Planning your affiliate promotions in advance throughout the year is a great way to ensure that you take advantage of all the important events to maximize your profit potential.

Listed below are links to posts that highlight holidays and events for each month of the year. Content in these posts will change from time to time, so be sure to check them regularly for new and additional promotional ideas.

• January
• February
• March
• April
• May
• June
• July
• August
• September
• October
• November
• December

Comments, questions or suggestions? Please leave a comment below!

Cheers,

With its emphasis on love, February is a fun month to be an affiliate marketer.

According to a 2010 U.S. Census Bureau report “America’s Families and Living Arrangements”, there are 99.6 million unmarried people over age 18 in the U.S., or nearly 44% of the adult population. That statistic alone shows that Affiliating in the Season of Love can also be quite fruitful, if you like to play online matchmaker.

My first affiliate site was a dating site which has earned monthly commissions since January 1998 — and not just with dating services; as singles come in all shapes, sizes, needs, desires and wants — so you can promote products and services relevant to nearly any holiday or event throughout the year.

No matter what your niche, think beyond the obvious chocolates, candy and lingerie promotions in February — although they’re good too!

Month-long Celebrations in February include::

• American Heart Month
• An Affair to Remember Month
• Black History Month
• Canned Food Month
• Creative Romance Month
• Great American Pie Month
• National Cherry Month
• National Children’s Dental Health Month
• National Grapefruit Month
• National Weddings Month

Most notable holidays and events in February 2012:

• 2 Groundhog Day
• 5 Superbowl
• 14 Valentine’s Day
• 21 Mardi Gras
• 22 Ash Wednesday
• 20 Washington’s Birthday

Celebrations by Date in February 2012:

• 1 National Freedom Day
• 2 Ground Hog Day
• 2 Candlemas
• 3 The Day the Music Died
• 4 Create a Vacuum Day
• 4 Thank a Mailman Day
• 5 National Weatherman’s Day
• 6 Lame Duck Day
• 7 Wave All Your Fingers at Your Neighbor Day
• 7 Send a Card to a Friend Day
• 8 Boy Scout Day
• 8 Kite Flying Day
• 9 Toothache Day
• 10 Umbrella Day
• 11 Don’t Cry over Spilled Milk Day
• 11 Make a Friend Day
• 11 White T-Shirt Day
• 12 Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday
• 12 Plum Pudding Day
• 13 Clean out Your Computer Day
• 13 Get a Different Name Day
• 14 Ferris Wheel Day
• 14 National Organ Donor Day
• 14 Valentine’s Day
• 15 Candlemas
• 15 National Gum Drop Day
• 15 Singles Awareness Day
• 16 Do a Grouch a Favor Day
• 17 Random Acts of Kindness Day
• 18 National Battery Day
• 19 National Chocolate Mint Day
• 20 Cherry Pie Day
• 20 Hoodie Hoo Day
• 20 Love Your Pet Day
• 20 President’s Day
• 21 Card Reading Day
• 22 George Washington’s Birthday
• 22 Be Humble Day
• 22 Walking the Dog Day
• 22 International World Thinking Day
• 23 International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day
• 23 Tennis Day
• 24 National Tortilla Chip Day
• 25 Pistol Patent Day
• 26 Carnival Day
• 26 National Pistachio Day
• 26 Tell a Fairy Tale Day
• 27 Polar Bear Day
• 27 No Brainer Day
• 28 Floral Design Day
• 28 Public Sleeping Day
• 28 National Tooth Fairy Day
• 29 Leap Day – 2012

So, what holidays and events work within your niche in February?

Cyber Monday (see Affiliate Marketing in November) sales in 2011 were up 20 percent from a year earlier as of noon Eastern time according to International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) According to ComScore,online purchasing was forecast to rise to $1.2 billion from $1.03 billion last year.

And it’s not just the Americans who made online sales records during the Christmas shopping frenzy. Folks all around the world seem to be happy to open their wallets during the festive season, even during a recession!

Offerings are as varied as the individual recipients, but there are definitely ‘staples’ in the realm of gift-giving.

Think electronics, clothing, toys & games, books, jewelry, food & beverages, personalized items and keepsakes…. and oh, just go take a look at what’s trending at Gifts.com Top Picks for Christmas to get very specific ideas.

And as is the case every other month of the year, December includes a number of holidays and unique special event days that you can tie into your affiliate marketing promotions.

