How do I Make Money On the Internet?

By Merle
Posted Thursday, July 15, 2004

Techniques to make money on the Web by selling yours or someone elses products and services.

A question I hear a lot is "How do I make money on the Internet?" Everyone these days receives mail with the subject line "MAKE A FORTUNE ON THE NET", or "10,000 GUARANTEED YOUR 1ST WEEK". Get rich schemes are nothing new they've been around for years, but the Internet has given these scam artists an easier platform to spread their lies to millions of Web surfers, quickly and easily. I must get at least 50 emails a day with promises of riches if I just do a, b or c.

So with all of the overbloated, outlandish schemes going around, how do you really make an honest buck on the Net? There are three routes you can take: 1) Sell your own Product 2) Sell a Service 3) Sell someone elses products and services thru Associate/Affiliate Programss. If you don't have a product, the first choice is not for you. Selling your services to the public is an option if you can find a need and fill it. For example everyone who has a Website needs to promote it. If you learn everything you can, and purchase promotion software, you can perform this valuable service to clients who need it. Perhaps you're a writer, many companies need to offer a newsletter but don't have the time or staff to write it. You could set up such a service and offer "newsletter writing services" to those in need.If you think long and hard about your talents, you're bound to come up with a service you can market on the Net.

The last idea is to resell other peoples services or products, also knows as participating in Associate/Affiliate Programs. This usually involves finding a product or service you want to resell, filling out an application with your personal information, then waiting for approval instructions by email which will include special coded links for your use in promotion. When anyone clicks on this link and makes a purchase your account gets credited for a percentage of the sale or a flat fee that was agreed upon when you signed up.

If you are not sure where to find a good Associate Program check out these links:

(http://www.ravenews.com/voting)
(http://www.befree.com)
(http://www.refer-it.com)
(http://associate-it.com)

One mistake I see a lot of people make is to join too many programs and not promote any of them successfully. You're much better off to join 2 or 3 and put all of your marketing efforts into them, then to join 10 or more and be so scattered you make no money with any of them. Other sites that will help you find a good Associate Program to join are:

(http://www.sitecash.com)
(http://www.associateprograms.com)
(http://www.clickquick.com/affiliate/index.htm)

These are all quality sites packed with information on the ins and outs of being an Associate. I am a reseller of a few different programs on the Net and have found the following to be the most successful:

(http://www.bizweb2000.com/)
(http://www.coloradosoft.com/)
(http://www.lifestylespub.com/)
(http://www.marketingtips.com/)

About the Author
Merle is an internet marketer, promotion consultant and ezine publisher. Visit her sites at (http://www.mcpromotions.com/), (http://www.merlesworld.com/) and (http;//www.ezineadauction.com/).