Associate Programs - Amazon

Recommended Books For Your Site Visitors.

The first example (assuming you started at the top) is the obvious one: Amazon, the online bookseller. In our case, we are talking about Amazon.co.uk. - and for this one you will need your own site.

Far from killing off the printed word, computers seem to have actually created a higher demand for books. Every time a new version of an application like, for instance, Microsoft Office is released it seems like a hundred different publishers bring out a 'how-to' manual to help you get the best out of it.

Believe it or not, people even want hard copies of publications which were never originally intended to be in anything other than electronic format - but that's another story... in another report.

Amazon - the dot com flavour - was one of the pioneers of Internet associate/referral programs. It's a simple concept. You, the website owner, refer your visitor to Amazon's site via a coded link. If the visitor buys a book during that visit, you get a cut of the purchase price.

From simple text link beginnings - is it really so few years ago? - to today's all-singing, all-dancing banners for all occasions, Amazon have established themselves as the premier bookselling presence on the 'net and continue to expand worldwide.

The fact that they have yet to experience their first year in profit is (they would have us believe) irrelevant; they have created a brand that is as readily recognisable as Nike or Coca-Cola - both on and off the Internet.

But, you are asking - given the fact that it is getting increasingly harder to spot a website these days that doesn't have an Amazon affiliate link of some kind - what are my chances of making a few bob in an already overcrowded market?

That's easy, they're just as good as anybodys!

In fact if you go about it the right way, you probably have better chance than most.

You'll probably think it's so obvious when I tell you, but you really must give your visitor a good reason to click on your link (in fact any link). Too many people just throw up the biggest banner they can get - nothing else - and are desperately disappointed when nothing happens.

Put it another way; if you wanted to buy a book, would you search around for an Amazon banner to click on? Of course not, you'd either have their URL bookmarked... or type it in directly.

Branding!

See what I mean?

Now don't get the idea that I'm trying to pass myself off as the font of all knowledge;
BIZ-Banana.com has had its fair share of random Amazon posters, too! It's just that six weeks without a single enquiry suggested that another approach was needed... one that worked!

I'm not trying to keep it a secret because it can work for as many people as care to use it. And the best part of all is: you will TRIPLE your earnings this way!

Interested?

Here's what to do:

Write as interesting an article as you can, on any subject that is relevant to your targeted audience
At the end, include as many books on the subject as you want from Amazon's library
Link each individual title directly (include a book jacket illustration, if you like).
Why?

Because you get three times the commission that way!
Work really hard at promoting your feature and make it as popular as you can
Watch your commission checks start to roll in
and when they do?...
Why, write lots more articles, of course!

And finally, when you are giving that interview about how you did it, remember it was
BIZ-Banana.com who told you first.

See? Branding... again!