Affiliate marketing is the most versatile business model on the Internet. Otherwise, how can you have an online business without spending a penny, or very little, to get it started?
There has been a frequently asked questiobn, "Can I promote affiliate programs without a website?"
It is an easy answer, but there are certain conditions to meet.
Yes, you can build a strong and highly profitable subsidiary company without a website. In fact, for most people "testing the waters", I think this is the way to go. However, you will not be able to support your company affiliate business, or build it stronger, unless you have a website.
So, yes, it is quite possible, and people do it all the time. Here are six ways to get there.
Writing informative articles
By far the most productive way to promote something on the Internet, particularly affiliate products, is by writing high quality, informative articles, attaching a short author's resource box at the end, and submitting them to every article directory you can find.
Your articles will help promote your affiliate by:
when the article directories like EzineArticles.com or GoArticles.com list them your articles on their site and bring in traffic through the search engines.
This targeted traffic will read your article and click on your link affiliation, either in the article or in your resources box, and go to the merchant site to buy your products. You then earn the commission.
Participate in forums
Forums are networking online communities where people can come and ask questions or answers them. They're also excellent places to establish links with other people and promote products that you are affiliated with.
Of course, each forum has a guideline as to how you can post and how you can promote products. More generally it's through your signature at the end of your post.
You will also want to make sure that you provide relevant information. You wouldn't want to reply to a question asking what's the best car wax to use for long lasting sun protection by pointing them to your pet food supply store. Not only will your post more likely to be deleted, it won't do you any good either.
Use other people's websites by being viral
Viral marketing is getting other people to promote your affiliate products for you. But this is where a condition that I mentioned earlier kicks in.
You must create something; a report, short ebook, video, audio interview, etc., and allow other people to give it away free from their website.
For example, Harvey Segal of SuperTips.com has several ebooks that he has written, one especially on viral marketing, and gives them away to other people. Inside these ebooks are links to his site and his products. He doesn't have to do nearly as much advertising because he has other people doing it for him.
Now for an affiliate it is a matter of creating a relevant infoproduct (one that deals with the niche of your product), putting your affiliate links throughout the product, and emailing website owners if they would give it away on their site.
If the topic is similar they will jump at the chance because it adds even more content to their site, or they can use it as a free bonus for subscribing to their newsletter.
Place ads in other people's ezine
The first three tips have all been freebies. You can use them without spending any of your own money to advertise the products you're affiliated with. This one actually costs some money, but if you do it right you will still earn a great deal of profit.
Advertising in ezines is still a major strategy in creating traffic to your site. However, it does carry a warning.
Research and find the ezine that best fits the product. Ezine co-op's do not help you generate good, quality, targeted traffic to the merchant's site. Yes, your ad will be seen by hundreds of thousands of people, but the majority will have no desire, need, want, or tingle for the product the ad is for. A waste of good money.
On the other hand, if you research and find the right ezine to place and ad with, the people reading it will already have a desire for it.
For example, you wouldn't advertise fishing tackle in an internet marketing ezine. But, if you found camping, fishing, sports, or other mens related ezines... you'd have found a great match.
A few years ago, when everyone was advertising in ezines, the costs were sky high. But, now with blogs and a content focus the prices have come back down to earth and it's now reasonable. You can profit by placing very good quality ads in ezines.
Do the joint venture thing
Joint ventures are a funny animal. Most people think it's a "I'll put your link on my site if you put my link on your site" type of thing. Sometimes it is. But, what if you don't have a site?
Then you have to be a lot more creative.
Here's something I did recently with a client that I could not, after much pleading, convince they needed a site so I set out to develop an advertising campaign for them, without a website. First, I found a few other website owners who were in the same niche. In this case it was pet supplies. I offered each of them a deal where both sides would win out.
I offered the site owners good, quality, original web content if they would put my clients affiliate text links and a few banners on these pages. They were all very good traffic sites and I knew that my client would receive excellent exposure.
Out of the 15 sites I contacted, 11 said yes. Why not... everyone loves fresh content. After the initial run of new articles for each site and my client's links were on those pages, he made a little over $500 in commissions that first two weeks. Now that there are even more articles with his links on them, he is making more.
You can do that too. Just ask people if they need fresh content, for free, and in return you can place your affiliate links on those pages. It doesn't hurt to ask for a good position on the home page either.
Google it with Adwords
This one takes a lot more research and very focused common sense. Google Adwords is a way to get your affiliate links on Google's first page, without having a site, but it does cost. And if not done right, and constantly monitored... a lot of money.
However, there are people, like Chris Carpenter of Google Cash that have made an incredible amount of money, a fortune really, just from listing affiliate products on Google Adwords.
But...
Yes, you can successfully promote affiliate products with the above six strategies, but, like I said, there are conditions.
You must be extremely diligent in your efforts, constantly monitoring results, and keeping a sharp eye on your costs to ensure profitability. It takes work, a lot of it, to promote affiliate programs.
Also, at some point, you will have to break down and create a website. Your long term success greatly relies on you developing a prominent and tangible "storefront".
Until then, promote your affiliate programs without a website using these six strategies.
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