In this edition of the Affiliate Buzz, host and Instructor of the Affiliate Marketers BootCamp, James Martell along with his wife Arlene, shares some tips and takeaways on how to create quality digital products, earn passive income and work from home.

James points out that working from home offers a lot of benefits. He turns to Arlene who describes the sunny, beautiful day outside. Because she's not cooped up in a cubicle all day, she can enjoy the fresh, Pacific air from the comfort of her own patio or gazebo.

Benefits of Meeting Up with Other Entrepreneurs

James then shares about a recent speaking engagement he had at the Vancouver Entrepreneurs Group. At the last minute, he convinced Arlene to go with him - something she could do because of her work-from-home schedule.

Next James recommends checking out Meetup.com for gatherings related to marketing or affiliate marketing. He and Arlene have found it very beneficial to use these gatherings to meet new friends and network with other businesses. Just because it's an affiliate product doesn't mean you can't promote it to the offline world as well.

James offers a firsthand, quick review of a gadget he found at Affiliate Summit in January called the JBL Charge 2. It's a Bluetooth-driven speaker the size of a tall beer can. Arlene was dubious at first, but after seeing it in action agrees that it's an invaluable tool.

How Digital Products Can Increase Your Passive Income

The topic of digital products is near and dear to James and Arlene's hearts, as they've been using them alongside their affiliate business for more than a dozen years.

* THE AFFILIATE MARKETER'S HANDBOOK 2002 was James' first foray into writing a book and hiring an editor. It took him about six months, but the time was well-spent as the book sold over 5,000 copies.

* THE AFFILIATE BUZZ was the Martell's next digital product. This allowed students to better connect with James and Arlene and ask questions. At a fee of $10 per month, they had more than 500 subscribers for nearly five years.

* DIGITAL COURSES and BOOT CAMPS followed the success of the eBook and the podcast.

* THE SCHOOL OF INTERNET MARKETING is the most recent digital product offered by James and Arlene Martell. It was founded to meet the needs of business owners who want to understand and use the most powerful internet marketing tools as quickly as possible.

James points out that these courses all revolve around an eBook, an audio, online membership, or some other type of digital product.

Advantages of Having Your Own Digital Product

Next James and Arlene talk about the advantages of having your own digital product. One of the biggest reasons is that you get to claim 100% of the sales, unlike an affiliate program where you just earn a percentage of the sales.

James says another benefit is that you get to control everything: the landing pages, your lead magnet, and the entire sales process from beginning to end. On the affiliate side, you can only control leading the customer to the online shopping cart.

Then James shares another huge benefit, which is that you can start your own affiliate program. This is how James doubled the amount of sales for the first eBook he ever published.

Arlene points out that it's great to have your own product, because it's another revenue stream for your website. James adds that there is a high level of prestige that comes with creating your own product, and that it can open doors for indirect benefits, like speaking engagements.

Additionally, because the digital product is digital, then once you create it there is no cost to manufacture print copies. These digital products include eBooks, podcasts, digital courses, and membership sites.

James cautions that instead of trying to create everything and winding up with fluff, choose one product and take the time to commit to create a good produc...