When cash is short, tuition is due, your gas tank is on empty, your dog needs open heart surgery… what do you do to increase your income? A lot of students work overtime, get second jobs, participate in research for a few bucks – and sometimes their grades suffer the consequences. This situation is all too familiar for a lot of college students.
Thanks to the Internet, money is lurking behind every click of the mouse. All you need to do is learn how to hunt it down and take it. Affiliate marketing is one way of hunting down a nice supplemental income to help you get through school. Lots of people are affiliates and some of them earn a full time income doing it. So if you need to add a little cheese to your plate, this post is for you.
Most people don’t have a clue what affiliate marketing is; so let me break it down into terms anyone can understand. I used to work at a shoe store. For every pair of shoes I sold, I earned a commission. But I didn’t have to go through the trouble of designing and making shoes or opening a store. Instead, I was selling someone else’s product and taking a percentage of their profit in exchange. Affiliate marketing is exactly that – selling someone else’s stuff (shoes, books, music, whatever) and earning a commission for doing it. And it all happens online.
In order to become an affiliate, you’ll need to sign up for a website’s affiliate program. Many sites have them and it’s free to sign up. I recommend Clickbank or Commission Junction. Once you have signed up, you can browse through the thousands of products on CB or CJ. When you find one you like, you can get a hyperlink with your affiliate ID in it. Then you have to get your links out there so people will click on them. If they make a purchase, you get a commission.
That’s a basic description of affiliate programs. There is a ton of information available to help you become a successful affiliate, but I’ll share some tips for you here.

• Affiliate links can be placed almost anywhere online: on your website, blog, in your eBooks, posted on forums, etc. It’s up to you. The main thing to consider is that wherever you put your links, you need people to see them and click on them in order to make any money.
• Blogging is a great way to promote affiliate products. Try starting a blog about whatever your affiliate links are promoting. If it’s a golf instructional eBook, start a blog about golf. Then, in a blog post, mention and recommend the product. Then post the link. If your visitors click on it, you’re in business.

Of course there are a million ways to make money as an affiliate, and this post can’t cover them all. So do a little research, take action, and start earning a nice income selling someone else’s stuff.

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