Adding Clickbank Links In Squidoo

Affiliate Programs are Everywhere

When it comes to finding products to promote online, the sky is the limit. These affiliate opportunities are everywhere. I see many here at Squidoo that use Amazon, but Amazon is just one in probably a million options. Now that I am a full time affiliate marketer, I find myself checking almost all sites I visit for an affiliate program. It's usually all the way at the bottom of a site where you will find a link that says affiliates. I have registered with so many that I have forgotten about a lot of them.

I have recently quit smoking and was googling electronic cigarettes the other day. Practically all electronic cigarette companies have an affiliate program. Best Buy has an affiliate program, how cool is that. Dell you know the computer people, well they have an affiliate program complete with banners and tools.

When I search for affiliate programs, I simply google the product that I want to promote with the word "affiliate" behind it and ta da, usually I find what I am looking for.

Not all affiliate programs however are created equal. I usually check them out before I join one. I search for reviews and take into consideration how professional the site is or is not.

One of the first products I ever purchased and promoted was Pot Pie Girl's One Week Marketing which is why I am such a Squidoo Fan! It works. Another great guide that I am checking out is Squidoo Shortcuts, I have heard great reviews on this.

 

The Truth About Clickbank and Squidoo

Amazon is not the only way to earn money at Squidoo. There are so many digital marketplaces such as Commission Junction, Clickbank, Payloads, E-Junkie to name just a few. Clickbank is my personal favorite. There are endless possibilities. At Squidoo though, I have heard many refer to these digital marketplaces such as Clickbank as taboo. I think it's because many spammers got a hold of it and just used it all wrong trying to make a sale. That's a shame because there is a lot of money to be made at these other market places, including Clickbank.

I was talking with a fellow Squid the other day and his view was that clickbank had low quality products and he wouldn't promote crap. This really isn't true. There are some really good products on in the marketplace. If I am going to promote a product from from this market place, I purchase it and review it first. This way you can have confidence in the products that you promote.

I make good money with multiple affiliate centers. My last paycheck just from Clickbank was just short of 3 grand. I am not writing this to be bragging, I am writing this to hopefully help others make more money by offering quality content when it comes to promoting and reviewing these digital products. If I can make 3 grand now in a two week period, imagine what I will be making a year from now if I just keep doing what I am doing.

Many give up when they don't see fast results. That I believe is the reason most fail with these digital products. I have had one digital product that I was promoting that did nothing for a year. One day I woke up and it seems Google had just found it overnight. There are many factors that play into this and the Google ranking games.

Domain age name, fresh quality content and keyword research and search engine optimization all make a difference in how successful you will or will not be. If you can learn to master these things, you will make sales, that and a little patience.

How To Add Clickbank Links in Squidoo

There are numerous ways to add your affiliate links into a Squidoo Lens. The first and easiest way is by adding the Big Arrow Module in the edit mode. Then you simply copy and paste your link there, give the module a title paste your link and you are done.

Another way is the link module. It works much the same way as the Big Arrow. There is also a reorder option so that you can add more than one link to more than one product. Creating a lens with no valuable content and just links though won't work with Squidoo. They really do want some valuable content. I usually write at least three original text modules with topics that relate to the product and place the link last after my text modules.

There is always the option of linking certain words in your text modules to your hoplinks or other affiliate products with a simple html code. Squidoo does not have a WYSIWYG editor in it's text modules but you can use html instead, creating anchor text links. Simply Google "creating anchor text links and you will find instructions. I can't post the code here as Squidoo reads it and converts it to a link instead of the actual code to use.


Remember this though. Huge caution here. Don't over stuff your links in your lens. This is when it turns to spam. I never link the same product more than 2 or 3 times in a lens. It only takes once to make a sale. Linking to more than one product on a lens though is certainly an option. Always read the terms of service before you create your lens to avoid issues later on. 

Below is a short Video with step by step instructions how to add clickbank automatically using Squiduitls.

