Bill McRea

Affiliate marketing is a deceptively simple business model that is very easy to get started with, but not quite as easy to make a ton of money with quickly for the average affiliate marketer. If you are looking to diversify your income streams, you might want to consider trying cpa marketing. Affiliate marketers who already have a website set up, and who know how to drive traffic have everything they need to get started doing cpa marketing.

What is CPA marketing?

CPA stands for, cost per action because you will get paid each time a visitor to your site views the offer takes the desired action thus generating a lead for the advertiser. There are lots of companies that will give you a payment for each lead that you generate for them.

For example you might have a weight loss blog. You would then host a cpa offer that would appeal to your existing customers. Typically the offer would consist of the visitor filling out an online form or a survey. Once the visitor has submitted their information you have just generated a lead and the advertiser will pay you for it.

How much can I earn doing CPA marketing?

The payments for CPA offers varies widely. Some offers pay anywhere between $1. to $5 per lead, while other offers in more highly competitive markets can offer payments of over $20. per lead. So you can see how important it is to drive lots of targeted traffic in order to earn a decent income with CPA marketing.

Here’s how to get started with CPA marketing.

Start a blog on a targeted niche topic. Drive a ton of traffic to that site and then start looking for CPA networks to join. Sign up as a publisher or affiliate at one of the dozens of CPA networks online such as:

• MAX Bounty
• Commission Junction
• Peerfly
• NeverBlue
• ClickBooth

When you are applying to a CPA network, you want to come across as a professional. Keep in mind when you are new you may get rejected on your first try, but don’t give up. There are other networks out there.

Make sure your website looks professional, apply using an email address with your own domain rather than a free gmail account, and be prepared to report how much traffic your website gets and where it’s coming from.

Your key to CPA marketing success

The way to success with CPA marketing is to learn how to drive lots of targeted traffic to your offers. Once you have mastered a particular method, try another method and keep adding until you can get a dependable flow of traffic to your offers.

Do your research and consider taking a training course in traffic generation techniques. Keep testing and tracking your results so that you can constantly improve your results.

CPA marketing is a good way to diversify income streams for affiliate marketers, and it’s a good way to put your existing online marketing skills to good use.

CPA marketing is one of the many ways to make money online. For more information about online marketing visit http://mcreasite.com/blog today.

Affiliate marketing is a fast moving industry, and if you want to get ahead you’ve got to stay on top of the trends and predictions. 2011 was a year of lots of changes in this industry, and 2012 will bring new changes as well.

Here are five of the top affiliate marketing trends that will have an impact on the industry in the year to come:

1. Mobile

You might have been hearing that mobile is coming, but guess what?Mobileis here. This long-ish, but worth watching video tells a compelling story of the future of digital marketing. Pay close attention at around 3:30 it goes into predictions and projections for the mobile industry.

The Future of Online Digital Marketing 2012 -2015

youtu.be/CwTAARorGbk

With more people accessing the Internet on their mobile devices than with PCs, you will begin to get the picture that if you want to reach people, you must get involved with mobile marketing to grow your business.

2. Research

While research has always been an important component of affiliate marketing, it’s becoming increasingly crucial as competition increases. Forrester has predicted that retailers will be spending upwards of $4 billion on affiliate marketing programs by 2014. This means increasing competition as more and more affiliates jump in for their piece of the exponentially bigger pie.

You’ll want to invest time in market research and keyword research. If you lack knowledge in this area you will want to invest in the tools and training required to build your skills. Invest in cutting edge keyword research tools and learn how to use them. Invest in coaching or training offered by those who have demonstrated real-world, tangible results.

3. Keep your eye on the Panda

Last year the Google Panda updates rocked the world of many affiliate marketers. This was a subtle reminder of the need to keep your eye on Google. It also points out what has been true all along—the demand for high quality content. If you focus on raising the quality, freshness and variety of content on your affiliate sites you really can’t go wrong when it comes to the search engines.

