Free Online Marketing Plan - Step One: Finding a Product to Sell

The first step you will want to take is to find a product to sell.  If you have your own product, that’s great.  If you want to sell other people’s products, you can do that too.  Affiliate marketing is really about selling other people’s products in exchange for a percentage of the sale, or a commission.  There are network marketing companies online that are all too happy to sign you up as an affiliate.

There are some companies that will require you to have a website, and a few that do not require a website.  There are three companies that you can sign up for as an affiliate without having to have a website.  They are:

http://www.ebaypartnernetwork.com: eBay products.  Also note that you can link to products on eBay when you create your Squidoo and Hubpages.

https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/: Amazon.com offers thousands of products from electronics to music.  You can make from 4% to 8.5%.

http://www.clickbank.com: Clickbank offers information products that can be instantly downloaded like software and ebooks.  Commissions vary.  The trick to making commissions with Clickbank is to look for a product with a good commission, and high gravity.  Anything over 60 gravity is good.  I also look at the landing page to make sure that I would want to buy the product.

I would suggest signing up for these right away.  Also, you will want to set up a Paypal account too because a lot of companies can instantly send your payments to Paypal.

If you want to set up a website of your own, go for it.  This is an excellent idea, and it will give you access to a broader range of networks.  Potpiegirl has an excellent tutorial on setting up niche sites.  It is called 6 Step Niche Sites.

Here are some others that you can sign up for once you have your own website:

Linkshare: With Linkshare, you can gain access to stores like Target, Macy’s Walmart, and a host of other stores and services.

Commission Junction: Commission Junction is another network to join with stores like The Gap, Dell Computers, and more.

Want to sell free trials, and lead type offers?  CPA networks are great because the commissions are higher and your customer will not always have to whip out their credit card for you to get paid.  Higher commissions are definitely a great reason to sign up for CPA networks.  Here are two of my favorite CPA Networks:

Azoogleads: Azoogleads offers CPA offers in every category from health and beauty to travel.

Neverblue: Neverblue is a great CPA network to sign up for too.  It is very similar to Azoogleads with dozens of categories to choose from.

When considering a product to sell or a niche to go into.  Think of something that you have an interest in.  You want a product that you can easily talk about.  If you are not that thrilled about a product or service, you will have trouble conveying and convincing your audience to buy it.

Now that you have this knowledge, go ahead and get started!  Pick a product.

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I am beginning to think that I would be a much better internet marketer if I would try being a little more sincere.  The key to successful internet marketing is really connecting with your audience.  I don’t think that it’s really telling people what they want to hear.  I am beginning to realize that you have to really speak to people, and not insult their intelligence.

I have been so guilty in the past of throwing up a website with little content, and lots of products.  I have also been guilty, fairly recently of setting up several weight loss blogs without any real substance.  Because I desperately want to compete with other sites for the weight loss niche, I have to admit that I have been very guilty of not really creating the most useful website.  Perhaps that is why I have made a whopping $20 this month in the weight loss arena.  Mind you, I have four websites on the subject.

I am written articles until I am blue in the face, created a ton of free mini-sites for backlinks, and even paid $20 this month to submit one website to 5000 directories.  I wish that I had thought that one through.

One of my favorite blogs to read for inspiration, and a good laugh is KarmicConsulting.net.  Ian is an amazingly talented writer, and he is so funny.  When I need an attitude adjustment, and I am desperately trying to change my mindset, (think happy thoughts), I often read his blog.  He mentions in his latest post about how to keep readers on your list.  His post is interesting because he talks about not insulting your readers intelligence.  It struck a chord with me, and I know that he is right.

Sure, its to easy to setup a website with rehashed content, and lots of banners.  You may think that you are saving time, and going to make a lot of money, but the truth is you may be wasting time.  People want to know why you recommend the product, and are looking for your point of view and suggestions.

To be a really successful internet marketer, you have to believe in the product you are selling.  You have to know the advantages of owning and using the product, and you have to successfully convey it’s attributes to others from your point of view.   Suggest, don’t sell.