Month-long celebrations:

• Hi Neighbor Month
• National Stress Free Family Holiday Month
• Read A New Book Month
• Safe Toy and Gift Month
• Universal Human Rights Month
• Write to a Friend Month

Most notable special days in December 2011:

• December 11, Rosalind Gardner’s birthday (I stopped counting at 50.)
• December 20, Hanukkah (begins at sundown the previous day)
• December 25, Christmas
• December 26, Kwanzaa
• December 26, Boxing Day (UK, Canada, Ireland)
• December 31, New Year’s Eve

Celebrations by Day in December 2011:

• 1 Eat a Red Apple Day
• 1 World Aids Awareness Day
• 2 National Fritters Day
• 3 National Roof over Your Head Day
• 4 Santas’ List Day
• 4 Wear Brown Shoes Day
• 5 Bathtub Party Day
• 5 Repeal Day
• 6 St. Nicholas Day
• 6 Mitten Tree Day
• 6 Put on your own Shoes Day
• 7 International Civil Aviation Day
• 7 Letter Writing Day
• 7 National Cotton Candy Day
• 7 Pearl Harbor Day
• 8 National Brownie Day
• 8 Take it in the Ear Day
• 9 Christmas Card Day
• 9 National Pastry Day
• 10 Human Rights Day
• 11 International Children’s Day
• 11 National Noodle Ring Day
• 12 National Ding-a-Ling Day
• 12 Poinsettia Day
• 13 Ice Cream Day
• 13 Violin Day
• 14 National Bouillabaisse Day
• 15 Bill of Rights Day
• 15 National Lemon Cupcake Day
• 16 National Chocolate Covered Anything Day
• 17 National Maple Syrup Day
• 18 Bake Cookies Day
• 18 National Roast Suckling Pig Day
• 19 Look for an Evergreen Day
• 19 Oatmeal Muffin Day
• 20 Go Caroling Day
• 21 Forefather’s Day
• 21 Humbug Day
• 21 National Flashlight Day
• 21 Look on the Bright Side Day
• 22 National Date Nut Bread Day
• 22 Winter Solstice
• 23 Festivus
• 23 Roots Day
• 24 National Chocolate Day
• 24 National Egg Nog Day
• 25 Christmas Day
• 25 National Pumpkin Pie Day
• 26 Boxing Day
• 27 Make Cut Out Snowflakes Day
• 27 National Fruitcake Day
• 28 Card Playing Day
• 29 Pepper Pot Day
• 30 National Bicarbonate of Soda Day
• 31 Make Up Your Mind Day
• 31 New Year’s Eve
• 31 Unlucky Day

My favorites (in addition to my birthday) are St. Nicholas Day (SinterKlaas in Dutch), the solstice, Festivus and Christmas. LOTS and LOTS of gift-exchanging to be done.

What are your plans for the festive season?

As it is highly unlikely that U.S. Congress members will see past their differences during the current term to pass the Jobs Bill and put people to work, I did some research to find out what types of jobs are available.

Fortunately for those of you interested in making money online, the news is good!

I did a job search at SimplyHired each of the terms I selected showed an increase between 77 and 722 percent since November of 2009.

Here’s the graph…

And here are the terms I searched…

• Blog jobs increased 722%
• blogging jobs increased 106%
• web Design jobs increased 76%
• facebook jobs increased 375%
• wordpress jobs increased 734%
• social Media jobs increased 257%
• affiliate Manager jobs increased 132%
• marketing jobs increased 77%

Hmmmm…. the 2 terms with the largest increase? Blog and WordPress.

That alone should tell you that there are jobs out there for those with writing (blogging) and WordPress design skills.

You got ‘em – USE ‘em to earn some coin.

For some ideas on how to use your skills, please see my Make Money Helping Local Businesses Start a Blog article.

If you don’t know how to blog, learning has never been easier or less expensive than that available through my Academy (aka Affiliate Blogger PRO).

We supply tutorials, videos and a community forum to help you learn everything you need to know about blogging and affiliate marketing.

Apple is holding its long-awaited ’Let’s talk iPhone’ event on October 4, and demand for the iPhone 5 is huge in advance of its release.

According to a recent InMobi consumer smartphone survey, 41% of current mobile users in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada plan to buy an iPhone 5—potentially making it the most successful launch from Apple to date.

So affiliates will want to start promoting those iPhone accessories and CPA offers quickly.

Another good option for affiliates in the business opportunities market is iPhone application development training programs, such as How To Create iPhone Apps With No Programming Experience.

Of course, October isn’t just about iPhones. There are a whole slew of holidays and events during the month, of which the most popular include:

• 7th – Yom Kippur
• 10th – Columbus Day (2nd Monday in October)
• 10th – Canadian Thanksgiving Day (2nd Monday in October)
• 31st – Halloween

Here is a list of other events to celebrate in October.

