Affiliate marketing is a wide term and requires a wide implementation. If I word it simply “it is making money by promoting someone else’s product.” You find a product of your interest, promote it and earn a profit for every sale you make. Many people started with a simple blog and now earning millions through affiliate marketing. It is quite profitable but require ample time to show its true potential.
If you’re thinking of getting into affiliate marketing then the following steps can be of great help to you.
1. Find the niche which requires attention:
I started as an online marketer, then switched to web designing, WordPress SEO, WordPress speed Optimization and now I’m finally at affiliate marketing.
When I was doing WordPress speed optimization I found out that speed optimization receives lots of queries but not enough material is available. There was a lack of supply whether demand was high. So, I thought of digging into the issue and I chose this as a niche. So find yourself something of interest which requires your attention.
2. Select a specific type of Affiliate Programs:
There are several types of affiliate marketing. Choosing among one is a task but you need to be thorough about the type you choose. Following are a few types of Affiliate programs:
- One Tier Affiliate Program
- Two Tier
- Climbing Tiers
- Recurring Commissions
- Sitewide Commissions
- Recurring Commissions
- Pay Per Lead
- Cookies
3. Choose an affiliate wisely:
Choosing an affiliate for your niche requires proper attention. As you can’t associate your effort to some company which doesn’t regard it. So run numbers and look for an affiliate who provides high commission rate, has high conversions and have low reversal rate.
Tip: Avoid the affiliates offering a high commission as they are certainly losing customers and are trying their hard to retain them. Such affiliates will affect your conversions.
Amazon and WordPress etcetera’s affiliate programs of such big giants are 100% authentic and profitable. Whereas you can always look for Affiliates at ShareASale.
Once you’re done with your affiliate’s research sign up and voila! You are all set for the affiliate marketing.
Affiliate marketing would require a little time, effort and constant monitoring. But it is fruitful. You’re going to need a reliable internet connection and quality content initially to fuel the car. Talking of internet connection. Local cable deals helps you in finding the best internet service provider in your area.
4. Devise a Content Strategy:
Devise a proper content strategy and management system. Many blog posts require updating from time to time because of the technology changes. And it is always easier to update a blog post rather than of updating a video. And it is also a great practice from a Search engine optimization point of view.
In this era of evergreen content- videos are not so good option. Because you can’t edit video after uploading it. I face a hard time updating a video and think of blogs as a better option than videos. Whereas a documented, well-compiled content is the best way on attempting to create evergreen content.
Content is a very wide term and has several ways of presenting it. E-guides and courses are few of them. Providing meaningful information that adds value to the user is the best form of promotion. No one wants to read sale-sy content rather they want to read something that adds to their knowledge.
Create a blog editorial calendar to keep things running smoothly. Select the topics by using Google trends so to interact with the audience according to their interest.
5. Setup the blog:
Several platforms provide opportunities to build a blog without spending a dime. But I personally prefer WordPress. As WordPress blogging has several benefits to it. Few of them are as follows:
- WordPress is cost-effective for blogging
- You can update your WordPress blog from anywhere in the world all you need is the access and internet connection.
- WordPress sites are SEO friendly. And are developed by simple codes which makes them ideal for Google indexing.
- WordPress blogs are quite convenient for syndication
- WP offers interactive and responsive web designs
- WP constantly keep your blog updated at all times
- Provides easy shift from one design to another
- WP is constantly working on security and are making it hacking proof
- It is social media integrated
- Provides reliable and economical hosting service
A few tips at the end:
- Avoid using Google AdSense:
Throwing Google AdSense at your blog seems like a very good idea but it’s hard to drive a decent income from it. AdSense is not a personalized tool whereas affiliate links are like a recommendation- and people consider your opinion on very specific things. Google AdSense also affect site’s speed and is certainly not good for monetization.
- Length is a strength for content:
Generally, the length of the content is directly proportional to higher ranking on SERPS. The longer the content the more substance it contains and better are the chances for higher ranking. Lengthy content not only interest the audience, but also increases the average time spend on specific page or site and know it that avg. time spend is a ptominent Google metric for judging a site’s credibility.
