If you want to understand how affiliate marketing works or how you can make money recommending products or services to people, worry less because this post will not just simplify what affiliate marketing is but will also show you how you can become successful in it.
But bear in mind that affiliate marketing does not reward laziness. It is “hard” and “smart” work. That means that you have to put in work to get good results which is the reason for this post.
Here’s a quick rundown of how it all started.
Affiliate marketing, an online business model, was pioneered by the legendary William J. Tobin in 1989. He shaped the digital landscape of marketing when he launched the first affiliate marketing program for his company, PC Flowers and Gifts.
The company allowed website owners to promote its product and earn commissions. This would later reshape the world of digital marketing that we see today.
So, how does affiliate marketing work?
Affiliate marketers employ various marketing techniques as well as digital marketing channels to generate leads and drive sales.
As much as the concept of affiliate marketing may sound basic, it requires different layers of sales and marketing strategies.
Enough said, affiliate marketing is a form of marketing where a business pays a fee (referred to as a commission) to affiliates who help them sell their products or services.
What this means is that a business rewards you with a commission any time you promote their products or services.
Here is a visual representation of how affiliate marketing works.
The affiliate marketer goes through this circle:
- Picks a niche.
- Signs up for an affiliate program.
- Promotes product/services through digital platforms e.g Facebook, electronic mail, websites etc.
- Customer clicks on the affiliate link and is directed to the merchant’s website.
- Customer makes a purchase.
- Sales are recorded and
- Affiliate recieves a commission.
How to Get Started
Getting started with affiliate marketing starts with research. First, you will have to research what products or services you love to promote.
This is the first stage because you don’t want to promote any product that you find in the way. You have to settle for a specific niche and stick with it.
The mistake people make is thinking that a niche can be too narrow for them to succeed, so they opt for a very general or broad topic niche.
But you can have other subniches within a niche that would also allow you to promote a wide range of products. For example, if you are operating a niche blog site where you talk about male fashion.
You can recommend products like perfumes, male clothing, shoes, and more.
So coming up with a niche site like fashion is not a good idea since it is too broad and appears vague.
For some people, it could be tempting to promote just anything, but specializing will position you for long-term growth.
Choosing a Niche
In affiliate marketing, a highly competitive niche could mean a more challenging one. That will stretch you to give more than the average since you’re in a hot spot. But that does not mean that you can not scale things up.
Nonetheless, you should opt for something that falls in the middle. That is somewhere between a highly competitive niche and a not-so-competitive market. Again, narrowing down to a sub-niche within a competitive niche.
A general rule of thumb is to choose a niche you find interesting so you can keep the fire burning while you wait for the harvest.
You do not have to be an expert in the said niche because you can develop the skill set in your journey. The reason you should choose a niche you are comfortable with is that you will be creating content around that niche.
The content side is the building block where you build your reputation, establish authority, and, most importantly, offer solutions to your audience.
Some highly competitive but profitable niches include fashion, health, how to make money, finance, beauty, etc.
When opting for these niches, you should try to narrow down to a sub-niche. For example, if the finance niche interests you, you can narrow it down to the “stock market” or “real estate investing.”
Finding a Suitable Platform
The platform of your choice will depend on your preference, but more on what type of content you will be creating and the type of product or services you are promoting.
If you choose a fashion niche, you may want to set up your website where you can create content for your visitors.
You can consolidate that by operating a YouTube channel as well as other social networking sites that do well with the fashion niche. Another example is Pinterest.
Having a website comes with an added advantage. Most affiliate marketers operate self-hosted websites.
Owning a website provides you with options. One such is that it allows for the customization of web pages according to your business needs.
You can also integrate marketing software or plugins that can help you scale up your business.
Brand Advertising in Affiliate Marketing
Brand advertising in marketing is a strategy through which businesses build connections with their customers or target audience.
The goal of a brand-focused campaign is to create a long-term relationship and build trust.
As an affiliate marketer or someone considering to start a career in affiliate marketing, you have to understand that it is not enough to paste affiliate links in your website or social media channels.
Even while you are advocating for a business, you have to present your own brand in a way that positions you as an authority and someone who is truly concerned about the needs of your target audience.
Remember that you are a sales force, not just an affiliate.
In marketing, there is also a terminology known as a nurture campaign, where brands continue to show up even after the customer has shown interest or submitted their personal information.