• 1st – Homemade Cookies Day
• 1st – World Vegetarian Day
• 1st – World Card Making Day (1st Saturday in October)
• 3rd – Child Health Day (1st Mpnday) Monday in October.
• 4th – National Golf Day
• 5th – World Teacher Day
• 9th – Leif Ericson Day
• 9th – Moldy Cheese Day
• 10th – Indigenous People’s Day (2nd Monday in October)
• 12th – Farmer’s Day
• 15th – National Grouch Day
• 15th – National Poetry Day
• 15th – Sweetest Day
• 16th – Boss’s Day
• 16th – World Food Day
• 17th – Black Poetry Day
• 18th – Alaska Day (Territory transferred in 1867.
• 22nd – National Nut Day
• 23rd – Mother-in-Law’s Day (4th Sunday in October)
• 24th – National Bologna Day
• 24th – United Nations Day
• 25th – National Denim Day
• 28th – Plush Animal Lover’s Day

Month Long Observances

• Breast Cancer Awareness Month
• Computer Learning Month
• Energy Awareness Month
• Family History Month
• National Clock Month
• National Dessert Month
• National Pizza Month
• National Popcorn Popping Month
• National Roller Skating Month
• National Stamp Collecting Month
• Polish American History Month
• National Apple Month
• Adopt-a-Shelter-Animal Month

This is a GREAT time of year for affiliates in the genealogy space with it being Family History month. Share ways to celebrate this month-long event with your subscribers and promote the heck out of Archives.com and other genealogy sites.

Food bloggers can concentrate on apple and nut recipes, while animal lovers can celebrate Adopt a Shelter Animal month— by promoting plush animals to those who can’t.

Last, but not least of course, there’s Halloween which is the ultimate time to dress up your pet and promote costumes for dogs and cats as well as those treat-seeking little munchkins.

Shown here is Jasper, my chocolate Labrador wearing my “Bat-hat”. He will have to get cape to complete the ensemble.

So how are you celebrating October on your affiliate site?

After having my sites offline for over a week, I’m happy to return and share some reasonably good news that pertains to the Affiliate Nexus Tax.

Thanks to Amazon and other retailers in California, new legislation was passed that repeals the tax temporarily.

The retailers must lobby for a federal tax solution to be implemented by July 2012, or the Nexus tax will resume in September 2012.

So… like I said, it’s reasonably good news.

You can get your Amazon links back out there for the upcoming holidays, OR go for the Skimlinks alternative, which lets you promote Amazon through a 3rd-party.

To read more about the current situation in California, please read California Legislature Passes Legislation: 1 Year Reprieve of Affiliate Nexus Tax on the PMA site.

Affiliate marketers often look only to the obvious when it comes to September – back to school promotions.

While back to school is a HUGE seller, it is not the only opportunity for you to make money online.

Here’s our basic list of events for this September:

• 2 VJ Day, WWII
• 5 Labor Day
• 11 Grandparents Day the first Sunday after Labor Day
• 17 Constitution Day
• 21 International Peace Day (UN)
• 23 Autumnal Equinox
• 23 Native American Day the fourth Friday of the month
• 28 Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown

But did you know that it is also:

• Classical Music Month
• Hispanic Heritage Month
• Fall Hat Month
• International Square Dancing Month
• National Blueberry Popsicle Month
• National Courtesy Month
• National Piano Month
• Chicken Month
• Baby Safety Month
• Little League Month
• Honey Month
• Self Improvement Month
• Better Breakfast Month

In that list, I see opportunities for affiliates in the Hispanic, food, childrens’, self-improvement, sports and music niches to monetize better in September.

Think a little larger though. With the autumnal equinox (beginning of fall) there’s a lot you can do to help your readers prepare for winter at this time too!

Being a bit of a cheap energy nut myself, I blogged about energy savings on my personal blog. I’ve written articles, made videos and promoted everything from lightbulbs to solar panels.

Going green and saving energy works across almost every niche.

Everyone wants to save money. Smart, caring parents want to make the world a better place for their children and will therefore spend money to reduce the world’s dependence on fossil fuels. Really smart parents will buy their kid a backpack that actually fits the kid… maybe so the child can WALK to school and get some exercise instead of needlessly burning gas to drive them 2 blocks.

Smart affiliates will also share information with parents on exercise, nutrition, sports injuries and proper sleep for their kids. (Check out the U.S. Government’s tips on the back to school subject for more ideas).

Just a thought.

“How long does it take to make money as an affiliate marketer?” is a question I get asked almost every day.

Rather than spell (type) everything out in an article, I decided to make a video to try and answer that almost unanswerable question.

Thoughts, questions or suggestions? Please leave a comment below!

