You Don't Need Your Own Product
A successful online business can be built at reasonable cost.
Don't have a product? That's okay. A topical affiliate site
might be the answer for you. This means you take your passion or
hobby and turn it into profit. You don't keep inventory; you
don't have to deliver or ship products; you just maintain your
web site & enjoy being with your family. Even if you do have a
product, you many want to consider filling out your web site
with other affiliate products that relate to your site's theme.
I'm sure you've seen some grossly blatant affiliate sites with
banners everywhere & pop-ups that just won't stop popping. These
are not the way to make money - they just end up being kind of
offensive.
Like I said, take your passion. For example, say you are really
into photography. You don't have to be an expert, but since you
are passionate, you will have a good knowledge base. You'll be
surprised at what you learn from building your site around this
idea. Include photography tips and articles. Build a newsletter
and have your readers make submissions. Give your customers a
reason to come to your site - outside of purchasing your
products.
You will make commission from the affiliate programs, but don't
simply paste banners on your site - you need to include these
products (whether it be cameras, software, courses, books,
magazine subscriptions etc.) in the context of your site. Do
editorials on the various products and services - that way
people will already be interested in the product before they
click on the links.
Yes, you will likely spend some money promoting your site, but
you can certainly do it on a budget. There are numerous free
ways to promote your site. Just think of the money you save in
gas, postage, paper and time by having an online business. The
time alone is worth it!