Step by Step Affiliate Marketing For Beginners
Affiliate Marketing for Beginners: How to Make Your First Affiliate Marketing Sale in 7 Steps
The lure of affiliate marketing is undeniable; who can resist
passive income?
But to make that passive income happen, you have got to put
in some work first.
To succeed in affiliate
marketing, there are several crucial steps you must take before you earn that first affiliate
profits. And these steps are, well … not passive.
The good news is that if you’re determined to make this
work and are willing to put in the time and effort, you’re already well on
your way to affiliate marketing success.
All the work you put in is to help you make your first affiliate
marketing sale. There is nothing like a first sale to motivate you and
make you keep at it.
So, what do you need to do to get started?
7 Steps to Earning Your First Affiliate Commission
We've broken down the process
into seven steps for affiliate marketing beginners. Following this
guide will set you on the right course and have you earning your first
commission in no time.
1. Choose a Niche
Before you even begin building your first site, you’ll need to
decide which niche you’re going to target.
Obviously, if you don't know what your site is about or who
you're going to target with it, you can't really build a site around
it...can you?
If you’ve already figured this one out, way to go! This is
undoubtedly one of the most difficult and overwhelming steps.
If you don't quite know what your niche is yet, here's some
advice that you might find useful.
Some key questions to ask yourself when determining your niche
are:
· What topics am I already passionate about?
It's much easier to work on something if you're passionate about
it. Plus, when you have a passion, you're usually quite knowledgeable
about it too, so that definitely helps. For example, if you have a passion for makeup, your niche of choice might be makeup related, too.
· Is there money in this niche?
While following your passion is definitely the recommended
option, sometimes the possibility of making money in a profitable niche trumps
passion. So, you might not necessarily know much about your niche, but if it's
likely to make you money, you can always learn more about it, right?
For example, KitchenFaucetDivas is clearly a site that was built
for profit, not passion. Unless of course there is someone out there with a
serious passion for kitchen faucets! ;-)
· What topic could I see myself easily writing 25, 50, or
100 blog posts about?
The topic you choose must have enough depth that you can create
a lot of content for it. This is important for building an authoritative site,
for search engine optimization, and most importantly, for the end-user. If you don't have enough content about a topic, you're not going to
be taken very seriously as an authority on the topic and it's unlikely you can
convince someone to make a purchase from you.
MoneySavingExpert is a great example of a site with a topic for
which you would have a never-ending supply of content ideas.
· Is there room in this niche for another affiliate
marketer?
Several profitable niches are also very popular
among affiliate markets (e.g., weight loss). Before jumping on board with
a hugely popular niche, make sure there's enough room for you. That is
— will you be able to make money and compete with already established
marketers? If not, keep looking.
· Is there enough interest in/demand for products in this
niche?
The niche you choose might draw enough interest from your
audience when it comes to reading and acquiring knowledge, but are they willing
to buy relevant products too? Without consumer interest in products, your niche
isn't going to make you much money.
2. Research Affiliate Programs
Once you've decided on a niche, it’s time to find out what’s out
there in terms of programs and products to promote. You've probably already
done a bit of research for this while researching your niche — now you
need to dig deeper.
Choosing an affiliate program will take some work, but
don’t be afraid to invest a significant amount of time into it because this is,
of course, where your income will come from. Choosing the right program
will make it well worth your while!
When choosing an affiliate program, keep these key points in
mind:
· What type of merchants use the program/ affiliate network?
You want to make sure other similar sellers are also using the
network, as this can help you gauge your likelihood of success with the
particular program.
·How much commission are you likely to make from the
products?
Make sure you sign up for programs that are profitable and
generate a sufficient return in on the investment. Some tips:
· If
using ClickBank, products should have over a 50%
commission (preferably 60%), and have a high gravity rating (meaning they’re in
demand).
· For
CPA (cost-per-action) programs, commissions should be over $1, and products
shouldn't be overly restrictive in how you can promote them.
· For
physical products, look for commissions over $40.
· Do you want to be associated with the products and
services?
