People ask me all the time how to make money online. There are thousands of ways you can, but one of the fastest…and one of the best internet marketing strategies…is to make money for other people first! I know that sounds backwards…but if you focus on helping the other guy you can actually make money, build your list and have a successful online business-all at the same time!

Identify Them

First you identify people who are in your niche, right? Who are the people that you most want to be like? Who is having the kind of success you would like to have?

There may be a couple different levels of “players” in your niche…just write down the names of anyone that you admire…who you want to be like, say in a year, or in a couple years.

What Products to Promote

Next, take that list and person by person, “guru” by “guru”, figure out what they are selling that you really like…that will be useful to the people on your list. Just because you think they are fantastic doesn’t necessarily mean that their products will be a great fit, so be as objective as you can. Put yourself in your customers’ shoes…will this product really be a benefit to them.

If the answer is yes, write it down. Once you have that list you are ready to move to the next step.

Join Their Affiliate Programs

This is a simple step…it is almost always free…and it is key. Getting on their affiliate program does two things for you-one, when you promote their products or services you will get a commission and two, they track who is making sales for them so you will get on their radar!

Build Your List

Be sure to build your list…there are lots of list building methods…article marketing, SEO, pay-per-click…the list goes on. Pick a method, focus on it and build your list so you have someone to promote products to.

Make Them Money

All the previous points lead to this one-make money for the people you admire. They are going to sit up and listen if all of a sudden they are paying you a big commission check. They are going to love it, because that means you are making them money!

Now it is Your Turn

So now, you have a great product and you are ready to approach the people you have been promoting about them promoting you!

When you approach them, they are going to say to themselves, “Has this person ever mailed for me?” and because you have…and made them money, they are going to be more receptive to mailing for you then if you just approached them out of the blue.

This is real life…real business…and that’s what internet marketing strategies are about-real life things that work! If you do people a favor…if you make them money, nine times out of ten they are going to want to return the favor…they want to help you succeed. One of the beauties about this strategy is that while you are building your list and making money for the other guy…you’re making money, too!