| Don’t Listen To The Noise!
In common use, the word noise means any unwanted sound. Noise is all around you, from televisions and radios to lawn mowers and washing machines and more. Harmful sounds - sounds that are too loud or loud sounds over a long time - can damage sensitive structures of the inner ear and cause noise-induced hearing loss. Statistics show that more than 30 million people in the U.S. are exposed to dangerous sound levels on a relatively consistent basis. Scientific evidence has proven that sound levels which are louder than 80 decibels can cause hearing problems. Yet, this isn't as loud as traffic on a busy street. It is also a proven fact if listening to loud music, especially on headphones, can cause noise-induced hearing loss. But, when keeping the volume down while listening to music and wearing earplugs when using loud equipment can help protect your hearing. For people who are in the internet marketing arena, noise is constantly forced on us as we try to find the right melodic sounds of cash flow. As we try to find the right decibel level to the answers and solutions we so desperately seek, we often experience noise, noise, and more noise! Everybody making noise and it all follows the same pattern an all sound alike. One stating they have the push button solution to this or that. Another stating they have the exact system that we need to succeed. Then another desperately trying to make us believe that they have our earnest welfare at heart: its more noise that I can almost bare. Yet, noise has always existed and always will and there seems to be not one thing I can do about it, or is it? Yes, the only thing I can really do is not listen to all the noise. Internet marketing is a thing I so greatly enjoy and what I do is follow a few simple steps to ensure I will be successful in spite of all the noise, and I suggest that you do so to. This is what has worked for me and it can work effectively for you if you are willing to follow these simple steps. #1. If you are going to join any affiliate program, please ask the right questions. Take the time to do some research about the choices of the program that you intend to join. Be sure to get some answers because they will be the deciding point of what you will be achieving later on. #2. What is the cost for you to join the particular program? The majority of affiliate programs have on cost. So it is wiser to find free programs instead of paying programs to join? #3. Find out when they issue the commission checks? Most programs are different. Some issue their checks monthly, some quarterly, and etc. Select the one that is suited to your payment time choice. So many affiliate programs are setting a minimum earned commission amount that an affiliate must meet or exceed in order for their checks to be issued. This is the norm so don’t get rattled just choose the one that best works for you. #4. Some people try to determine how many hits they must accumulate to make a sale. This is a wise move but always promote more than you think is necessary. With the buying characteristics of customers being different, the number of hits required to make a sale will be different also. This one factor that is extremely important because this will tell you how much traffic you must generate before you can earn a commission from the sale. (Now I realize this will be varying from program to program but it doesn’t hurt to try and find out). #5. Make sure that there is a referral tracking system and try to check the retention percentage of the past referrals in the program. Tracking is easy because most programs do have a tracking system in place. It will be more difficult to find out the retention percentage because of the differences in all programs. Probably the only or most effective way to do this is to communicate with other members already in the program. This is also vitally important because some visitors do not buy initially but may want to return later to make the purchase. Ask if you will still get credit for the sale even if it is done some months from a certain day. #6. See if the program offers affiliate stats? Any affiliate program you choose should be capable of offering affiliate stats. These should be readily available within the program anytime you decide to check them out. While constantly checking your individual stats it is important to know how many ad and banner hits, and sales are already generated from your site. Now ad and banner impressions are the number of times the banner or text link was viewed by a visitor of your site and a hit is the one clicking on the banner or text links. #7. Does the affiliate program also pay for the hits and impressions besides the commissions on sales? This is a good gauge to use and it is important that impressions and hits are also paid, as this will help to build the amount of money you earn from your number of sales. This will help if the program you are in offers low sales to be added to your hit ratio . #8. Looking closely at who the online retailer(company) is because this will give you serious insight on the feasibility of making money with them? Find out whom you are doing business with to know if they are really a legitimate sound company. Study and know the products they are selling and the average amount of sales that they are achieving. Believe me, the more you know about the retailer(company) offering you the affiliate program and exactly what they are offering , the easier it will be for you to know if that program is really for you and your site. #9. Is the affiliate program described as a one tier or two tier program? Most one tier programs pay you only for the business you yourself have generated. Most two tier program pay you for the business, plus they also pay you a commission on the on the sales generated by any affiliate you sponsor in your program. Also, there are some two-tier programs that are even paying small fees on each new affiliate you sponsor. It is more like a recruitment fee. #10. Lastly, find out what is the amount of commission paid? Usually 5% through 20% is the commission paid by most programs and 01% - .05% is the reasonable amount paid for each hit. If you find a program that also pays for impressions, the amount paid is not much at all. As you can see from the figures, you will now understand why the average sales amount and hit to sale ratio is so vitally important. Now these are just some of the questions that I always need answered first before I enter into an affiliate program. I believe you should be familiar with the many important aspects that your chosen program should have before incorporating them into your website. Please try to ask your affiliate program choices these questions. And believe me, these questions can help you select the right program for you site from among the many available. Asking questions and understanding the ins and out of affiliate programs will help you to muffle out most of the noise that we know already exist and will always be there. Oh there is one more thing. Please understand that there is a difference between building a business and a business opportunity. A business will take time to build. On the other hand, a business opportunity is just an opportunity to make money if everything lines up with the stars. A good affiliate program is one of the many elements or components to building a great business. And that great business will provide opportunities to make money. Michael Harris |