· This is
obviously, a crucial factor to consider. You might come up with an idea for a
niche you know a lot about, but are there affiliate programs for the
niche? No affiliate program = no sales. Time to look for a different niche.
The products and services you will be promoting to your audience
must be relevant and good quality. Make sure you believe in them and know
everything about them because this will be crucial to you delivering the
sales pitch to your audience. You need to build trust with your audience so
make sure the products and services you choose to promote are trustworthy
enough.
Ads like the one below often lead to sketchy products — do you
want to be associated with a product that promises results that may or may not
be true?
· What kind of support does the program provide?
Be sure to check what kind of customer support you can expect
from your affiliate program once you have signed up. Do your research online
and if possible, speak to other sellers using the program to get their
thoughts. Can you speak to someone via phone or Skype or do you have to wait for 72
hours for email responses? Be clear on this because trust me, you will need
support at one point or another.
3. Build a Site
Steps 1 and 2 are all about research and figuring out what's
possible and profitable. Now, it's time to start putting your research into
action.
Assuming you don’t already have a website built, this will be
the next step. Fortunately, building a site isn’t as complicated or
labor-intensive as it was in the past.
If you're a newbie to building sites, the easiest way to set up
a site is by using WordPress. The WordPress CMS is very
easy to use and while coding skills can come in handy, for the most part
you will not require any tech knowledge to set up your site.
You need to follow a few steps to have your site up and running:
·
Buy a domain.
Your domain is the address for your website (e.g.,
www.global-24.blogspot.com) so this is the first thing you will need to do when setting
up your site. Considering there are millions of websites on the internet, it's
possible that the domain name you want may already be taken by someone
else. So make sure you have several options in mind. Be sure to read our advice
on how to choose a good domain name.
There are several places you can buy a domain, including our
very own Global 24 Domain service.
Other well-known options are GoDaddy and NameCheap.
· Purchase and set up hosting.
If your domain is your address, hosting is like the actual house
within which your site will live. It's your own little slice of the internet —
the place where all your website files live. Hosting is very affordable
these days, so don't unnecessarily scrimp on costs. Go with a reputable,
reliable provider because your affiliate marketing business depends on it.
For more details on how to choose a reliable host, make sure to
read our free lesson on What to Look for in a Hosting Provider. Some
affordable and reliable hosting providers we recommend are GoDaddy, HostGator and BlueHost.
If you purchase your domain and hosting from different
companies, you will need to link the two together. Don't panic, it's a simple
process. Check out our lesson: Linking your Domain with Your Hosting.
· Install WordPress.
Once your hosting is set up, you need to install a content
management system (CMS) for your site. We recommend WordPress because it is
easy to use and a beginner (like you!) can quite quickly figure out how it
works. Most good hosting providers will have a one-click install option for
WordPress, which means it will only take you a couple of minutes and you will
have WordPress installed on your site.
· Install your theme.
A WordPress theme provides all the styling of a site that you
(and your audience) see on the front end. There are thousands of themes
available, so choosing one might seem daunting at start. Our advice: go with
something simple and easy to customize. You can always change it later.
AffiloTheme is
a great option. Completely customizable, and built specifically
for affiliate marketers, you can use this WordPress theme to bypass much of the
initial learning curve other affiliate marketers will experience. You can also
search for themes on a site like Theme Forest.
· Create content.
Finally, once your site is ready, it's time to create
content for it. The content you create must be relevant to your niche but also
interesting and engaging enough to keep your audience coming back. You should
also ensure the site content is search engine-friendly. More details about
content creation in Step 4.
4. Produce Excellent Content
Now that your site is set up and you’ve joined an affiliate
the program, you’re ready to begin perhaps the most time-consuming (but potentially
rewarding) part of the affiliate business: Producing content.
This is where the overused but truer-than-ever phrase “content
is king” comes into play.
Your goal for your site will be to establish it as an authority
site in your niche and the main way to do this is to consistently
produce unique, high-quality content.
This could consist of:
· Product reviews.
Your affiliate site model could be based on writing reviews
about different products or services. This is a common model and if done well,
can prove very useful in generating affiliate income.
