What is Affiliate Marketing? 

So many people are looking for ways to either supplement their income, or step out of the rat race altogether and replace their 9-5 job.

This has sparked sort of a revolution of people looking for ways to do this online.

Most will continue to work their job until they replace the income entirely with working online which essentially eliminates all the risk of starting a new business online. 

If you're looking for a way to make money online, affiliate marketing might just be the ticket.

In short, affiliate marketing is a way for individuals to earn commission by promoting products or services of other businesses.

The best part is that you don't have to create your own product, handle inventory, or deal with customer service.

Instead, you focus on promoting products and earning a commission for each sale made through your unique affiliate link. 

In this article, we'll dive into what affiliate marketing is and how to become an affiliate marketer.

We'll also cover the best practices for building a successful affiliate marketing business. 

Why Affiliate Marketing? 

Affiliate marketing is a performance-based marketing model where individuals promote products or services of a business and earn a commission for each sale made through their unique affiliate link.

The commission percentage varies based on the business and product being promoted, but typically ranges from 5-20% with some higher ticket products at 50% or more. 

The beauty of affiliate marketing is that it allows individuals to monetize their blog, website, or social media following by promoting products that align with their niche and audience.

It's a win-win for both the business and the affiliate marketer - the business gets exposure and sales, while the affiliate marketer earns a commission for their promotion efforts. 

Steps to Become an Affiliate Marketer: 

Choose a niche: 

Before you start promoting products, it's important to choose a niche that you're passionate about and aligns with your expertise. This will make it easier to create content and connect with your audience. Some popular niches include health and wellness, personal finance, as well as beauty and fashion. 

Build a platform: Once you've chosen your niche, it's time to build a platform where you can promote products. This can be a blog, website, or social media account. Your platform should have a clear theme and target audience, as this will make it easier to attract and engage with your followers. 

Research affiliate programs: 

There are countless affiliate programs available, so it's important to do your research and find ones that align with your niche and audience. Some popular affiliate programs include: 

1. Amazon Associates 

2. Commission Junction 

3. ShareASale 

4. Clickbank 

5. JVZoo 

6. WarriorPlus 

You can also find affiliate programs for most big-name stores by just using Google.

Just type in “affiliate programs for__________,” into the search bar. This is also a great way to find products for those niches with any hard-to-find products. 

Apply to affiliate programs: 

Once you've found affiliate programs that align with your niche, it's time to apply. Most affiliate programs require an application process, where you'll need to provide information about your platform and how you plan to promote their products. 

The easiest platform to get started with would be Clickbank, where you would just open an account and have the ability to promote almost any product they have listed. 

Once you are approved for a product, you will receive and affiliate link (or Hoplink with Clickbank). This is the link you will paste on your blog, content videos, and social media platforms. When someone clicks this link and purchases the product or service, you will earn the predetermined commission for that purchase. 

Create valuable content: In order to attract and engage with your audience, it's important to create valuable content that aligns with your niche. This can include blog posts, social media posts, and videos. Your content should provide value to your audience and promote products in a way that feels authentic and genuine. 

To help find products that your typical customer (Avatar) would like, go to forums for the niche you chose or Facebook groups and pay attention to the questions being asked in these groups. You can sometimes even use these groups to bring awareness to your product or service you are promoting. 

Another place is to go to Quora.com and again search for groups that pertain to your niche. Look for questions being asked or problems people in your niche have and see if you can position what your promoting as the answer to their problems. (It is also a great idea to begin answering questions related to your niche while you are there. This will help establish you as an authority in the niche). 

Promote affiliate products: 

Once you've created valuable content, it's time to start promoting affiliate products. This can be done through product reviews, tutorials, and product roundups. This can be done for free on social media platforms, so the more places you have a presence, the better. It's also important to disclose your affiliate relationship and be transparent with your audience about any commission you'll earn from their purchases. This will help to build trust with your audience, which is key to growing your business online. Track and analyze results: 

To optimize your affiliate marketing efforts, it's important to track and analyze your results. Knowing exactly where your sales are coming from will help you focus more attention to that area and will most likely save you in ad spend. This can be done through affiliate tracking software, which will show you how many clicks and sales your affiliate links are generating. Use this information to optimize your promotion strategies and focus on products that resonate with your audience. 

PRO TIP: 

When making changes to your sales pages, it is recommended to only make one change at a time.

The first change should be color changes like your background. Colors can attract or repel and sometimes that is all that needs changed. 

Imagine this scenario: You aren’t getting good sales, so you go through and change everything about the ad. Now your sales have picked up a little…. But you have no idea what change created the uptick in sales. At this point, any attempt to better this ad could result in less sales. 

If you only make one change at a time, you will know exactly what did or didn’t help and what to focus your attention on for your next change, if needed. 

Best Practices for Building a Successful Affiliate Marketing Business: 

Choose products you believe in: It's important to choose products that you genuinely believe in and would recommend to others. This will make it easier to create content and promote products in a way that feels authentic and genuine. 

Provide value to your audience: 

In order to attract and engage with your audience, it's important to provide value through your content. This can include helpful tips, product reviews, and tutorials. Your audience should feel like they're getting something out of your content, rather than just being sold to. 

Build trust with your audience: 

Building trust with your audience is key to a successful affiliate marketing business. This can be done by being transparent about your affiliate relationships, providing valuable content, and only promoting products that you genuinely believe in. 

Focus on quality over quantity: 

It's tempting to promote as many products as possible in order to earn more commission. However, it's important to focus on quality over quantity. By promoting fewer products that align with your niche and audience, you'll be able to build stronger relationships with your audience and earn more commission in the long run. 

Stay up to date with industry trends: 

The affiliate marketing industry is constantly evolving, so it's important to stay up to date with industry trends and best practices. Attend conferences, read industry blogs, and connect with other affiliate marketers to stay informed and optimize your promotion strategies. 

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 Affiliate marketing is a great way to earn money online by promoting products and services that align with your niche and audience.

By following the steps outlined in this article and focusing on building trust and providing value to your audience, you can build a successful affiliate marketing business.

So why not give it a try and see what kind of income you can generate? 

If you would like more information on affiliate marketing or how to start your own affiliate marketing business. Then check out my book “Master Online Marketing.” 

This book is filled with all the steps you need to take in order to start and grow your own affiliate marketing business. 

It is packed with thousands of dollars worth of information and normally sells for $37. 

But I have set aside a special discount price of just $1.99, for anyone who reads this blog article and is interested in starting their own business in affiliate marketing. 

Fellow marketers think I’m crazy for letting this go at this price, but I believe in trying my best to help everyone I can and I really believe this will help you.

Click on the link below to check it out. 

Get The “Master Online Marketing” Book For Just $1.99 

To Your Success 

Gary Maynard