4. Get smart with conversion optimization

Sarah Bundy of Revenews.com, says this about the growing importance of conversion optimization, “By combining both the affiliate’s conversion optimization efforts in AB-tested creative (e.g., landing pages, content, and calls to action) with the merchant’s efforts to convert the final sale, consumers are more likely to complete the desired action at a lower overall cost. Mutual conversion optimization this year will lead to higher profits for both affiliates and merchants alike.” Take the time to learn how to do A/B testing. There are a ton of free tools that make it fast and easy. Alternatively, hire someone to do the testing for you, or you will be leaving money on the table.

5. Adaptability to change wins the day

OK, so this one might not technically be a trend, but it’s a skill you’ll want to hone in the months and years ahead as big changes come quickly and without warning. Being adaptable means that you can change your game plan on a dime to keep up with what’s happening in the industry.

Affiliate marketing is an exciting business model, but to be successful at it you should never stop learning and increasing your skills. To learn more about how to build and grow your online business, visit http://mcreasite.com/blog today.

Affiliate marketing is a business model that requires you to always stay on top of what’s happening in the world. At the start of a new year we often start setting unrealistic resolutions, and we think about trying new things, but in this article we’re going to go back to basics and focus on foundational things that once you have them in place you will set the stage for making 2012 your best year yet.

1. Create systems

Do you have in place a system or sales funnel designed to convert visitors into leads and then convert those leads into customers? Creating a defined sales funnel system will help streamline your business and boost your income because it will build in efficiencies that save you time and effort while making the most of the traffic that you are already getting.

2. Try a joint venture

There are lots of opportunities for you to try joint venturing with other affiliate marketers to increase your exposure, get a fresh influx of traffic and become better known to a whole new audience. Whether you do a list swap or a giveaway event a joint venture project should always be a win-win.

3. Focus on your goals

The Internet is a wasteland of distraction, so if you can find a way to focus in on your goals and not follow those distractions you will find more success in your affiliate marketing career.

4. Become obsessed with traffic generation

Every affiliate marketer knows that traffic equals money, right? One of the best ways that you can invest your time and attention this year is to become absolutely obsessed with effective traffic generation methods. Become a traffic guru. Test and track and constantly improve your campaigns. Focus on the methods that work the best for you and your market and ditch the rest.

5. Never stop learning

Things are indeed moving quickly, so in order to keep up you must remain a student and never stop learning new things. You get paid at the level of your skills, so if you want to move your business to a higher level you must raise the level of your skills. Create a plan for the skills you want to acquire. Work with a coach. Read books. Attend seminars and join a Mastermind group so that you can be in an environment of people who have attained a level that you aspire to.

Affiliate marketing is such a fun, fast moving business, but you must keep in mind that your time is by far your most valuable commodity in life. If you spend too much time chasing new things and not focusing on the basic, productive activities that move your business forward you will never find success.

There’s that old cliché that says, “If you keep doing what you’ve always done you’ll keep getting what you’ve always gotten.” In order to make 2012 your best year yet, follow these tips and be consistent. Sometimes going back to the basics is what we need in order to move forward.

If you enjoyed these affiliate marketing tips there’s more where these came from. Be sure to visit http://mcreasite.com/blog today where you will discover a ton of resources for growing your online business.

Just a few years before Google began offering the use of its Google Analytics software for free you would have had to pay thousands of dollars to get the kind of data you can now get from GA. It’s an indispensible tool for any affiliate marketer who wants to measure the effectiveness of their money making websites. Google Analytics version 5 was recently launched and it’s got a ton of new features to help you make the most of your website’s performance because you really can’t improve what you don’t measure.

Let’s take a look at three simple Google Analytics hacks that you can use to measure and improve your affiliate sites:

1. Tracking social media campaigns with Google Analytics

So many people complain that they get limited ROI for the time they spend on social media, so why not actually measure it and see what you find?

To track Tweets and other social media links you’ll need to set up a bit of campaign information before you shorten your link using bit.ly or your link shortener of choice.

After you set this up, this will track anyone visiting that URL as a direct result of having clicked on the link in your Tweet. This way you’ll get a clearer picture of the reach of your social media campaigns.

First, use the Google Analytics URL builder: support.google.com/googleanalytics/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=55578 to create the link, and then shorten it using your favorite URL shortener. The next time you run your reports you’ll see this detailed statistic.

