Making money over the internet is all the rage nowadays. With everything from legal advice to selling software, it seems that every industry is falling into the internet selling bandwagon in one way or another. The internet’s power as an advertising and marketing tool that can reach a huge number of people rapidly has been quickly recognized by businesses thanks to the success of one effective internet marketing to another. Many everyday internet users usually hold either one of two perspectives on making money online. The first is the sheer inability to find anything that does make money online. In other words, they have heard that people do make money on the internet but have never dabbled with or attempted any income generating opportunity online. The second category of internet users are those that have tried out a number of methods of making cash but unfortunately landed on scam opportunities that did not have any return.

Regardless of the category of internet user you might be, one of the best ways of making money online is Cost Per Action (CPA) marketing. As the name implies, CPA affiliate marketing bases payment on a pre-agreed action at a pre-agreed rate. The type of action that is supposed to trigger payment can vary broadly. It could be a sale to the person you directed to the product’s website. It could be filling in an online form, joining a mailing list, staying on a page for a minimum duration or even sending an email. In CPA affiliate marketing, you only get payment when a person you directed to the target website performs the required action.

The value of the commission earned varies from one network to another but is usually defined by the difficulty of selling the product, the value of the product and the type of action that triggers the payment. Usually, of the most commonly used CPA triggers, a sale often attracts the highest commission. Some CPA networks run a composite model where you not only gain from a sale, but also from subscription to a free email list or whenever someone fills out an online form. On average, the commissions from CPA networks will vary from anywhere between .25 cents to $2. The higher the volumes you can generate and have them perform the action, the more money you can make.

CPA marketing is one of the easiest ways to make money online. But as with any money making opportunity (whether on or off the internet), you can only be successful when you understand the business model. The same principle applies to CPA-there is money to be made but you must be prepared to do your groundwork in picking out a product and a network that will see you maximize your returns. In fact, the CPA network you choose will probably be the most important decision in your foray into CPA marketing. Now, there is no shortage of CPA networks to choose from. But you must go for those that can give you the best possible return.

Some CPA networks are very selective in their membership offering admittance to a select group of people by invitation only. Often, the returns on these networks are quite good if you manage to get a foot in. However, if you do not have the contacts to get into any such CPA networks group, do not worry. There are still many networks out there that have less stringent requirements on admission but that still provide a decent return. In any case, you entry into such networks is a great way to hone your skills in CPA marketing could very well be the place where you make the contacts that will see you move into even better paying networks.

To be successful in CPA marketing, having your own website is a major advantage. Actually, almost all CPA networks will require you to have or provide you with a website where you can attract visitors and send them to the product site. This also makes it easier to track which users came as a result of your efforts. But just as important in having a website is to develop and apply reverse marketing techniques. As opposed to traditional marketing where you would go out there and place adverts in as many places as possible talking about your product and trying to convince people why they need to buy, reverse marketing flips this concept on its head by allowing interested clients to come to you instead.

In reverse marketing, you build your website with the sole aim of being an irresistible vortex for people that would be interested in the type of product or process you are fronting. If traditional marketing techniques is about throwing numerous jabs and ending up boxing the air and only landing a few blows on target, reverse marketing throws fewer punches but lands a much higher proportion. What is more, it usually costs less. Reverse marketing techniques is all about building a good reputation and strong brand around your website.

Take, for instance, someone looking for a home brewing product. You could visit a website that allows people to provide reviews and comments on their own experience with various home brewing products. Proceed to provide your input while making sure it is informative, well researched and resonates with the readers without coming across as a sales pitch. You can then overtly provide a link to your website as you end your comment or even where possible, include it as part of your comment signature such that it appears each time you place a comment on that site. As visitors to the site see you as a knowledgeable and trustworthy source of information on the product, they will follow the link to your website. You will have caused the customer to seek you out and not the other way around. Sometimes, reverse marketing can also be employed a mildly confrontational manner where you find ways of selling your product to anyone who themselves originally approached you with the intent of selling you their product.

When you get the right CPA network and integrate good reverse marketing, the snowballing effect can eventually see you making money in your sleep.

Alright, so what is CPA marketing anyway? What does CPA stand for?

For the uninitiated, CPA means Cost-Per-Action and Cost-Per-Action Marketing means you will be paid for every visitor that performs an action on your website, (usually filling up forms) and thus becoming a lead for the company. If you haven’t already seen how CPA Marketing works, then you might have come across certain websites or ads on the internet that talk about this:

Survey Offers
Teeth Whitening Programs
Government Grants
Acai Berry Diet
Car Insurance Quotes
Gift Card Offers
Free Greeting Card
Weight Lost Programs
iPad giveaway
Ringtone downloads
Weight lost diets
any free trial product
and the list goes on…

And all of them mostly involves feeling up forms or putting in your personal details. Most of it does not involve paying a single cent or just paying for shipment. If all this rings a bell then you have seen how CPA marketing works.

You’ve most likely heard of CPC or Cost-Per-Click marketing which involves Google Adwords, Facebook ads, MSN adcentre and etc. One of the main problems with CPC marketing is that internet marketers pays for each click generated regardless if the “click” translates into a lead or into sales. And this means wasted dollars which most internet marketers will rather not pay.

CPA Marketing involves putting down your personal details and every completed form is a lead and most companies pay just for leads. This can range between 10 -20 dollars or even more for just a single lead! CPA marketing guarantees that every action is a lead because obviously you need to fill up a form which requires action. Action taken for this sort of marketing benefits not only the visitor but also you! You can make profits with almost any CPA marketing campaign that generates leads.

So if CPA marketing sounds so good, why is it that most marketers not do it?

I’m not sure of the real reason… but unlike any other forms of internet marketing campaign, CPA marketing involves signing up to a CPA network. You will also need to have a website or a blog that has something to do with internet marketing or businesses. If you don’t have it, then you might as well start having one now before you sign up otherwise they will most likely REJECT your application.

After signing up, they will scrutinize your details and will then decide if you are fit to be a CPA marketer. To make it short, CPA Networks have really NO TOLERANCE to “Newbies” So there is a level of expertise that is required before you can actually start your CPA marketing campaign. This weeds out the experienced from the beginners, the “looking ones” from the really committed ones.

You might ask, where do I sign up to be a CPA marketer?

There are a few reputable CPA networks where you can sign up. Some of them are in the list below:

AZN
Hydra
Lidango
Pepperjam Network
COPEAC
Neverblue
SHAREASALE
Clickbooth
PeerFly
AffiliateBot

These are some of the well known CPA networks around. Ok when I mean reputable, those up there works for some of the biggest companies in the world and some of those companies who own those websites are the fastest growing companies in the world too!

If you were to do a Google search, you might find more but I do suggest doing more research before picking a CPA network. As with everything about internet marketing, not everything is good out there

So if you have already been successful with your application. You will be contacted by your CPA Affiliate Manager and then you can pick any CPA offer. From here, most internet marketing tactics you’ve used to help in you internet business would work here. I’m talking anything from landing pages, squeeze pages, CALL to Action! (this is probably the most important thing you should have) Article Marketing, Video Marketing, Keyword Research, CPA campaign ads etc.

Once you get the hang of it, don’t forget that one profitable CPA campaign is enough. Try experimenting on several CPA offers and work on it. It is better to have a few good ones then just one good CPA campaign to help you earn money from home.

So if you are game for CPA marketing and you want to start earning money from CPA marketing campaigns then take action now. Submit your application and good luck!

Drop me a line or any advise if you have anything to add.

Bryan Wong YH