For example, The Wire Cutter is focused on writing
reviews of several different kinds of products and helping their readers make
the best decision about the product they want to buy. After reading a review on
their site, if the user clicks through to the product/service using
the affiliate link, The Wire Cutter will earn a commission from.
· Blog posts that address common problems, questions or
issues relevant to your target market.
Creating blog content is a very useful and effective way of
consistently building content on a site. When creating blog posts, it's a good
idea to do some keyword research to figure out what it is that your audience is
interested in and searching for online. Also, be sure to research competitors,
forums and social media to narrow down on topics for your blog.
For example, the Security Guard Training HQ has a
very extensive blog on a variety of topics relevant for anyone interested in
security guard training, jobs and more.
· Evergreen content.
If you are building a site that has the potential
for information that will never age and remain useful for your audience,
you have the opportunity to create what is known as evergreen content. It's
important to carry out extensive keyword research before planning any evergreen
content for a site like this, as your site could hugely benefit from the proper
usage of keywords within such content.
For example, the content on Super Weddings is useful whether
you're organizing a wedding today or next year. All the content on the site is
created accordingly. To make things easier for the audience, it is
separated into categories to make it very convenient for the reader to find
what they're looking for. This, of course, is also very good for SEO.
· Informational products.
Giving away a free informational product such as an e-book, an
email series or a mini-course is a popular tactic many affiliate marketers use.
Usually, your readers will have to provide their email
addresses to receive the product from you. You can then use this to sell
to them via email marketing. Additionally, an informational product can
generate interest in the actual product you're trying to sell. If your product
is popular enough and brings enough traffic to your site, you could also
monetize the traffic in other ways, such as AdSense.
A good example is DatingMetrics, where you're tempted with a
Free Texting Crash Course in exchange for your email. The real marketing
will begin once the user has downloaded this course.
For example, The Wire Cutter is focused on writing
reviews of several different kinds of products and helping their readers make
the best decision about the product they want to buy. After reading a review on
their site, if the user clicks through to the product/service using
the affiliate link, The Wire Cutter will earn a commission from.
· Blog posts that address common problems, questions or
issues relevant to your target market.
Creating blog content is a very useful and effective way of
consistently building content on a site. When creating blog posts, it's a good
idea to do some keyword research to figure out what it is that your audience is
interested in and searching for online. Also, be sure to research competitors,
forums and social media to narrow down on topics for your blog.
For example, the Security Guard Training HQ has a
very extensive blog on a variety of topics relevant for anyone interested in
security guard training, jobs and more.
· Evergreen content.
If you are building a site that has the potential
for information that will never age and remain useful for your audience,
you have the opportunity to create what is known as evergreen content. It's
important to carry out extensive keyword research before planning any evergreen
content for a site like this, as your site could hugely benefit from the proper
usage of keywords within such content.
For example, the content on Super Weddings is useful whether
you're organizing a wedding today or next year. All the content on the site is
created accordingly. To make things easier for the audience, it is
separated into categories to make it very convenient for the reader to find
what they're looking for. This, of course, is also very good for SEO.
· Informational products.
Giving away a free informational product such as an e-book, an
email series or a mini-course is a popular tactic many affiliate marketers use.
Usually, your readers will have to provide their email
addresses to receive the product from you. You can then use this to sell
to them via email marketing. Additionally, an informational product can
generate interest in the actual product you're trying to sell. If your product
is popular enough and brings enough traffic to your site, you could also
monetize the traffic in other ways, such as AdSense.
A good example is DatingMetrics, where you're tempted with a
Free Texting Crash Course in exchange for your email. The real marketing
will begin once the user has downloaded this course.
5. Build an Audience
Building an audience for your site will, in some ways, follow
naturally once you start producing excellent content. An interested audience
will not only bring you consistent traffic but also result in consistent
sales for you.
So how do you start building an audience for a completely new
site? Here are some ideas:
·
Promote your content via social media.