 

Become an Expert in Your Niche

It happened to me by accident. Rather is wasn't in my plan. My plan was to be an affiliate marketer and make money selling the product of others. Had you told me 2 years ago that I would have been interviewed by David Shade, become friends and work with Nicole Gayle and have Evan Marc Katz as a guest poster on my forum, I would have never thought it. If you had told me that I would make money helping others find love and go through break ups and have my own site, I would never have believed it. Writing my own book? Me? Yet all of the above is happening and now I can imagine and believe that more is to come my way. Being a weekly co-host on a radio talk show, Getting man out of the cave? Me, nope never, but it's real and it's happening.

I started with blogs and Squidoo Lens. It all started when I purchase Pot Pie Girls One Week Marketing which I highly recommend for a newbie. Her plan was simple and I started blogging and low and behold, people started reading my blogs and lens and money started coming in. I little at first, but now I support myself on this plan alone, the becoming and expert and my own site I believe is going to be the icing and cherry on top.

I wrote a lot of articles as well. I have thousands out there and became an expert at that as well, but it's no longer my focus. It is a way to drive traffic, build credibility and a reputation. It's very important to provide useful information for your audience and build trust.

So will you see me on TV one day? I think you just might. It all started with a work at home forum that I joined and the rest just started spiraling. With a lot of hard work, dedication and never giving up.

Entering a Competetive Niche in Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is not easy, and you won't get rich overnight, that's pretty much a fact. Some say steer clear of competitive niches, especially if you are new. This is a warning I did not listen too. It seems to be turning out well for me, but perhaps my approach was different. I focused on long term satisfaction and still do. I don't go for instant gratification. It's fleeting.

I choose the dating industry, by pure accident to be honest. I was searching online for a means to make money as I have stated in previous posts here; I hated my job. It just so happens I got dumped the day before I lost my job. So I was online looking for help with dealing with this and looking for a way to survive at the same time.

I found an ebook, get your ex back. I purchased it and read it, to later discover I could actually be an affiliate of this book. Great book by the way. I didn't get him back, but I did get my peace of mind back. Once I discovered this book, I searched for others with value. I purchased and read them all. I never promote something I don't believe in.

Then I landed on a forum for women. I went to the break up section. There were women posting everywhere about their heart break. They were all devastated, hurting and so sad. I created a thread there called No Contact Support and got them all together in one place. I led them through it. I healed in the process.

I discovered I was pretty smart when it came to men and I discovered I had forgotten more than a lot of those women knew. I started posting all over that forum. The owner offered me a non paying job as Moderator. I took it.

In the meantime I was still building my blogs, Squidoo Lens and writing article after article. Money was coming in, slowly but surely.

Funny thing happened on that forum. The ladies started emailing me privately. Some days I struggled to keep up. Fast forward 2 years and it's announced the forum is shutting down. Uh oh! Emails started pouring in again, asking me what were they going to do. It truly was a tight knit community, and it seems I had become the glue.

My door opened, I started my own forum, with help from a member of the Warrior Forum, God bless her. Week one I had over 100 members and it was still in beta testing, still is actually.

I also interacted on facebook a lot. My contacts started connecting together. On my facebook page I have women from the forum, followers from my blog, followers from my articles. I have a growing group there also. It's for Goddesses like myself. ;-)It just keeps growing.

I know I am rambling here, but the bottom line is if you are passionate about it, you can make it if you don't give up. Today you could be struggling, but keep pushing. Two years down the road you don't know what doors will open.

I like to think it's sort of like Karma. The hundreds, maybe thousands of women I have helped is all coming back to me now. If I had done it witout a heart, I think others would see through this and what I offer would hold little value.

Perhaps I should send a thank you to that man that dumped me.

It's all a journey and you won't reach your destination if you give up.

How I Make Money Without a Website

I am not going to lie to you, I did spend $3.99 for a domain name. I am not really even sure exactly what a domain name is, all I know is to put a link in an article, I have to have one. Direct affiliate links are not allowed on most article directories. I like Ezine Articles, in my opinion it is one of the best if not the best. Ezine does not allow direct affiliate links, so a domain name is the way around that. There are thousands of others out there though not as strict.

Step one in Bum Marketing is to sign up with ClickBank, which is a marketplace where thousands of digital products are available for you to sell for a profit. Sign up is easy and ClickBank is one of the most trusted and reliable affiliate sites out there with thousands and thousands of products to choose from.

