It all started small, but soon it became a force to reckon with, and then online marketing became “the thing” for business. Every new finding, new idea, new invention, and new way of doing things is significantly affecting the nature of online marketing. At present, a marketer uses the following tools to promote one’s business on the Internet.

Various tools of online marketing

• Text Ads
• Banner Ads
• E-mail marketing
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
• Pay Per Click advertising (PPC)/ Cost Per Click advertising (CPC)
• Pay Per View advertising (PPV)
• Cost Per Action (CPA)
  • Affiliate marketing
  • Lead generation
  • Sponsored blog posts
  • Sponsored forum posts
  • Facebook, MySpace, and other social networking pages
  • Digg, StumbleUpon, Reditt, and other social bookmarking tools
  • Yahoo, Google, MySpace, and other groups
  • Blog directories
  • Website directories
  • Article marketing
  • Video marketing
  • Press release submission

As you can see, marketers are spoiled by choices, which at times are good, but most of the times are not. At least, I feel so. I believe in the school of thought that says too many choices cripple the decision. But at the same time if these tools are put judiciously to use, one can get amazing results. I have shown you both side of the story, the decision is yours which one to use and which not to. If you feel you can handle all then use all.

There are two kind of affiliate marketing: one is private affiliate marketing run by producers themselves through their websites, and another is syndicated or networked affiliate marketing run by affiliate networks like ClickBank, commission junction, etc.

Which one is better?

Well, I am always in favor of affiliate network because of the reliability factor, but again the big networks have their rules (and some time twisted), which may not liked by everyone. There are some basics of making money with affiliate marketing which you have to follow, regardless of which one you prefer. I am going to talk about it below.

Affiliate marketing: A step-by-step guide

Step 1: The very first step in starting an online affiliate marketing business is to find an affiliate program or network and register as an affiliate.

Step 2: The next step in the process is to find a product to sell (only applicable if you have signed in to an affiliate network because a private affiliate often have very limited products and that too in just one niche.)

Step 3: After selecting the product, you need to find the keywords (preferably niche) that will be used to promote the product on the internet.

Step 4: The next step in the process is to register a domain using the keyword followed by making a website to promote the affiliate product. Skip this as well as the next step if you want to use your existing website or blog to promote your services.

Step 5: Now you need to put at least one outgoing link and couple of incoming link in your website to avoid Google Slap. Build a blog and write some unique content for the blog. This will help you link some content to your affiliate site.

If you do not want to write unique articles then grab some from article directories and use it on your blog. Put one link each in each article that you post as well as in the blogroll.

Put a link of your blog at the bottom of your website, if you do not want your reader to go to your blog. You will want this because you have not created the blog for users, but for the search engines.

Step 6: Use a PPC program of your liking to promote your blog. You may choose Google Adwords, or any other PPC program. Every search engine runs its own PPC program.

This is it. Now you just need to review the performance and make changes when required.

One good way to develop a little bit of money easily is through writing articles online.  There are a variety of websites that pay decently for articles.  You can find them fairly easily through any search engine, or job search engine.  They don’t usually pay enough for you to make a living from the articles alone, but they are quick to complete and pay a decent rate.  As these pile up over the years you’ll find your savings growing, and writing is a lot of fun.

Try blogging on for size.  A blog is a great way to build up a little money through advertising.  As long as you write quality content that keeps people reading, you’ll be successful.  Just network yourself, and use a program like Google’s Adsense to make the most out of your money.  They pay fairly well, and a successful blog could end up making you more money than your day job.

Finally, if you put in the work in article writing or blog writing, another great way to make extra money through those is through affiliate marketing.  This is where a company actually pays you to talk about their product.  You have to have a fairly popular blog, or be renown for your articles, but it’s a fast way to earn a lot of cash quickly.  Plus usually you get free products so that you can try them out before you write about them.  That’s a win-win scenario, and it puts more money in your savings account.

At present, ecommerce expands steadily as more consumers discover the convenience and perks of shopping online. Consumers can attest to obtaining more savings through discounts and coupons versus the traditional purchases in stores and shopping malls. More than the convenience and the savings, there are ultimately more products available at the click of your mouse. This growth goes hand-in-hand with more opportunities to make money through advertising and marketing. Following are ways that people can take advantage of online opportunities:

Affiliate Marketing – Success stories of those endowed with marketing prowess proliferate in the web by serving as affiliates of major websites offering products and services online. Some set up their own website, blogs (online journals), or online magazines and advertise products and services. Income can either be a monthly fee or commission-based, or a combination of both.
Blog Advertising – Those who have the gift of writing set-up online journals and get paid for articles that advertise products or services. Payment is made per article with fees that vary depending on the popularity of the blog. The more viewers and readers that your blog has, the higher you can charge for each article. Famous blogs charge as high as $500 per article and are known to earn thousands per month on advertising.

Job Opportunities – There are websites that bring together part-time or fulltime job seekers and contractors who need jobs to be done. Payment can either be fixed or on per hour basis for computer programmers, web designers, graphic artists, writers, and many more.

Other than collateral business that ecommerce brings, some also make money online via foreign exchange trading or stock and options trading. Of course, these are high risk opportunities and suited for those who have experience in the finance industry. More than opportunities, they can also be classified as high risk investments. Just as many have flourished, many have likewise perished.

However, let us provide a word of caution to those who will dare to venture the internet in the hopes of increasing their earnings. Similar to any growing industry, it is also a place where thieves and scammers operate to steal the hard-earned money of honest consumers. Whether you are investing or taking on a job, do your homework and learn as much as you can about the risks involved. Get feedback from those who have entered the same venture or ensure that the reputation of those you do business with is flawless. Learn about internet security and identity theft. Discover the scams that have already been made. With the limitless information the internet offers, data and even advice from the wise will not be difficult to find.