One of the most profitable and exciting ways to make money online today is through internet marketing. The main monetary source around this income stream is usually through the use of affiliate links that are added to online content using various platforms. Links to products and services can be added to blog articles, social media outlets like Twitter, email communications, and more.
While using affiliate links to earn passive income is a great way to earn money, there are a few things to keep in mind. Usually internet marketing requires one to open up several accounts through various affiliates to get a good mix of products and services. Some popular affiliate accounts include Amazon Associates, Commission Junction, and Clickbank to name a few. Relationships are established through these sites between internet marketers and providers of goods and services. Once these relationships are created, the links are then placed in various online content by the internet marketer.
One downside of establishing multiple accounts with several different products and services is how to keep track of everything. Having multiple affiliate links through several partners can create a headache when you try to update or change the content of these links. Add on the fact that you may be using the same link through multiple media outlets like blogs and email - and it can easily get out of hand.
Create an Affiliate Link Journal
Keeping an affiliate link journal is one way that you can easily track where and what you are promoting. Create a simple spreadsheet or personal database with affiliate account and link information. Whenever a link is added, removed, or modified - simply make this change in your journal. This simple exercise can save a lot of time, effort, and money in the long run!
Here are a few of the data elements that should be included in your journal -
- Media Outlet - Examples: eHow, Blogs like Passive Family Income, EzineArticles, etc.
- Content Link (or where the link will be published) - Example: http://www.passivefamilyincome.com/how-to-improve-affiliate-links/
- Affiliate Account - Examples: Amazon Associates, Clickbank
- Affiliate Link - Example: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/…
There are several other fields that can be included in your journal besides what is listed above. Having this data documented can help you quickly identify your affiliate links that are working hard for you and earning income!
How do you keep track of your affiliate links?
You may be asking yourself - What is eHow and can I earn income from it? Well, I can tell you that eHow is a legitimate way to earn online passive income. How much you earn is entirely up to you and the amount of effort you want to put into your work. There are many eHow writers earning well over $1,000 each month in residual income just from publishing content. If you work really hard, you could even earn over $400 per hour from your work!
I have been writing content on eHow for almost a year now and have seen a significant rise in monthly earnings. While I continue to publish between 20 to 25 articles each month - my earnings are growing at a double digit rate. I am very close to earning $100 per month from almost 150 published articles! If I stopped writing any content today and walked away, I am confident that I would continue to earn around $100 every month for many months to come.
I have read and been asked several questions recently about eHow. There are still many hesitant people out there not sure if eHow can bring in any significant income. I believe it can, provided you put in the upfront time and effort to publish quality content. Here are some answers to recent questions I have gotten that may help you decide if eHow is right for you -
Is eHow for Everybody?
The answer is NO. If you are looking for a get rich quick money maker - eHow is not for you! Instead, this tool is a way to publish content in a “How To” format about things you know or have researched. Researching and publishing quality content takes some time and effort upfront. The great thing about publishing this content is that once you have completed your initial work on an article - You are Done! Any income generated after that is pure passive income.
How Soon Can I Start Earning Income from eHow?
While the significant earnings from eHow usually take a few months to obtain - it is possible to earn money your very first month. So far in June, I have published 23 articles on eHow which have earned me $16.15 in the first month! Once these articles become more established and can get picked up easier in search engine results - I expect these numbers to grow significantly.
How do I Earn Income from eHow?
Nobody exactly knows the formula for how eHow pays it’s writers. What is known is that eHow pays you a portion of the advertiser earnings based on each of your specific articles - similar to a blog or website you may own. The only difference is that you share in the ad revenue with eHow.
Can I Make a Living from eHow?
While you probably could make a decent living writing content for eHow, it is not recommended to rely solely on one income source. Your income streams should be diversified and come from many different sources. Generating income from eHow can be part of that diversified portfolio.
Earning money from eHow is a great way for a stay at home parent, for example, to earn some extra income. It can also be an excellent source of passive income for those looking to add new revenue streams to their portfolio.
What are a Few Advantages of Using eHow?
- Free to open an account and publish content.
- Publish content within minutes.
- Include affiliate links for added income.
- Provides an alternative forum to write content that may not fit on your blog or website.
- Earnings can significantly grow over time with little effort.
What are Some Disadvantages of Using eHow?
- Articles can be removed if they don’t meet the eHow requirements (not such a bad thing overall).
- Must abide by the “How To” format using steps.
- Don’t have control, unlike your own blog or website.
- Potential for loss of income if the company goes under or changes guidelines unexpectedly.
- eHow is currently open only to U.S. residents.
Where Can I find more Information on eHow?
Here are a couple recommended resources you should check out for more details on eHow.
Not an eHow member yet? What are you waiting for?
