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In these economic times, as unemployment continues to rise, the demand for online income opportunities continues to rise proportionately. Arguably, the most widely available online opportunity is affiliate marketing. This is due primarily to the fact that start up costs can be minimal. And, since affiliate marketing opportunities are financially easy to instantiate, the number of affiliate marketers is growing rapidly. Many are, themselves, dedicated to instructional products and services regarding making money online with affiliate marketing. Thus, there is so much, often conflicting, information online that it is easily overwhelming, even to seasoned computer and marketing professionals. Further, many web sites sell affiliate marketing information that, while correct and useful, does not allow the beginner enough detail and support to actually implement the methods and become successful.

The few affiliate marketers representing informational products that are thorough and well delivered, gear their programs to “the tried and true”, the very crowded and competitive niche of affiliate marketing, while touting mainstream advertising methodologies that are expensive, with far less return than desired.  Certainly, some individuals are still successful, but to a much lesser degree than advertised or expected. With many negatives like these, it is easy to see why some reports suggest as few as 20% of those who attempt affiliate marketing, stay with it and enjoy long term success. 

Individuals who have researched and discovered the circumstances that I have described above then have comments and questions like – “Yes, but thousands and thousands of people still make a terrific part time or full time income, so how do they do it?” “Why can’t we?”

There are several key answers. First of all, as with any business, affiliate marketing does require diligent work – primarily research, analysis, and decision making, as well as some level of creativity. Individuals who are looking for “easy money” and who truly do not enjoy the endeavor, will probably not succeed long term.  Secondly, rather than focusing on the largest, most competitive product niches, find other products and services about which you are passionate and enjoy researching and promoting, and which may have enough search engine traffic to be rewarding and yet, significantly less competitive than the mainstream. Believing in the products and services that you choose to represent is certainly key, along with expertise that one may either already possess, or may gain along the way. Thirdly, use any and all means of advertising and promoting your products and services. There are many free (or nearly free) methods that are sometimes less competitive, while just as successful as paid methods.

The final, and perhaps most important, alternative affiliate marketing technique is the primary focus of this article. There are two predominant types of affiliate marketing – 1) CTR – Click Through – where the affiliate is only monetarily rewarded when the user “clicks through” an affiliate link ad and actually purchases a product or service, and 2) CPA – Cost Per Action – in which the affiliate is rewarded for an “action” taken by the user such as entering an email address, first and/or last name, zip code, or more complete information like address, phone, income, or education levels. The reward may be far less for actions (also known as leads) versus product or service sales; however, the conversion rates are much higher and more frequent. Do the lower rewards and higher conversion rates balance out? Many CPA affiliates have evidence that they definitely do. The ease of start up with CPA affiliate marketing is a significant advantage as well. CPA affiliation can be successfully performed without a website, a specific product, a customer list, or a traffic budget.

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