The nurture campaign is time-based. It’s all about understanding your audience or customers and where they are in their journey to purchase the offer you are promoting.
The idea is to follow up with clients, show up for them, and send periodic emails.
This is vital because research has shown that people would buy from businesses that are already on their list rather than businesses that are not known to them.
So if you want to become that affiliate that closes sales, always nurture your audience by getting in their head in such a way that they would have you on their mental list when it’s time to make a purchase.
Ask yourself how many times you have bought from a business that you know nothing about. If your answer is a “no,” I guess you see the reason why nurturing your prospects is very important.
Soft Skill
This is one very important skill that many people overlook in marketing. So here is what you need to understand.
Every person has already formed a perception of who you are. So don’t just appear salesy, as though you want to force products on your audience.
Prioritize their pain point because that’s still one of the reasons you signed up to become an affiliate.
You are not a bot that recommends products to real people. You are a person that has to connect with the people you are selling to.
When people know you genuinely care about their problems, then it will be easy for them to trust you with their money.
Also note that people can sense the motive behind your actions, that is if you are just a selling bot or someone who can connect with them.
Successful affiliate marketers know how to integrate storytelling into their sales pitch.
Here’s what a sales pitch looks like:
“Are you struggling to budget your monthly income? You’re not alone. I have been there before. We have a smart budget blueprint that has already helped thousands of people like you to live on a budget, save for emergencies, and invest a percentage of their income for the future. It is a step-by-step guide to help you take charge of your finances. You don’t have to break the bank to access this. With just $7.99, you could be on your way to financial freedom. Click here to get started“
Do Affiliate Marketers Make Money?
The answer is yes! The amount of money an affiliate can make depends on several factors like niche, experience, market conditions, and dedication.
Nonetheless, it is possible to make money with affiliate marketing in a few months or even the first month. However, there is no guarantee of that. There isn’t any black and white rule to the amount that an affiliate can take in.
Nonetheless, an affiliate marketer can rake in between $5,000 and $10,000 in one month, or even higher. Some affiliate marketers close high-ticket clients, which makes the above figure attainable.
What are Some Ways Affiliate Marketers Promote Products/Services
Affiliate marketers are not limited to a specific way of selling. So here are some of the various methods affiliate marketers drive sales.
Organic Reach (SEO-Optimized Content)
Savvy affiliate marketers create evergreen content by strategically framing their topic and content around key phrases that are related to specific search queries.
So when the keywords are typed on search engines (like Google), their content will appear in search results.
Please note that creating content, either blog posts or videos, for the algorithm alone or stuffing keywords in content isn’t good practice.
There has to be a balance. When you create content, you should prioritize the needs of your audience before anything else. And while the strategic placement of keywords helps with ranking, you shouldn’t just write for the algorithm alone.
Enough said, you should create valuable content that addresses the real needs of your audience.
Product Review Site
Affiliate marketers also operate a niche website or landing page where certain products or services are reviewed.
All it takes is to pay for a reliable web hosting company like Hostinger or Namecheap, register a custom domain, and launch your site.
To get started on how you can pay for hosting, you can watch YouTube tutorials for guides on how you can set up a simple WordPress website.
WordPress is a content management system that allows you to build a simple, professional-looking website even if you do not know how to code.
Email Marketing
Email Affiliate marketers build their email lists using lead magnets. A lead magnet is a free resource that is given to people in exchange for their personal information, which is mostly their email addresses.
A lead magnet can be an e-book, template, video tutorial, checklist, etc. The motive is to get as many people as they can to subscribe to their newsletter so they can reach out to them whenever there is an offer to promote or sell.
Affiliates then recommend products or services to the people already in their email list.
They do this periodically by embedding their affiliate links so that whenever any of their subscribers click on the link, they will be taken to a designated landing page or the merchant’s website where they will finally make a purchase.
YouTube Videos
A YouTube video is one of the ways affiliates promote their links. This is done by creating engaging and informational videos like how-tos or even listicles for specific audiences.
Video creation is gaining prominence in the online space, with the Google algorithm recommending more relevant video content.
Affiliate marketers create content that is niche-related and promote their affiliate links by sharing it in their video descriptions.
P.S.:
Before you start, you will be required to put a disclaimer notice on your video, landing pages, or website.