The easiest and most common way to start building an audience
for a website is via social media. Depending on your niche and industry, you
can choose from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and
several other niches and location-specific networks. Building up an engaged and
interested following on social media is a great opportunity to build
relationships and once you have their trust, promote your products and services
to them.
I'll use MoneySavingExpert.com as an example again. The site
has over 154,000 likes on its Facebook page and it connects with
the audience by sharing links to content but also asking
money-saving/budgeting related questions. The highly engaged
readers then visit the website, where they read content and no doubt
make purchases.
· Guest post on high-traffic blogs.
While your site is still new, it's a good idea to start
capitalizing on someone else's audience. Continue focusing on building your own
content, but also considering writing content for a few big, high-traffic blogs
that are relevant for your niche. By writing content for a bigger site, you can get in front of another audience and showcase your expertise on a
particular topic. This will eventually lead to more traffic to your site, as
well.
· Build an email list.
Let no one tell you that email marketing is dead. An email
list is crucial for every affiliate marketer. You can start building up your
email list with a lead magnet (like the information products mentioned
previously) or even just by encouraging your audience to sign up for your
updates. You can then push your content to this audience via email and also
direct them to your affiliate offers. Don't be sleazy about the sales, but if
you build up enough trust with your email audience; when the time
comes, they will not mind purchasing a product from you.
· Use basic SEO techniques to increase search engine traffic to your site.
Organic search remains an important source of traffic for any
website, so you must optimize your website for search engines as
well. When creating your content, you must always do so keeping the reader in
mind first, but don't forget to follow a few basic SEO principles as well.
Learn SEO yourself or hire a good SEO
marketer to help you maximize on-page and off-page SEO opportunities for your
site. If your site starts to appear in search results for terms relevant to
your niche, it will be a huge boost towards building your audience (and your
sales)!
· Invest in paid advertising.
Many affiliate marketers use paid advertising to generate additional
traffic to their site and drive more sales. Paid advertising on social media is
often a good place to start, as these networks tend to be more affordable. You
may also want to consider taking out inexpensive banner ads on small niche
sites. Depending on your niche, Google
AdWords could also be a good option to drive some
paid traffic to your site.
Building an audience for your site will, in some ways, follow
naturally once you start producing excellent content. An interested audience
will not only bring you consistent traffic but also result in consistent
sales for you.
So how do you start building an audience for a completely new
site? Here are some ideas:
·
Promote your content via social media.
The easiest and most common way to start building an audience
for a website is via social media. Depending on your niche and industry, you
can choose from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and
several other niches and location-specific networks. Building up an engaged and
interested following on social media is a great opportunity to build
relationships and once you have their trust, promote your products and services
to them.
I'll use MoneySavingExpert.com as an example again. The site
has over 154,000 likes on its Facebook page and it connects with
the audience by sharing links to content but also asking
money-saving/budgeting related questions. The highly engaged
readers then visit the website, where they read content and no doubt
make purchases.
· Guest post on high-traffic blogs.
While your site is still new, it's a good idea to start
capitalizing on someone else's audience. Continue focusing on building your own
content, but also considering writing content for a few big, high-traffic blogs
that are relevant for your niche. By writing content for a bigger site, you can get in front of another audience and showcase your expertise on a
particular topic. This will eventually lead to more traffic to your site, as
well.
· Build an email list.
Let no one tell you that email marketing is dead. An email
list is crucial for every affiliate marketer. You can start building up your
email list with a lead magnet (like the information products mentioned
previously) or even just by encouraging your audience to sign up for your
updates. You can then push your content to this audience via email and also
direct them to your affiliate offers. Don't be sleazy about the sales, but if
you build up enough trust with your email audience; when the time
comes, they will not mind purchasing a product from you.
· Use basic SEO techniques to increase search engine traffic to your site.
Organic search remains an important source of traffic for any
website, so you must optimize your website for search engines as
well. When creating your content, you must always do so keeping the reader in
mind first, but don't forget to follow a few basic SEO principles as well.
Learn SEO yourself or hire a good SEO
marketer to help you maximize on-page and off-page SEO opportunities for your
site. If your site starts to appear in search results for terms relevant to
your niche, it will be a huge boost towards building your audience (and your
sales)!