2. Tracking visits from mobile phones

Using the ‘Advanced Segment’ feature, it’s easy to track how many visitors are accessing your website using mobile phones. You can include any visits from mobile operating system with this little tip.

From the ‘Advanced Segment’ drop-down menu, create a new advance segment selecting “operating system” form the “Ad content” menu, and  type the word, “mobile” into the blank field after selecting, “exactly matching” from the ‘Containing’ drop-down menu. Now when you run your reports you will see how many visitors are accessing your website using a mobile operating system.

3. How to discover what your visitors are thinking using Google Analytics V5

This nifty hack comes from Yaro Starak of the Entrepreneurs-Journey blog. If you have a search function on your blog, this is a cool way to find out exactly what your visitors are searching for when they land on your blog.

1. Visit your website and do a search for a keyword using your site’s search function.

2. Here is where the new v5 interface has changed. Now all you have to do is click on the ‘Standard Reporting’ tab, and then select, ‘Site Search’ in the left navigation bar. You’ll be able to see stats on usage, pages and search terms that your visitors use in the search bar on your blog.

Google analytics is an amazing tool that you should really take the time to master. It will help you to make seemingly small adjustments to your website that can have a far-reaching impact on its profitability. For more details about version 5, Google has created an informative video to showcase some of the new features: What’s New in Google Analytics v5 youtu.be/Y14qGVW4n8A.

For more tips on improving the performance of your affiliate marketing websites, visit http://mcreasite.com/blog today.

The Amazon Associates program is one of the most popular ways to monetize your website or blog. You get access to an affiliate program where you can earn up to 15% of the sales that are generated by visitors to your site clicking on your coded affiliate links. Amazon, which is one of the biggest retail marketplaces in the world handles all of the order processing, collecting the payments and making sure the product gets shipped to the customer. However, what makes the Amazon associates program so great is also what makes it insanely popular. You’ll have a lot of competition for traffic, but there are things that you can do to help your blog get found and your links clicked.

Amazon provides widgets, links, and banners with specially coded links to the products your visitors want. Your job is to create a website with value-added, keyword optimized content that attracts visitors who are searching for the information you have to offer. In this article we’ll look at five tips for optimizing your Amazon Associates affiliate marketing campaigns.

1. Stay informed

Because the Amazon Associates program is such a popular method for monetizing traffic, there is a ton of information out there that can help you to make the most of your affiliate marketing campaigns.

Read the ‘Official Amazon Associates Blog’ to stay up to date with what is going on in the industry. Also visit the discussion boards where you can ask and answer question from other Amazon associate.

2. Be creative

Don’t just try to duplicate what other affiliates might be doing with their product links. Focus on specific products and the accessories related to that topic. Create relevant content that is appealing to the demographic that is searching for those products. Differentiate your offerings from the hundreds or maybe even thousands of other affiliates who are offering similar product links.

3. Test and track your links

Amazon’s tacking ID lets you know whether or not specific links are getting clicks. Tracking your links is crucial because it’s really the best way to know which products are getting links and which ones are being ignored.

4. Write thorough product reviews

Don’t skimp on keyword research when you are writing your affiliate product reviews. Go for the long tail and look for some relevant, buyer keywords that will help your content get found.

5. Try an Amazon Affiliate WordPress plugin

There are several WordPress plugins that you can use for your WordPress affiliate blog that can help make the integration and optimization process easier and more efficient for your affiliate marketing blog.

Here are a few plugins that you might take a look at for your blog:

•  Amazon Smartlinks Widget
•  Amazon Reloaded
•  Amazon Carousel

It’s a never-ending learning process to keep your Amazon affiliate program generating revenue for you. Finding a dependable source of targeted traffic, and then optimizing your site to convert as much of that traffic as possible is the challenge that you face with affiliate marketing. There is such a vast selection of products in the Amazon marketplace, you should be able to find the perfect match for your content.

Optimizing your Amazon affiliate marketing blog is just one way for you to build your business online. Visit, http://mcreasite.com/blog today to discover lots of tips and strategies that you can take action on right now.