Step two in Bum Marketing I searched ClickBank's marketplace for a product that I know something about such as dating or getting over a broken heart. You can find about anything under the sun there though. Even how to build a chicken coup. I push one little key and get a link that is unique to me. I can post this link anywhere on the web for the most part and anyone who clicks on it and buys, the profit goes straight to me.

Step three in Bum Marketing, I purchase a domain name similar to the product and what I am selling. I use GoDaddy, but there are thousands of places out there like this. I could use a.com domain, but that cost more, about 12 bucks so I opt for the.us and pay $3.99. I then forward the link to the domain name.

Step four in Bum Marketing, I write the article giving useful information that will benefit my reader like hopefully this article is doing for some newbie to affiliate marketing. I post my link, aka domain name at the end of the article and in the bio box. It takes about 48 hours but the article goes live on the web. Some articles do better than others, again I am not going to lie about that. The good news though is the article is there forever. It's residual income.

I rinse and repeat, thus creating multiple income streams for numerous products, again, some do better than others. It's trial and error, and you won't get rich overnight. It takes patience and it's easy to get side tracked once you start because you will realize there are so many ways to make money with affiliate marketing once you start understanding it.

I am writing this article in hopes on inspiring a newbie out there not to give up, I almost did. It does work, it is possible and don't let anyone tell you it isn't. I am living proof. My first sale was about $21 bucks, but I kept going. No I am not rich, YET. After a few sales I did invest more money later to help with my learning curve, less than $50 bucks for a guide written by the pot pie girl. Sounds crazy doesn't it, the pot pie girl. Best $50 bucks I ever spent but you don't have to spend a dime really to make money with affiliate marketing, a Bum could go to the library and do it.

Here is my domain name with my link and the $50 bucks I spent. www.oneweekmarketing.us

My Core Belief About Affiliate Marketing

I use Core belief here because tonight I logged onto a work at home forum, it is my favorite one, I am on a few. I don't log onto them as much as I should. Every time I do I tell myself you should do this a couple times a week. I learn something new each time. Today I was reminded by a very respected member there in his post about Frank Kern's Core Influence series, or program or whatever it is. I watched a few of these videos and I had forgotten about them. I also realized what Frank Kern teaches I pretty much do. For the most part anyway.

The general message is you have to be able to understand their problems, feel them really so you can communicate through to their core personality. You have to get to know them I believe or communicate to them as if you know them and feel their pain or problem. So in essence if you feel their pain, you do understand and you sort of become an authority to you audience.

I don't underestimate the power of really getting to know my audience. I do this through Facebook and some forums related to my niche. I guess you could say I am building an online presence and credibility slowly but surely. If you remember, I am not in a huge hurry hear nor am I the most organized.

Bottom line, I choose a niche that I am absolutely passionate about. I know that I help other people and this and the passion means I enjoy what I do. Since I enjoy what I do, that core thing resonates through my writing. This is my core belief about affiliate marketing, you have to love what you do, be passionate, and the rest will follow.

I also have a few followers in the affiliate marketing niche. There are a few that follow this blog. The main purpose of this blog is Pot Pie Girls program. It's just a side thing from my niche and the reason is it worked for me. It opened the door and painted a picture for me. After my first week long project that I followed step by step, I started learning, a lot.

I really am pretty clueless about a lot of this stuff, but I believe in what I do, I like it and it works. It can be done. I may do things backwards, that is debateable for sure. If you read this blog I think you might see I have learned a lot from day one. At least I hope so. I am still very much a newbie.

Oh and I think in my last post I said I would update about my articles that I had screwed up links in, the domain was auctioned off because I wasn't paying attention. I fixed them. I was curios if those few articles out of the loop would make a difference. Turns out it did, not huge by any means, maybe an average of $80.00 per week, but hey, it's something.

Thanks to my friends on the work at home forums! I would not be here if not for you, really I wouldn't.

