Hey. Ive tried a few websites in the past, but none have been successful, as ive never really had enough time to put into them. However, now ive finished school and have plenty of free time on my hands, so id like to give it another shot. Id like to create an online store where ill be selling products for another company such as amazon. Firstly, for an amateur to the business, what would be a good program to join? I am inclined to go with Amazon, but i dont have any real reason for going with it; i chose it pretty much because i know of it. Is amazon a good choice, or will i be better off with something else? If anyone has any advice, or even a link to a good article about affiliate marketing, id be greatly appreciative. Thanks, Dan.
Check out NeverBlueAds which is a very strong affiliate network (link in my signature) that has several high paying affiliate offers.
You have many options regarding affiliate programs. You should join www.cj.com and www.linkshare.com as an affiliate to familiarize yourself with their systems. Then join some of the advertiser's programs by applying. When they accept you, you will be able to pull the links and banners for your site or blog. Try to stay focused on a niche. For example, Valentines Day gifts blogs or website that talks all about the latest and best Valentines day gifts ie. Flowers, Chocolates, etc...then you can put related merchant's banners on the site and when someone clicks through and buys you make the commission. The key is to add pages daily to your sites of unique content, ie articles, product reviews, recommendations...Many companies have inhouse affiliate programs that are built onto their site. You can join these and ask for a higher payout. My company actually manages several large affiliate programs in CJ and some inhouse, let me know if you want to talk more through IM or on the phone, not a problem at all.
We are recruiting beta-testers here: http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?t=612959 for something that is exactly along these lines (amazon, eBay, CJ products). You'd be a perfect candidate... Take a look.