What
is ClickBank? How Can It Help Me?
It is entirely possible that
someone reading this article may never have heard of Clickbank.
For those of
us that "eek out" a living online, Clickbank is one
of the core resources used to generate cash flow.
There are several ways to produce income through Clickbank
and they can all add up to a tolerable income paid in two week
cycles.
The two main ways of creating income through
Clickbank are "affiliate
sales" and "direct product sales".
Affiliate
Sales
There
are thousands of downloadable digital products for sale at
Clickbank in a variety of categories covering
a wide range
of topics. When products are added to Clickbank by the
sellers they are given the opportunity to allow for affiliate
sales.
The product owner determines the percentage to be paid
to the affiliate, if any. Anyone can view all the products with affiliate sales potential
at this link:
http://clickbank.com/marketplace/
Once a category is clicked on in the Clickbank Marketplace,
sub-categories and product listings appear. For example, today
in the 'Business to Business' category the top selling product
listed is: Data Entry Ads Online - Join The Best! [Earn 50%].
As an affiliate marketer, you would click on the [Earn 50%]
link and fill in your Clickbank ID to capture the correct Clickbank
Hoplink for the product. This Hoplink would be used in conjunction
with all ads directing traffic to a particular product.
Each product Hoplink contains the ID of the affiliate and
the ID of the seller thus making successful affiliate sales
attributable to the correct parties.
Clickbank has an automated tracking system
that determines which affiliate, if any, is to be associated
with the sale.
Although Clickbank feels their tracking system is "more
fair and accurate than any alternative" it is still not
perfect.
There are apparently ways for unscrupulous people to take
advantage of the system for their benefit at the expense of
those of us who do not delve into such matters. Link cloaking
can be useful in these situations.
The benefits of affiliate marketing through Clickbank far
outweigh any potential negative experiences that may arise
due to an unscrupulous few.
Direct
Product Sales (Your Own Products)
A
popular way for internet marketers to get their products
to the public is by using
Clickbank payment processing. Clickbank
makes it very easy for anyone to sell a downloadable product
through their service and their fees are not likely to
be out of the reach of anyone with computer access. Although not shy about being one of the most expensive payment
processors on the Internet, Clickbank makes up for their several
imperfections by general ease of use and reliable service.
It is simple to sign-up for a Clickbank ID; just go to Clickbank.com
and create an account. You can begin to promote affiliate products
immediately after your membership is confirmed.
http://clickbank.com/signup/
To sell your own products on Clickbank there is a seven step
process:
(1) Signup with Clickbank
(2) Make a "Pitch Page"
(3) Make a "Thank You Page"
(4) Make a Test Purchase
(5) Submit Product Approval Request
(6) Pay $49.95 Product Review Fee
(7) Set Your Product Price and Start Making Sales!
It is not mandatory to offer affiliate sales of your products
but there is at least one good reason to do so. Often sellers
get to a point where affiliate sales produce enough income
that they can stop using pay per click advertising to drive
traffic to their site. What is lost in direct sales at the
full item price is made up by the savings in pay per click
marketing.
Overall, Clickbank is an excellent place to get a start in
product sales on the Internet. Whether you are selling your
own product or putting up affiliate links, the potential to
create a viable income is available to everyone.
2006
: iMerchantNetwork.com |