If you have made it this far I must add that core belief or feeling the pain or problem that you want to solve should transfer into your key word research. I have come up with many a good key words by putting myself into the shoes of another or remembering a time when I was in the exact same shoes. Use this core belief thing for key words, article titles, domain names etc....

Facebook and Affiliate Marketing

I have been doing affiliate marketing for a while now full time. I love it, I get to have fun, make money doing it and meet lots of new and wonderful people in the cyber world.

I currently just use potpie girls program, one week marketing, but have added a few things out of my own imagination, one being facebook. Now there are lots of internet marketers out there that use this tool too, but often they will just pollute your wall over and over and you end up just hitting that hide button. I have found a different approach.

My niche happens to be the very broad niche of relationships. There is a lot of little niches inside of this one, but that is another story. I joined facebook several months back with just a few friends. Now I am only a few over 200 but every day I get more and more friend requests. I do this by posting on my wall and commenting usually funny or relevant comments on walls of others. I have my setting unrestricted so anyone can view what I post. I try to pique interest and usually I get a lot of comments and conversations start and people get to know one another. Facebook is truly viral, it just keeps expanding. Freinds become friends of friends.

So for the most part I am just socializing. A few times a week I will post an article or an updated Squidoo lens and the traffic comes. I even have a few followers who will take my links and post them on their own walls.

Another thing I have done is create groups on facebook relating to my niche and I start discussions there. My links are posted within the group and I get traffic daily from that. Like my network of friends, my network in the group grows too.

Moral of this story, if I have aquired over 200 friends and the same amount of group members in just a couple of months, where will it be a year from now? Facebook alone with my lens and blogs can make me unlimited income. The best part of it, I have a blast doing it and I have made some great friends I would never have met otherwise. Hec I have even got a few dates off facebook, help with my websites among many other benefits, so yes I love facebook.

What is Affiliate Marketing and How does it Work?

There are thousands of affiliate products out there to promote. Affiliate Marketing is when you take that product and promote it on line. Now for beginners this could be as simple as creating a blog, or Squidoo lens which are both very simple. You then direct your visitors to your link to the affiliate product in your site where they purchase and you get paid.

Now for a newbie, this can be overwhelming as you have to learn how to drive traffic to you site, how to get indexed by Google, and about keywords. There are thousands of ways to promote your site. As a newbie to affiliate marketing, you will be overwhelmed in the beginning. Its a huge learning curve that takes months. The good news is there are programs out there, some of them free, some very low cost that can take weeks or months off of your learning curve.

You also have to decide what you are going to promote, many choose a business in a box, but that's not for everyone. I think if you can find something you are passionate about your success will be much greater. Think about what you love, then Google it with the word affiliate behind it and Ta Da, there are your choices. You can market ebooks, vitamins, electronics, almost anything you can think of there is an affiliate program out there for that product.

The best thing to do is get your site up with you affiliate link, then start the learning. This way you can tweek and apply what you learn as you go, but get started first. Once you get one site up and running, then you can go onto another and then another. I average creating a new site every week now. When I first started it would take me a month to get just one up. So lets say 1 week per site, 4 sites in one month all bringing in income even as you sleep. Rinse and repeat. I use a one week marketing plan and it has got me off the ground.

I started this 5 months ago part time and at first had little success. I got laid off 2 weeks ago so I knew I had to start getting serious. I spent 10 and 12 hours a day on this to get it up and running . I was a newbie and totally lost. Well it paid off, now I make money and in the last 2 weeks I made very close to what I made at my "real job", which by the way wasn't exactly peanuts. The best part is I love it. I have put together a guide that will help with your learning curve if you want to move ahead faster and start bringing in some cash. Its called Affiliate Marketing Made Easy. Start making money faster and take some of that learning curve away.

I hated my day job, my hours were awful and I did not have a life. One day I just Googled "make money from home" and wow the opportunities, a lot of them scams. I lost a lot of money in the beginning. Now 8 months later I am headed for financial freedom. Did it take work, yes it did, is it worth it to be able to have my freedom back oh yes. I want to share this, because in today's economy, times are hard. I also want to let those new to this know that it can work and its fun and don't give up, I almost did, but so glad I didn't.

More of how I used one week marketing to get here is below.