Affiliate Marketing - Parallel Income During The Early Stages

AAffiliate marketing has been around for sometime, but only few know how to make some serious money online with them.

In fact, affiliate-marketing is a great work from home business available to anyone with a computer and a desire to run their own affiliate business. Basically, all you need is a desk, a chair, a computer, an internet and an e-mail connection and possibly a word processor and a html editor

What is Affiliate Marketing and How Does it Work? Most of us know that affiliate programs are making people rich ! If anyone has told you that you can't make money online with affiliate programs, they either don't know much about affiliate marketing, or they don't want to share their know how with you. It's no wonder that only 5% to 10% of affiliates make money.

So what is the solution ? Either decide to go through the grind, which will take quite some time to set up your home business or, hire someone else to do it for you. Now, if you chose the first option, I can't say your choice is bad, as no books nor any marketing courses can come anywhere close to pure practical experience. (James Martell and Rosalind Gardner) are two such examples of self-taught successful affiliate marketers.

But the problem is time. By the time you start to make money online, a couple of months would have gone by. Moreover, you must also not get caught up in the trap of learning and not earning. It is VERY essential that you start to make some money online as early as possible, so as to fund your initial affiliate campaign and other minor expenses. Bottom line is that you can gather as much practical experience as you want, BUT also with a parallel income.

Alternately, you can try to obtain a FREE web page, preferably with a name (or close to a name) you plan to use later as your domain. Naturally, you can get such a page only as a sub-domain i.e., (http://www.abc.com/yourname) of some other main site.

Even then it is better to have such a page, rather than getting on such as (http://www.abc.com/?12345) This makes no sense, unless it is an established money spinning page.

If you can get such a FREE web page, your next step would be to sign up as an affiliate with good programs and start promoting their products in your free web page. In fact, you can use it to start your affiliate career.

While marketing your new FREE web page, you can study Internet and affiliate marketing, affiliate programs, through some good free downloads. You also learn first hand on how to run an affiliate campaign. Your main and only job would be to advertise your FREE web page, by submitting it to search engines, e-mail it to friends, colleagues and others. You also get familiar with search engine marketing, affiliate networks, affiliate directories and traffic exchanges

As there is no telling when you would start to make money the FREE page gives you a sort of backup. However, if you market it well, the chances are within a month or so, you shall see some income trickling in. This also provides you with considerable room for trial and error. Another advantage is that you can set your own time frame. Most guys who have made it have invested heavily in their initial stages, only to realize later, that it was more of a waste.

Nonetheless, it is essential you set a shoestring budget, set a time-frame (say 3 months, if not 6 months maximum). If you don't see any form of income trickling in by then, it is better to let it take a back seat and give more impetus to your primary job. This does not mean to forget it completely, as there are holidays, nights and other free time. Because, the phases vary, the 1st phase (first 6 months) could be slow; the next could be slightly better etc.

Alternately, try your hand at surveys, data entry, transcription, surf traffic exchanges, write freelance articles (to name a few) that can meet your daily expenses. People generally tend to forget the value of time (calculate the average hourly wages you may get if you were employed, and multiply this sum by the time-frame you tend to dedicate to your new business - you will be surprised to note that it could be a tidy sum). Although you can consider this as your investment, it is extremely important that you set a fixed time frame - I am quoting this from personal experience.

It could be a while before it sort of hits you. This is so because, like all other form of businesses, you have to get the 'IDEA' of how it works. It could be just a spark, and it could happen in a single day or even an hour then things will start falling in place.

You'll never make it if you think that if it could for John Doe, it could work for me. No matter, how many books and courses you study. In short, trying to memorize algebra, physics formulas or organic chemistry will not get you anywhere - You achieve success in these areas only if you understand the concept.

Once you slowly get the hang of things, slowly register your own domain, set up a website, do your marketing research, identify niche and affiliate marketing opportunities.

This is relatively an easy way to make this parallel income during the early stages of your affiliate marketing. Here's wishing you success in your home business and that you make money online through affiliate marketing