People assume because I have spent my life operating my own information publishing businesses and helping others to do the same, that I am somehow against affiliate marketing (or any other online business model for that matter.)
Yet, when they join InfoMarketer’sZone and work through the 45-Day Information Product Profits Program they immediately realize that affiliate advertising plays a critical role in building your online marketing Master Blueprint.
In fact, when I first started online I spent an entire year marketing two info-product manuals online – and turned my first 5-figure profits that way, without a single product of my own.
Ahh…But Here’s The REALLY Sweet Online Business Model
Yes, you can (and should) explore multiple methods of making money online, but you can make much MORE if you follow a plan.
Here’s what I mean:
First, commit to adding value to your marketplace – you can do this by providing consistently good content, reviews, product summaries, updates, application of techniques, and so on… With this, you build traffic, trust, credibility and momentum – all critical to making money online.
Second, once you have a good sense for what desires and questions your market want answered, you match that with well positioned affiliate products and affiliate programs, what I call the "test" phase. Yes, you want to make some early money by making affiliate sales, but the REAL objective is to learn more about your market so that you can add more value, grow your relationships tighter, identify additional desire and eventually, you will find opportunties for more products and services.
Third, when you discover opportunities to fill gaps or improve existing, hot-selling products, then do it! This is a no-fail approach to creating a fortune with your own information products. You’ve removed the risk from the process and only develop products around topics targeting desires that you know people are willing to pay to address.
You are taking your cue from monitoring your affiliate sales to determine exactly what your market is willing to buy.
My first infoproduct that made a big splash online back in 2000 came from building an IM list and marketing Corey Rudl’s "Secrets" manual – then identifying a gap in the marketplace at the time. Corey’s product was all about A-Z internet marketing, what was missing is that most people didn’t know what to sell – so along came the "Information Entrepreneurs’s Idea Guidebook". Since then, many other products in other niches started in the same way.
Make no mistake, this is system that we have consistently used to generate revenue from 3 different niche markets – and best of all you have multiple profit sources with little or no risk. You get the best of both worlds…to make money with affiliate marketing and to build your own credibility and brand through extending that model to your own information products.
The BIG business view is to mix affiliate business, your own products and higher-end training through coaching, membership sites, home study courses or seminars – it’s a system that will work for you too.
