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5 Ways To Jump-start Your Affiliate Commissions

by Mark Idzik

Affiliate marketing is one of the most talked about topics on the Internet...and for good reason.

Next to creating your own products, it's one of the best ways to make a full or part-time income online. In fact, some prove me wrong and earn a better living exclusively promoting other people's products and services.

And although it can be easy, 80–90% of affiliates don't earn more than $100 a month.

But you can be part of the top 10–20% with a simple plan and some strategic tips. Here are five ways you can boost your affiliate commission checks today and start on the path to larger commissions and affiliate marketing freedom:

1. Use Protected And User-Friendly Links

If you're promoting an affiliate program, instead of using the link provided by the affiliate program, take a few minutes and create a special link on your site that re-directs your visitor and protects your affiliate link.

This benefits you in 4 ways:

- your affiliate link won't be chopped off because it's too long (many e-mail programs do this)

- visitors won't be tempted to cut off your affiliate ID, or replace it with their own to get a discount on their purchase

- your visitor sees your domain name in the link, promoting your business

- you can see exactly how many clicks you received for that particular promotion by reviewing your website statistics

2. Review Products

For each product or service you promote write a personal review of your experience with it. Be honest...people will notice if you're just trying to hype the product.

You can e-mail the review to your list, write a short autoresponder series, as well as grab an image of the product and display the review on your website. Pick a strategic location...the upper right side of any web page gets the most "eye" traffic.

3. Add A "Recommended Product Guide"

Gather three to five of your favorite products...those that you use and would recommend to a friend, and create a short "Recommended Resource or Product Guide" along with your affiliate links.

You can add this guide to:

- newsletter subscription "thank you" pages

- product purchase "thank you" pages

- exit pop-up windows

- special report sign up "thank you" pages

These pages are often empty, with just a "thank you" and a link to your site. Use this valuable real estate to make recommendations. Your visitors and clients trusted you with their purchase or newsletter sign up, and they're more likely to trust your recommendations right after making a purchase as well.

4. Collect Visitor Information

Instead of sending your visitors directly through the affiliate program link, grab their name and e-mail first.

Create a special report about the product or service you are promoting or offer them a special newsletter on a related topic.

If you build a list of people interested in a certain market, you can then promote related products and services to them in the future.

If you just send them to the affiliate site directly, you don't get that benefit and potentially lose a lifetime of commissions.

Here's an insider tip: Create a pop-up window that includes your sign-up form and opens at the same time you send your visitor to the affiliate page.

5. Give Buyers A Special Bonus

Give your visitors a special bonus gift for ordering through your link. It could be a special report, consultation, free service or a special product that you have rights to.

This creates an incentive for the visitor to make the purchase right now, and from your link...because it's not available anywhere else.

It makes you the only source for the combination of product and bonus!

Make it easy...just ask them to send you their receipt and you can forward their bonus after verifying the purchase.

Bonus: You get their name and e-mail address and with their permission, you can stay in touch with them in the future with recommendations on similar products or services.

Mark Idzik is the creator of CBPlugin, an easy-to-use system that lets website owners "plug-in" top selling products into their sites and earn affiliate commissions automatically. Get more information about Mark and CBPlugin by subscribing to his newsletter, RevenueTools, at sendtips@revenuetools.com.

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