· Invest in paid advertising.
Many affiliate marketers use paid advertising to generate additional
traffic to their site and drive more sales. Paid advertising on social media is
often a good place to start, as these networks tend to be more affordable. You
may also want to consider taking out inexpensive banner ads on small niche
sites. Depending on your niche, Google
AdWords could also be a good option to drive some
paid traffic to your site.
6. Promote Affiliate Offers
Finally, the part we’ve all been waiting for!
This, my friends, is where things really kick into high gear.
Many fly-by-night affiliates will jump right to this step and bypass steps 1–5
completely. And this is what will set you apart.
Once you’ve shown that you can offer something of value in your
niche, it’s time to continue adding value by promoting products that will
be useful and helpful for your audience.
You can promote your offers in several ways. It will
depend on the type of site you've built and also what you're selling. Some
ideas include:
· Product reviews.
Write honest, real reviews about products. Build up trust with
your audience, and remember that they rely on your opinion. Don't just point
out all the positives of a product and gloss over the negatives. Honest
opinion will be valued. Add compelling images and make mention of useful
features, specifications, and other details.
Your product review can then link to the page (with your
affiliate ID attached), where your audience can make a purchase if they're
interested. If do, hooray! You've made your first sale.
· Banner ads.
You can put up banners on your site, to promote your affiliate
offers. Most affiliate programs will usually provide their own creatives when
you sign up for their offers. All you have to do is insert the banner on a
highly trafficked page (your affiliate tracking is usually embedded within the
code). Banner ads in the right locations can do a great job of driving
sales.
Below are some examples of banners that Templatic provides to
it's affiliated.
· In-text content links.
This is a very common way to promote offers. For example, you
will often see a blog post with links to certain products or services. If the
reader clicks through and makes a purchase, the blog owner will make a
commission. These in-text links blend in with other content on your site and
are a great way of promoting an offer within your content, without being
over-the-top sales with banners.
· Email promotions.
If you have built up an email list, you could also promote your
affiliate offers via email promotions. Just make sure you build up a
relationship with your audience first instead of going for the hard sell
straightaway. The emails you send out must contain your affiliate links to
products so when your audience click through. the sale is attributed to you.
· discounts and giveaways.
Many affiliate programs will often run promotions with good
discounts or giveaways that might be attractive to your audience. For example,
if you're an Amazon Associate and
the site has a big Holiday Sale, it would be the perfect opportunity for
you to promote discounts to your website visitors. This is a great way to
promote your offers while also providing good value to your audience.
When promoting affiliate offers, just make sure you are fully
aware of all the terms and conditions attached to your affiliate program. Some
programs can be strict about how they allow you to promote their products. For
example, some may limit you to banner ads and links only, while others will allow
you to use paid advertising, but won't allow email marketing.
Also, make sure you have a disclaimer on your website that
advises your audience that you may have links that promote affiliate offers.
This is necessary for several affiliate programs and also a basic courtesy
to your website visitors. In the U.S., the FTC mandates disclosure for
affiliate marketers (and anyone issuing endorsements), as well.
Finally, the part we’ve all been waiting for!
This, my friends, is where things really kick into high gear.
Many fly-by-night affiliates will jump right to this step and bypass steps 1–5
completely. And this is what will set you apart.
Once you’ve shown that you can offer something of value in your
niche, it’s time to continue adding value by promoting products that will
be useful and helpful for your audience.
You can promote your offers in several ways. It will
depend on the type of site you've built and also what you're selling. Some
ideas include:
· Product reviews.
Write honest, real reviews about products. Build up trust with
your audience, and remember that they rely on your opinion. Don't just point
out all the positives of a product and gloss over the negatives. Honest
opinion will be valued. Add compelling images and make mention of useful
features, specifications, and other details.
Your product review can then link to the page (with your
affiliate ID attached), where your audience can make a purchase if they're
interested. If do, hooray! You've made your first sale.
· Banner ads.
