How to Get Started with Affiliate Marketing

Do you have a blog and do you earn from it?

If not, then you have come to the right place. I will show you how you can turn your blog to a money making machine using the best affiliate marketing programs.

In a nutshell, affiliate marketing is simply earning a commission for recommending someone else’s products to your readers or blog audience.

Before we head to the real thing, I’d love to give you a few statistics so that you see how many brands are moving away from traditional marketing methods.

  • The US alone records an increase of 10.1% on affiliate spending every year.
  • 84% of publishers and 81% of brands have embraced affiliate marketing as their primary marketing strategy. There is an increased growth recorded every year.
  • Amazon increased offering rates of 1-10 of products so that affiliates in the platform could earn more.

 

1.   Choosing a Niche

This is the first step even before building your site.

Choosing a blog niche is one of the hardest things for a beginner blogger. Unfortunately, it’s the only way to find the perfect affiliate product that will blend with your target market.

If you don’t know where to start, you can try out these tips:

  • Ask yourself the kind of topics you are passionate and you enjoy writing about.
  • Figure out if there is money in what you want to start blogging about. At the moment, the most lucrative niches are finance, health, fitness, digital marketing, and outdoor gear.
  • Are there readers with interest in the niche you want to focus on?
  • Ask yourself if there is room in your chosen niche for affiliate marketers and if so, you need to find the best affiliate programs.

Undoubtedly, you will find it easier to settle on a niche after answering these questions. This now takes us to the next step.

2.   Research and Select the Perfect Affiliate Products

It’s unwise to put all your eggs in one basket when starting. Research at most three products that have a demand in the market. This way you can focus and become an expert by mastering the strategies.

One of the best ways of researching a product is buying it first. Similarly, you can’t claim to be a soldier unless you have waded the murky waters of the battlefield.

It establishes credibility with your readers because you are promoting a product that you have used and you know the value.

You can also communicate effectively, dissecting the product and touching on some sensitive issues that other affiliate marketers might not know. The Affiliate Monkey is a great tool to find the right affiliate programs/products.

3.   Produce High-Quality Content

Now that you have chosen your niche, your products, and your blog is running; it’s time to start crafting excellent content that your readers will love.

One secret you should know is that affiliate marketing is not about shoving products to your readers’ throats or bombarding them with thousands of adverts.

Readers are pretty ‘emotional’. They will run away from your site and never come back.

Quality content is about helping your audience make the right decision. It’s not about you but their pain points.

So whether you will be writing product reviews for affiliate marketing, making videos, or writing blog posts, they should reflect to the reader.

4.   Build an Audience and Make Money

When it comes to affiliate marketing, you should know that the money is in the numbers dictated by time. The more readers you get, the higher your chances of earning more.

For instance, Pat Flynn, the affiliate marketing guru, took three years to turn his affiliate marketing business earnings from $8000 to $50,000. Over a decade later, he is now running a million-dollar business.

Building an audience will require that you use all the platforms available. These involve promoting your content on social media, building email lists, guest posting on high-authority sites, and investing in paid advertising.

Bottom-line

We know – it is short but sweet.

These are all the necessary tools that will help you tune your career and leave that 9-5 job. Ultimately, you can earn from affiliate marketing from the comfort of your home or from anywhere around the world.

Do you have any questions? Let us know in the comments below.