Disclaimer Notice - Please understand that I benefit financially from any products or services you may decide to purchase as a result of clicking on one of the links contained in this article.
As a resident of the state of North Carolina, I was troubled to hear the news last week that my Amazon Associates account had been terminated. Amazon has officially terminated all affiliate accounts for members living in NC because of a proposed affiliate tax in the state’s budget. As I am currently working to build many passive income streams through affiliate marketing, I couldn’t help but feel frustrated and angry over this proposed tax by my state.
All politics aside over the fight between Amazon and the state of North Carolina, there are many state residents who are impacted by this proposed tax. Anyone living here who was relying on income solely from Amazon has seen their hard work and income completely wiped out. While there are a few things state residents can do to help fight against proposed laws like this, such as petitioning, it is still very hard to control legislation and taxes in one’s favor.
The one bright side in my case is that my earnings from Amazon Associates were very small. However, if other affiliate companies follow Amazon’s lead, then I will be affected more by the affiliate tax. Will I be giving up on building my passive income streams? No! Instead of getting down and giving up, I realize that I need to press on.
Here are 3 things I have learned from the proposed affiliate tax by the state of North Carolina.
1 - Diversify
I can’t say it enough, but everyone should have a diversified set of income streams that they can rely upon for money. You shouldn’t rely solely on income from you or your spouse’s job alone to pay your bills. If you lose your job, then you don’t have any income sources to fall back on to make your monthly payments.
Just as you shouldn’t rely for income on a job, the same can be said for creating passive income. Relying on affiliate marketing, for example, as your only passive income source increases your risks of losing out on income. Affiliate marketers in North Carolina who relied only on Amazon as their income source are now finding this out the hard way.
2 - Adapt
Having the ability to adapt to changing economic climates is important for businesses and entrepreneurs. While the proposed affiliate tax for NC residents is very hard to cope with, I am not giving up. Sure, using the Amazon Affiliates program had the potential to be an incredible passive income stream for me. Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear that I will be able to use that tool for creating passive income streams. As a result, I will be searching hard for new ways to replace this source.
I personally feel that my business and passive income streams will become stronger over the long run as a result of this tax. If for some reason, NC decides to drop the affiliate tax from their budget - then great. If the tax goes through, then I will be sure to learn from this and move on. Either way, I plan to adapt to this setback and become stronger as a result.
3 - Flexibility
One of the biggest issues I am dealing with as a result of losing my Amazon Associates account is the hundreds of affiliate links that I have published through various sources. Most of my eHow articles contain direct affiliate links for products from Amazon. The amount of time that will be involved cleaning these links up will be significant.
Instead of simply placing affiliate links directly into eHow and other articles, I should have built these links to be more flexible. There are some tricks that I could have used that would have helped me replace these broken links. I will be highlighting these tricks in an upcoming post here on PFI.
Final Thoughts
Chances are good that the state of North Carolina will approve the affiliate tax as part of the proposed budget. There is also a good chance that other affiliate retailers will follow close behind Amazon’s lead and shut down accounts. I actually received an email from Commission Junction notifying me of the proposed tax and ways to fight it. While they didn’t specifically state my account would be terminated - it wouldn’t surprise me if it was.
Not a resident of North Carolina? You may not be completely safe as there are a few other states proposing similar affiliate taxes, so be sure to check up on what your state is up to.
Have you been impacted by the proposed North Carolina affiliate tax? What about from another state?
Do you live in North Carolina and oppose the affiliate tax? Please go sign the petition North Carolina Affiliate Tax!
Welcome to PFI and the weekly updates - The Summer Vacation Edition. I will be off next week on my family’s summer vacation. During that time, I have a few guest posts lined up for you from some really great bloggers. I also plan to write a few articles and have them posted in advance to stay fresh with content on PFI.
What is significant about posting information about my family’s summer vacation? Well, as I continue to build passive income streams - there is nothing better than stepping away for a few days from work to come back and see you have earned income just from doing nothing! That is what passive income is all about. Working hard and devoting time upfront in order to produce income overtime with little effort.
Taking a week long vacation will allow me to rest up a bit and become motivated once again in my passive income journey. There is nothing better than coming back from some time off to see your earnings have continued to grow while you were away.
Carnivals
I participated in the following carnivals over the past week. Please check out some of the great reads from these carnivals!
Articles I liked
Here are a couple articles I enjoyed over the past week. Please check them out and enjoy.
1 - Copyblogger - How to Turn Affiliate Marketing Disclosure Into a Selling Point
2 - Blogussion - 7 Simple Tips for Effectively Marketing Your Blog on Twitter
3 - Pat @ The Smart Passive Income Blog - How You Can Earn $880 on eHow.com While Doing Nothing for Six Months
4 - Frugal Dad - Why Everybody Needs A Side Hustle
