The Dark Side of Affiliate Marketing


 
The Quick and Easy Way to Pocket More Affiliate Cash by Chantel Grey
 
Affiliate marketing is one of the quickest and easiest ways to make money online. That's because you don't have to deal with product creation or customer service headaches. All you have to do is recommend products to desperate buyers. Then you sit back and collect your massive paychecks.
 
But beware: Your affiliate cash can disappear quicker than snow in June if you don't protect your commissions. Here are the top three ways to start banking more affiliate cash as soon as today:
 
1. Stop using direct affiliate links.
 
You probably already know that it's a good idea to cloak (hide) your affiliate links. Doing so will help ward off the link hijackers who switch in their affiliate ID for yours, and thus steal your commission when they buy the product. It also virtually reduces the number of buyers who cut off the affiliate portion of a link and go straight to the sales page (perhaps thinking that doing so will somehow give them a better deal).
 
But there's another reason not to use direct affiliate links: Namely, because you could end up with hundreds of dead links all over the Internet.
 
You see, if you make a blog post, Twitter about an affiliate product or include your direct affiliate link in an ebook, then what happens if the vendor stops selling that product? You'll have dead links. Maybe hundreds of them.
 
If instead you use a redirect link, you can change the redirect link to point from the dead affiliate link to a similar affiliate product in just a minute or two. And in doing so, you could potentially save thousands of dollars in affiliate commissions.
 
2. Look for these common sales leaks.
 
If you don't vet the sales process thoroughly, you may find that the biggest thief is the product vendor! Sometimes the vendor is just a new marketer who doesn't know any better. Other times, you may find vendors who are deliberately trying to rip you off.
 
Here are some things to look for:
 
* Google AdSense ads on the sales page. Some marketers don't realize that a sales page shouldn't have any distractions, and that the only way to leave a sales page is via a back button or the buy button. Other marketers know exactly what they're doing: you send them traffic for free, and they get the money every time someone clicks on their ads. Either way, avoid these vendors.
 
* Alternative payment options. Another sneaky way product vendors reach into your pocket is by offering multiple payment options on the affiliate landing page. This is only troublesome IF the customer chooses a different option.
 
For example, if the vendor uses Clickbank for affiliate tracking, then obviously you won't get a penny if the vendor encourages customers to call their orders in.
 
* Customer service reps that send visitors to a new page. Watch out for this sneaky trick: sometimes when a prospect has a question, the customer service rep (or the vendor) sends the customer to a different sales page. End result? You lose the commission!
 
3. Find out what loopholes the vendor will use to keep your money.
 
Here's one last tip: Always read the TOS (terms of service) and affiliate agreement. Sometimes you'll find outrageous payment thresholds that allows the vendor to legally keep your money until you reach that threshold! Other times the vendor charges a huge accounting fee just to cut you your check.
 
Summary
 
There you have it: three quick and easy ways to start banking bigger affiliate paychecks.
About the Author:
Chantel Grey is an Affiliate Marketer and Search Engine Optimization marketing specialist with several years of experience. For more information on Chantel and her team approach- log on to her Affiliate Profits Club for some invaluable FREE tools to aid you in your search for financial happiness.
 
See page 2 of dark side tricks: Affiliate Marketing Survival Strategies by Michael Bloch
 
Cloaking vs redirect pages
 
What does "BAD lead" and "QUALITY of the lead" mean to your commissions?
 

         

The Public Domain: How to Find & Use Copyright-Free Writings, Music, Art & More  
Amazon review: This fat and informative book is a goldmine for anyone interested in public domain works, whether writings, music, art, films or just about anything else. The author, Attorney Stephen Fishman, begins with an examination of copyright laws and the public domain. After that, the book begins each of the chapters on copyrightable materials with a handy checklist for use in determining public domain status, and then launches into a discussion of how to determine the public domain status of such an item. After those useful chapters, the author examines the use of copyrighted and public domain works. This is one of the most useful books I have ever encountered. It contains most everything you need to know in determining the public domain status of a work, and it is organized in a simple, easy-to-use format (ala the ___ for Dummies books), that is sure to inform the reader, and never lose him or her. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in whether or not something is in the public domain, and thus open to free use.


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Facebook Marketing All-in-One For Dummies  
Amazon review: If you have questions about using Facebook for business and want a current text that is easy to read and understand, Facebook Marketing All-In-One for Dummies is one of the best resources to read at this time. Whether you want to know how to get started with Facebook pages (for businesses), how to optimize facebook ads, develop contests, or understand other advanced marketing tools and tactics, Amy, Phyllis, and Andrea cover it. As a Social Media Marketing Professional, I have to say they offer some of the best tips and how to's on using Facebook for marketing and developing relationships with your market.


Following are links to forums that have posts about unethical merchants:  
AssociatePrograms.com>forum>Complaint Corner
 
ABestWeb.com>Affiliate Marketing Forum>ParasiteWare>Unethical Merchants
 

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