You can put up banners on your site, to promote your affiliate
offers. Most affiliate programs will usually provide their own creatives when
you sign up for their offers. All you have to do is insert the banner on a
highly trafficked page (your affiliate tracking is usually embedded within the
code). Banner ads in the right locations can do a great job of driving
sales.
Below are some examples of banners that Templatic provides to
it's affiliated.
· In-text content links.
This is a very common way to promote offers. For example, you
will often see a blog post with links to certain products or services. If the
reader clicks through and makes a purchase, the blog owner will make a
commission. These in-text links blend in with other content on your site and
are a great way of promoting an offer within your content, without being
over-the-top sales with banners.
· Email promotions.
If you have built up an email list, you could also promote your
affiliate offers via email promotions. Just make sure you build up a
relationship with your audience first instead of going for the hard sell
straightaway. The emails you send out must contain your affiliate links to
products so when your audience click through. the sale is attributed to you.
· discounts and giveaways.
Many affiliate programs will often run promotions with good
discounts or giveaways that might be attractive to your audience. For example,
if you're an Amazon Associate and
the site has a big Holiday Sale, it would be the perfect opportunity for
you to promote discounts to your website visitors. This is a great way to
promote your offers while also providing good value to your audience.
When promoting affiliate offers, just make sure you are fully
aware of all the terms and conditions attached to your affiliate program. Some
programs can be strict about how they allow you to promote their products. For
example, some may limit you to banner ads and links only, while others will allow
you to use paid advertising, but won't allow email marketing.
Also, make sure you have a disclaimer on your website that
advises your audience that you may have links that promote affiliate offers.
This is necessary for several affiliate programs and also a basic courtesy
to your website visitors. In the U.S., the FTC mandates disclosure for
affiliate marketers (and anyone issuing endorsements), as well.
7. Rinse, Lather, and Repeat
Now that you're done with Steps 1 - 6, Step 7 is simply to keep
doing what you're doing. Yes, seriously!
Your ongoing work as an affiliate marketer will be to repeat
steps 4 - 6 continually. Building a site up to a point where it
can make you consistent income takes a bit of work and you must be willing to
constantly create, promote, market, innovate and of course, sell.
Now that you're done with Steps 1 - 6, Step 7 is simply to keep
doing what you're doing. Yes, seriously!
Your ongoing work as an affiliate marketer will be to repeat
steps 4 - 6 continually. Building a site up to a point where it
can make you consistent income takes a bit of work and you must be willing to
constantly create, promote, market, innovate and of course, sell.
- Review of Key Points
It can feel overwhelming to do all the necessary work involved
in setting up your site and building your reputation. But trust me, once you’ve
made that first sale, all the hard work will be worth it!
To sum it all up, making your first affiliate commission
requires a bit of work but if you break it all down and follow it step by step,
it won't seem so overwhelming at all. Here's a quick recap of
what you need to
do:
1. Choose your niche.
2. Research different affiliate programs
and products.
3. Build a site.
4. Produce excellent content.
5. Build an audience.
6. Promote your affiliate product(s).
7. Repeat steps #4–7 continually!
"As you can see, there is a tried-and-true strategy when it comes
to affiliate marketing for beginners. Put in the work, and you’ll soon be
reaping the rewards of your first sale."
Do you feel overwhelmed about making
that first affiliate sale? What’s holding you back from getting started? Let us
know in the comments below and we'll be happy to help.
It can feel overwhelming to do all the necessary work involved
in setting up your site and building your reputation. But trust me, once you’ve
made that first sale, all the hard work will be worth it!
To sum it all up, making your first affiliate commission
requires a bit of work but if you break it all down and follow it step by step,
it won't seem so overwhelming at all. Here's a quick recap of
what you need to
do:
1. Choose your niche.
2. Research different affiliate programs
and products.
3. Build a site.
4. Produce excellent content.
5. Build an audience.
6. Promote your affiliate product(s).
7. Repeat steps #4–7 continually!
"As you can see, there is a tried-and-true strategy when it comes
to affiliate marketing for beginners. Put in the work, and you’ll soon be
reaping the rewards of your first sale."
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