Its now time to start promoting

…you learned some basics terminology in my earlier post. Now its time to take action and the first step has to be doing some market research. What can I or should I sell? Through solid research you will find niches that will convert. Remember this term, its all about converting your efforts, RESEARCH and affiliate marketing techniques into to sales!

First lets start with Niches, What are they…well, they are typically areas of interest that are very focused and targeted. Examples of a good niche would be “Cure your golf slice” or “Gain extra yards on your drive” and example of a bad choice would be “Golf” This topic and market is just to broad for you to attack. But if you can find pockets where the competition is low then you have a winner!

Some key points for good Niche

  • Your customer has an urgent need, you can solve the problem
  • Buying is for the most part very emotional and does come into play for most customers
  • It can be time dependent or time sensitive, something people need right now! (their ready to buy)
  • Make sure the market is large enough while the competition is low-more info to follow on this!
  • Do your research and provide your customers with valuable information

The Buying Cycle, Its very important to understand this area of online marketing and sales.

  • The first step is that people will generate an interest in a product,
  • Then they will do some research
  • Next they will compare products
  • lastly they are ready to make the purchase.

Its this last portion of the buying cycle that you need to be most interetsed in…you want to position yourself in this area of the cycle. These are the real buyers and you want these people to see your affiliate link at this point in the cycle. This is where you need to be with the hottest product, it could be a new camera, a hot e-book product, software etc…just make sure its what they are looking for and you will convert there needs into sales!

Here is one program I have to recommend, Rich Jerk is one of my favorites…its especially great for a beginner. Its all new with updated materials and some great bonuses. It was one of my first reads and I learned ton from this program, you will too!

Now lets find some Niches…

Where do you begin, thats the big question on most peoples minds especially when they are new and just starting out. The reality of it is there are niche markets and products all around you. Just stop and look around next time you go into a shopping mall, you will see exactly what I mean. All the hottest trends are right in front of you, each with a new sub-Niche just waiting to be explored. Where else, certainly the weekly fliers, newspaper adds, TV, as well as internet will all come into play. Just stop look around and think about how you can attack certain areas. Next thing you know you will be full of ideas and your Niche ideas will be born.

Another way to find out whats hot is to search the Clickbank marketplace. if you recall I mentione CB an earlier post. Its now time to set-up your account and start moving forward with your new career. Once inside familiarize yourself with the site. Then start searching out products that you can promote, ideally it should be something that you have an interest in but don’t limit yourself. Inside the site you can actually see what is hot buy whats called the gravity rating-its a number CB assigns that shows what other affiliates are selling and having success with. A good place for you to include when your getting ready to start a campaign. Another place to go is a site called DMOZ.org this directory lists a ton of categories each with refined topics that you explore for potential niches. The great part about this site is the fact that you can take a broad topic and narrow it down. Lastly, lets not forget a about social networks like, Ning, Facebook, MySpace or search out Forums on specific topics…these are great places to browse for ideas. You can search for just about anything in these sites and see what people are talking about. Think niches all the time, you can get new ideas or at the very least these sites will assist you with your market research.

Well, I think you get the idea when it comes to making affiliate money its a slow progression. There is no need to rush, you need to do your research, find products that people want and have a need for and get your affiliate link out there. If you give people what they are looking for and can help them solve a problem in some way, then you will make sales!

Watch for my next installment , if you feel this helped, please let me know about it by leaving comments!