Affiliate marketing: The interest in earning through various online platforms has literally exploded. So many are now searching for additional sources of income, particularly when many have been hit hard recently during the pandemic. Many are looking to achieve a more flexible working life. As a mum, working at home on my own online business, I can absolutely see why online business searches are going through the roof. I love that I can work around my family and take my business anywhere. In this unpredictable world, more and more are now seeking extra security in knowing that they have more than one source of income as well as looking for options to better suit their lifestyle choices.
**Disclaimer – This post may contain affiliate marketing links. This means if you purchase something through one of my links, I may receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting my blog**
If you are one of those people and have ever searched about online earning or methods to earn online, you would surely have come across the term “Affiliate marketing.”
I had always seen the term ‘Affiliate Marketing’ but never really understood what it entailed. It was only when I joined a mentorship programme that I really started to understand. Now, you don’t of course have to have a mentor, there is endless information out there across all the platforms. However, I always find this completely overwhelming! I love the idea of being shown, step by step what to do, and being taught the best practices in the industry. I’m a firm believer that any investment in yourself is an investment in your future!
Now, If you’re not familiar with the term,
Affiliate marketing is this…
It is an earning method in which individuals or companies promote the products and services of other companies or organizations and, in return, collect a commission for their referrals.
When you make a sale through an affiliate link, you get the commission! Sounds simple right?
Simple yes! yet…Well, you probably guessed it, not necessarily “easy”, but then, in my mind, nothing worth having is easy!
How to Choose the Best Affiliate Programs
There are so many companies out there that offer affiliate programs. Take some time to really research and see which ones are suitable for your niche. It’s really important to pick a niche first!
While choosing a niche focus on three things
- Your area of interest
- Types of products you want to sell
- Type of audience you want to sell products too
- Once you are clear on your niche you can decide on which products can work for you. You then need to sign up to the relevant programs and simply put your affiliate links to the products in your blog posts or sales copy.
If someone clicks the link and purchases something you promote, you get the commission. Affiliate marketing is a great way to earn money online and the first choice for beginner marketers.
Take a look at my Top 5 Affiliate Programs for Beginners to help you get started!
Marketing Your Affiliate Links
Once you have your niche and affiliate links in place you then need to start marketing them in order to get people to click on them to make purchases. There are many ways to promote your links….
Marketing through social media
Social media is a fantastic way of getting eyeballs on your links. There are many social networks that you can use as a potential market, including YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, forums, and many others. If you don’t have large audiences on the platforms you can promote your products through ads. Most of the social media sites now have sponsored options so it’s worth considering where your ideal customers hang out and marketing there accordingly. A mix of organic and paid traffic is always good. This in itself will require its own strategy, some planning time and a whole heap of trial and error to get it right!
Marketing through website or blog
If you are serious and want a successful business, then I totally recommended you have your own hosted website. This just means essentially the website is owned by you. It is super quick and simple to purchase and host a domain. You want a really lovely professional website that shows off you, your brand and your products.
Running a website is not as challenging as it sounds; all you need is proper dedication and patience. If it’s not something you have done before there are loads of tutorials online. I personally recommend WordPress as I found really easy to set up initially. When I got super busy I got help! (TOP TIP: outsource the things that take up your time). I cannot recommend my website designer enough. She is so patient and so helpful and very reasonably priced! So if you’re looking for a helping hand check out her site and get in touch with Anjala (HERE) and tell her Catrin sent you!
To begin with, your website does not need to be perfect, so avoid spending hours agonising over a name!
Now the major work comes, which is to establish that niche and target the audience. Write good quality blog content about the product you want to sell, attract your audience, and make them buy the products you are offering. The best thing is just to be authentic and you will attract the right people for you. Get organised! (Top Tip: Strategically plan your blog so that you know exactly what you’re going to post and when) why not use a planner to help you!
How much you can earn through it?
Hey look, the world is your oyster when it comes to affiliate marketing. The amount you can earn varies widely. Though you can earn good money, it doesn’t mean that you can expect to produce millions of dollars at the start. Yet some tactics can help give you a real boost, the most important of which is keyword research!
Keyword research (know your keywords)
The Internet is filled with millions of websites and articles. On a rough estimate, 55000 websites are formed daily, which explains how difficult it is to rank on Google. However, you can find many keywords related to your niche on Google instantly.
Multiple websites help to generate organic keywords related to your niche or the product. Find the most suitable keywords and add them to your website, it will help to rank you on Google. A great place to start your keyword research is Ubersuggest’s free keyword tool
How to be successful in affiliate marketing?
As you can imagine there is no magic strategy that will help you to get to be a billionaire in one night. Just like many other things, it requires consistency, patience, and practice.
Learn through baby steps, trial and error, join affiliate marketing related forums, learn how you can promote your products, make a plan, stay active, and remember it is never too late to start!
Just get started and earn as you learn!
