2. Affiliate Business Blueprint

This is the definitive guide on how to create your own unique

affiliate business without having to invent your own product.

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Ensure that your website is up and running. The danger in not knowing that your site is down comes when you are running a pay per click advertising campaign. The click costs add up whether your site is functional or not.

Check your statistics daily. This will give you a better idea of your income trends and also highlight any area of concern such as sudden decrease in revenue.

Be prompt in answering any queries from affiliate partners or customers, especially when these are about your products or services.

One of the main aspects of any affiliate program is residual income. You've got to make the most of every customer. The best way to do this is by promoting affiliate programs that offer residual commission as well as one time sales. Membership sites are a good way to collect residual commissions.

Track your links - guesswork is no use

Track all your affiliate links. The best way to accomplish this is by setting up tracking software for your affiliate links. There are a number of scripts that will do the job.

Most tracking programs typically allow you to setup tracking links for any product you promote, telling you how many hits each product has received, and where the hits are coming from.

It is not enough to have a few banners and classified ads if you provide an affiliate program. You must provide as much help as possible .You should have tested and proven endorsements, testimonials, sig files, ezine ads, and other unique tools and techniques. You should also make yourself available to answer any questions they may have.

You should determine what methods work best for your affiliate program or one you might promote in a particular medium. For instance, which ezine ads work best and in what ezine; which banner ads produce the greatest click-throughs and from which sites or banner exchanges; and where on your website is the most effective spot to include a testimonial.

This can only come about through active promotion and looking at results both good and non productive. Assumptions can be tested and the results guide you. Just hoping for the best is a recipe for disaster.

If you can sort out your payment procedures from the start, you will save yourself an administrative headache and more to the point, keep your affiliates happy! Or use a third party like clickbank to pay out and manage instead. Its less flexible than your own set up to begin with but everyone gets paid without you lifting a finger. You just pay out in fees.

This concludes my overview on starting your own affiliate program. If there is any one thing I would recommend, it is to track everything you can so you can refine your strategy further and increase your earnings.

Discover a simple four-step way to get bigger affiliate commissions... I'll tell you exactly what those four steps are, and how you can apply this formula right away.
Chris Ruane
http://www.seriousedge.com