Affiliate marketing is a powerful way for businesses and individuals to earn money by promoting products or services from other companies. We first started hearing alot more about affiliate marketing over the last decade and with the recent introduction of SEO, membership programs + subscriptions, landing pages, artificial intelligence and more people choosing to (or having to) work from home during and post-pandemic, the game with affiliate marketing has definitely changed. These days, it can be so much more than a side hustle with high ticket coaching programs, recurring membership programs and collectors items like NFTs and art enter the marketplace, suddenly affiliate marketing has the people to rake in MAJOR dollars. Is it for you?
In this article, I want to give you an overview of some of the benefits of affiliate marketing, tools that you might consider for how to place your links to still make it authentic to you, and not just about making a buck.
By partnering with an affiliate program, you can earn a commission on any sales that are made as a result of your promotions. I am a huge ambassador for the entrepreneurship-oriented life and I honestly believe that we should all have a business. Not only are there huge tax benefits when you’re a 1099 contractor (and this is not me giving financial or legal advice), there are also positive benefits to bringing your authentic skills, talents, interests and trades to solve a problem for someone else. Running a business is that simple. The complex part can often come in when it’s time choose the path, or platform. That’s where affiliate marketing can come in. It’s no “get-rich quick scheme” because there’s actually a multi-step strategy that you’ll want to deploy to make it successful. This will vary, but if you’re feeling stumped, sometimes it’s okay to engage the knowledge transfer of people who have already done it and are willing to save you time in exchange for some money. As a great place to start, here is one option that could help you jumpstart your affiliate career with a proven method. Definitely do your research and remember that no one knows you better than you. You can start alone, or with a community.
And, one of my favorite thing about affiliate marketing as an income generator is there is little to no overhead, and once your systems are set up, they can run THEMSELVES. Which means time freedom for you.
Here are a few key steps that will help you be successful if you’d rather just dive in head first on solo dolo!
- Build an audience.
In order to be successful at affiliate marketing, you need to have an audience that you can promote products or services to. This can be a website, a blog, a social media following, or an email list. Building an audience takes time and effort, but it is well worth it in the long run.Most other thought leaders on affiliate marketing might not have this listed so high on the list, as a first step but as someone who has built businesses and brands on word-of-mouth, I can tell you that relationships are EVERYTHING. People may forget what you say, but they will never forget how they made you feel. Make it a priority to start building relationships where you plan to focus your affiliate marketing so that when it’s time to share products and services they need, you’ve already established open lines of communication.
- Choose the right products or services to promote.
Before you begin promoting any products or services, it is important to choose ones that align with your interests and that you believe in. This will make it easier for you to create effective marketing campaigns and to build trust with your audience. Authenticity is the name of the game here. Even if you can’t personally try out every product, and chances are, you won’t, be sure that you take a little time to visit the product or service page to see more details, maybe research the person selling the offer and/or check stores, retailers, brands that you already love and see if they have an affiliate program already. Some popular ones include the Target Affiliate Program, Shopify Affiliate Program and the Amazon Affiliate Program. Additionally, it’s important to choose products that have a good reputation and are in demand.
- Create valuable content.
Creating valuable content is one of the most effective ways to build an audience and promote products or services. This can be in the form of blog posts, videos, infographics, or any other type of content that provides value to your audience. If you come from more of a design background or love working with graphics, consider creating material on platforms like Canva to set you up to post on Pinterest or Instagram.
- Optimize your website or blog for search engines.
Having a website or blog that is optimized for search engines is crucial for driving traffic to your site and increasing your sales. This includes optimizing your site’s title tags, meta descriptions, and header tags, as well as building backlinks to your site. Blogs are amazing places to showcase your expertise (or curiosity!) and rank much higher in Google’s search engine algorithm so although Medium and Quora are nice, consider driving traffic to your own website. Um, hello?
- Partner with the right affiliate programs.
Choosing the right affiliate programs to partner with is crucial for your success. Below, we’ve listed the top 5 affiliate programs that you should consider:
- Digistore24: Digistore24 is a comprehensive platform that aims to make it easy for vendors to sell digital products and for affiliates to earn commissions by promoting those products. It’s a popular choice among internet marketers and entrepreneurs.
- Commission Junction: Commission Junction is one of the largest affiliate networks in the world, offering a wide variety of products and services to promote.
- ClickBank: ClickBank is an online marketplace that specializes in digital products, such as ebooks and software.
- ShareASale: ShareASale is a popular affiliate network that offers a wide range of products and services to promote.
- Rakuten Marketing: Rakuten Marketing offers a wide range of products and services, including travel, finance, and e-commerce products.
In conclusion, affiliate marketing is a powerful way to earn money online, but it requires time, effort, and a strategic approach. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can increase your chances of success and reap the rewards of a successful affiliate marketing campaign.
Photo by Elio Santos on Unsplash
Disclosure: adé PROJECT is community-supported. This post contains affiliate links meaning we get a small commission if you decide to purchase through our links, at no cost to you. Thank you!