Cheers,

Well, I’ve just come across another example of an affiliate marketing coach who charges through the nose for training that takes people down a path leading to nothing more than a waste of time and effort.

In this case, the affiliate ‘coach’ teaches his students how to place ads for Clickbank products on Craigslist.

If you’ve come across this advice — request a refund and leave the program now!

Under Craigslist’s Terms of UseSection 7, subsection k, you must agree

… not to post, email, or otherwise make available Content that constitutes or contains “affiliate marketing,” “link referral code,” “junk mail,” “spam,” “chain letters,” “pyramid schemes,” or unsolicited commercial advertisement; …

Obviously, that includes posting ads that link directly to Clickbank products, which is exactly what he advises.

UGH!

Perhaps, that’s something that worked for him in the past — but teaching it as an affiliate marketing method to new students of the topic is just wrong… especially when the lesson is part of his “Quick Start” series.

Seriously, if he’s teaching this crap, how can you trust any of his other advice?

So, like I said before, if you see this video in your training package, just cancel that $200 per month subscription and join a REAL affiliate training program – Rosalind Gardner’s Academy – (shameless self-promotion of my own product).

I specialize in sharing REAL, honest promotional methods that work (and don’t abuse Terms of Service) — but only if YOU work.

Researching August holidays and celebrations proved once again that assumptions can be oh so wrong!

I was amazed by the number of named days and monthly celebrations that came up.

My favorites by far are Play in the Sand Day, Bad Poetry Day (which I definitely will not celebrate), Kiss and Make Up Day and Rice Pudding Day – which I will celebrate with Vietnamese rice pudding made from rice vermicelli. YUM!!!

Here are 2 lists of all the holidays and celebrations coming up in August.

• 1st – Civic Holiday in most of Canada (first Monday in August)
• 1st – Picnic Day in Australia (first Monday in August)
• 1st – Respect for Parents’ Day
• 1st – Sport’s Day
• 2nd – National Ice Cream Sandwich Day
• 3rd – National Watermelon Day
• 4th – Coast Guard Day
• 4th – National Chocolate Chip Day
• 5th – National Waffle Day
• 6th – National Mustard Day
• 6th – Wiggle Your Toes Day
• 7th – American Family Day (First Sunday in August)
• 7th – Friendship Day (First Sunday in August)
• 7th – Sea Serpent Day
• 8th – Dollar Day – The US dollar was created.
• 9th – International Day of the World’s Indigenous People
• 9th – National Rice Pudding Day
• 10th – S’Mores Day
• 11th – Play in the Sand Day
• 12th – Middle Children’s Day
• 13th – International Left-Handers Day
• 13th – National Filet Mignon Day
• 14th – National Creamsicle Day
• 15th – National Relaxation Day
• 16th – Roller Coaster Day
• 17th – Archeology Day
• 18th – Bad Poetry Day
• 19th – National Aviation Day
• 19th – Potato Day
• 20th – Observed on the third Saturday of August every year.
• 20th – National Radio Day
• 22nd – Be An Angel Day
• 23rd – National Sponge Cake Day
• 24th – National Peach Pie Day
• 24th – Strange Music Day
• 25th – Kiss and Make Up Day
• 25th – National Banana Split Day
• 26th – National Dog Day
• 26th – Women’s Equality Day
• 28th – Dream Day (Anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech)
• 28th – National Cherry Turnover Day
• 30th – National Toasted Marshmallow Day
• 31st – National Trail Mix Day

In terms of month-long celebrations, I know that there are many of you who will join me in celebrating Home Business and National Golf month.

• American Artist Appreciation Month
• Foot Health Month
• Home Business Month
• National Catfish Month
• National Golf Month
• National Inventors Month
• National Water Quality Month

In terms of affiliate marketing, I think the foodies win this one hands down.

Seriously, who with a food blog could resist doing a “Happy Potato Day” post?

Hmmm… that could be fun to do on almost any blog.

Maybe we should make it a movement – ’cause who doesn’t love potatoes?

Note: If you’ve never been, the best potatoes in the world are grown and cooked in Ecuador. Their Locro de Papa soup (Potato-Cheese Soup With Avocado) is probably the world’s ultimate comfort food… and a heart attack waiting to happen.

OK, that was an aside. What would you sell to celebrate Potato Day?

Mr. Potato Head of course!

Alright, that was perhaps a little over the top, but you can see how letting your mind wander (and get a little twisted) will fire those neurons to come up with unique ideas — stuff no one else is blogging about — even when it seems like there’s NOTHING to blog about in a given month.

OK, now start thinking about sea serpents!

Comments, questions or suggestions? Please leave a comment below!

Cheers,