealthy Dating, Fat Dating, Asian Dating, Spanish Dating, etc., there are literally hundreds of them in the dating niche.

2. Select one traffic source. Example, 7Search, Facebook, Bing, and hundreds of others.

3. Select one tracker. Example: AdsBridge, Voluum, Thrive, FunnelFlux, etc.

In the beginning, for all Newbies, stick to the original selection

2. for an absolute beginner like me, should I start by learning how to create a webpage and develop those skills first? Or building a website with wordpress doesn't require many skills?

Learn to outsource the landers. Learn to research which landers are working for the successful affiliates out there, rip them, have their code cleaned, and modify them to be your own. Outsource the work at Fiverr, UpWork, or someone like our very ouwn @tyoussef .

3. after should I do some research on the google keyword planner tool about niches that don't have much competition and that I'm also comfortable with?

Everyone should learn to do keyword research. However, low competition is not always the answer. Sometimes bidding on the most competitive keywords can be very lucrative once you learn the basics of the game.

4. After choosing my niche should I join an Affiliate network like Clickbank and pick a good advertisement?

Join a couple of affiliate networks. I don't recommend starting with ClickBank. I recommend joining a couple of affiliate networks. Start a thread in the Business Centre forum and title it something like, "Newbie Friendly Networks Needed" and use the title prefix "Looking For".

5. When people here mention that we should invest some money to get some data about our target audience, their demographics, best times to post, etc, how much should we be spending on a campaign and how do we get this data? Should I do it on google or social media?

The traffic source you select should be in line with the type of offers you will promote and the devices you plan to target (mobile or desktop). Loads of new marketers do very well by targeting mobile.

Your budget is determined by the types of offers and their payouts. As well, most recommend at least $1500 minimum as an initial budget, but I tend to recommend at least $2000. Remember, you have to get through your Newbie learning curve period, and you have other expenses other than your paid traffic. You have server costs, landing page costs, any spy programs you opt for, etc.

I really want to get started in this. I will be putting more and more time doing research about this subject but I feel like I need some guidance to start with.

More than half of your education comes from taking action. This will never end. All of us, everyone, spends time on research and money on every new offer that we promote. We all split test everything with every new campaign. This is an upfront expense and it requires continued research, development, and time.

TAKE ACTION!

My typical initial instructions for Newbies:

Everyone has to start somewhere. Be active in this community, ask loads of questions, take action, and be committed. That's how it gets done!

Use this forum as a mentor. It's full of members at every level of experience which makes for many balanced perspectives for a Newbie to learn from. Take the time to read through the forums here and see for yourself that the Newbies achieving success have actually dedicated themselves to success in this industry and reaping the rewards by following the advice of fellow AffiliateFix members, being dedicated to success, putting the time in, and making the necessary investments. You cannot shortcut the learning curve. It goes slower for some and it goes faster for others. Everyone has their own intellectual absorption rates, skill development pace, commitment level, and budgets.

You are a FIX'er now and that means you have the world at your feet with IM. Here are a few suggestions:

Read and learn through extensive reading in this community. Select one vertical. one tracker, and one traffic source. Learn from your fellow members here to master each one of them (a couple of months). Then you can expand and replicate your successes.

As a Newbie, you need to read, study, invest, and implement. Perseverance, dedication, and taking action are the cornerstones of the success you will obtain.

Read
Read through the various areas of the forum to learn about the types of marketing available for your new business. Make a list of all the types of marketing and take some notes along the way. Then determine which area of marketing with which you will start your journey.

Do this to select an area of marketing to start, as well, do this to select a tracker, a traffic source, and to select a vertical.

Then read up on the affiliate networks and select two to begin with that will serve your needs and the types of offers you would like to promote. Put your application in and they will call you for an interview. Be professional and be prepared to answer some questions about how you will promote offers, do you have a website, are you a Newbie, etc. Please note, if you join the Dojo, we have a thread there that can offer assistance in getting accepted to some of the networks.

Study
Now that you have selected a basis to begin, read all of the threads in this forum that relate to your initial selections so that you have a rudimentary understanding of their features and benefits.

Invest
You will require some investment. A VPS server, domains, traffic, landing pages, etc. You will need a budget for daily, weekly, and monthly expenses. This will change over time and you will need to update it often so that you know exactly what your costs and earnings are.

Implement
This is where it all starts to earn. You must now begin to implement what you have established as your foundation for your business.

Here is some advice and guidance that will help you establish your initial goals:

Make sure you complete the following first.

Every business needs:

1. a plan
2. a schedule for research, learning, and execution
3. a budget.

Remember to read through our WIKI and get to know the basics as well as some of the buzz words in the industry.

I also recommend reading the following thread:

As a Newbie, What Stops You From Getting Started

Here is a set of immediate goals:

1. Get a VPS
2. Select a vertical
3. Select a tracker
4. Select a couple of networks and get your approval
5. Select a traffic source
6. Create a schedule for researching, learning (training), and working. This is a business, treat it as such!
7. Create a budget for every expense (daily, weekly, monthly)
8. Be very active in this forum by researching, asking questions, helping others when you are able.

Check out the new enhanced membership option here as it is full of great tools and features.

Remember This! : Nothing has to be perfect before you start. Read & study, but invest and implement at the same time. You cannot learn all of it from reading and studying. A great deal of your learning comes from implementing!

Good Luck!

T J

 

[tyoussef]

Oh @Filip @T J Tutor covered every thing for you .