How much and how soon? Questions for new Affiliates ...

The most common questions I see from people new to affiliate marketing are 1. How much money can I make? And 2. How quickly can I start making money? Both of these questions are extremely important. You wouldn’t start a new job without discussing salary and pay schedules, so why would you go into affiliate marketing without asking those questions?

How quickly can I start making money?
I wanted to start with this question because I think it is the most important. The answer is (maybe surprisingly) immediately. There is a qualifier here. Making money and earning an income are very different. You can put up a website with some Google ads, post to a few sites and news groups with your URL and you will probably make a dollar or 2 your first day.

While it might be satisfying to someone new to affiliate marketing to see a couple of dollars in their Google account, this is not an income. And if you calculate the amount of time it takes to create and advertise your site, it probably amounts to just pennies per hour of work. Which leads us to the next question …

How much money can I make?
Your income potential from affiliate marketing is virtually limitless, but really, probably about 1 in every 100000 people that start will actually earn anything close to a salary at it. The simple reason is lack of knowledge and fast burnout.

Too many people dive in head first without researching their target market, assembling their keyword lists, analysing the competition, or researching their options (for example, blog vs website vs Google Adwords). After a few months of spending money on advertising and hours designing and promoting sites only to earn $50 most people will quit.

So what should you be aware of as you start Internet Affiliate Marketing?
My best advice is - have fun. Don’t expect to make money. Don’t expect to grab a top 3 ranking in Goolge in 3 months. Don’t expect $1000s of dollars in Affiliate checks every month. Learn to enjoy what you are doing and be prepared to stick with it for at least a year before you see any income.

Also, do your research. There are many great books out there (check out the Affiliate Toolbox to the right). While there are many books that are pure hype, there is also a lot of good information out there for under $50. If you are going to blog, check out "Blogging to the Bank". If it’s websites for you, check out "Rich Jerk" or if it’s Google Adwords, check out this Google Adwords Guide.

But no matter what, have fun. More to come …