As more people aim to gain more control over their schedule, earn extra income, and gain control of their financial futures it is becoming increasingly common to work online. Some people even opt to quit their day jobs and do it full time. One of the most well-known ways you can earn an income online is affiliate marketing. However, just like with any type of business venture, it is important to carry out extensive research before you invest your money and time in affiliate marketing. Here is the answer to the question: “How Do I Become An Affiliate Marketer?”.
1. SELECT A NICHE
Before you set up your affiliate site, you will need to determine the niche that you intend to work in. If you have already worked out what you want to work on, you can move on to the next step. On the other hand, if you are yet to figure out your niche, here are some key considerations to keep in mind:
- What Are You Passionate About?
As you might expect, it is always much easier to work on something that you are already passionate about. Additionally, you are more likely to have more knowledge about something that you enjoy.
- Can You Make Money in the Niche?
While going with something you are passionate about is a great option, sometimes you will find that the possibility of earning an income in a niche that will bring in profits is higher than if you went with the niche you enjoy. So, you might not have a lot of information about your niche, but if it is going to make you more money, you could always do research on the topic and expand your knowledge.
- Is it an Extensive Topic?
The topic that you select should be extensive enough to allow you to come up with a lot of content. This is crucial especially for setting up an authoritative site, for optimizing search engines, and for the end user. If you lack adequate content, you will not gain the trust of your reader, and it is highly unlikely you will get them to act on your recommendations – meaning you won’t get commissions.
- Is There a Lot of Competition?
There are a variety of niches that have proven to be popular with affiliate markets such as health and fitness. However, before you decide to become part of a popular niche, ensure that it is not overly saturated to the point that you will be easily edged out by competitors especially as a beginner.
- Is There a Demand For the Products In The Niche?
The niche that you select should generate interest from your target audience when it comes to buying the products. If they are not interested in what you have to recommend, you won’t make much money in your niche.
- Are There Affiliate Programs In the Niche?
This is an important factor to consider. You might have an idea for a niche, but if there are no affiliate programs in the niche, then you won’t make sales.
2. FINDING AN AFFILIATE PROGRAM
Once you have found a niche, the next step is to determine the affiliate program to promote. It is important to do as much research as possible to ensure that you have all the information at hand. Here are some factors to consider when selecting an affiliate program:
- What Type of Affiliates Are Part of The Network?
You want to ensure that other affiliates in your niche are working with the affiliate program you want to join. This can help you get a better idea of the success rate of those that work with the program.
- What Are The Commission Rates?
Always go for affiliate programs that are considered profitable and generate a satisfactory return on your investment.
- Are The Products of Good Quality?
The products and services you intend to promote to your audience should be of good quality. You must have in-depth knowledge about them and believe in them as you will need to deliver a convincing sales pitch to your audience. You will have to build trust with prospective customers, so ensure that what you intend to sell is of high quality.
3. BUILD A SITE
To start working as an affiliate, it is important to have a functioning platform, whether it is a website or blog, where you can promote the products and services you intend to sell as well as your affiliate links. Here are some tips on how you can set up a simple website:
- Start by Buying a Domain
Keeping in mind that there are a wide variety of websites on the internet, it is highly likely that the domain name that you want could be already taken by someone else. If you can’t find something unique, you can purchase a domain on sites such as NameCheap and GoDaddy.
- Buy and Set up Hosting
The next step is to find a reputable, reliable provider where you can buy hosting. Some of the reliable hosting providers that are also affordable include BlueHost, HostGator, and GoDaddy.
- Install WordPress
Once you set up your hosting, you will need to install a CMS (content management system) for your site. WordPress is easy to use and install, making it suitable for beginners.
- Install a Theme
WordPress provides you with a wide variety of themes you can choose from. The theme you choose is what you and your audience will see upon visiting the site. There are free themes as well as paid themes. Start with a simple free theme and upgrade later if you need to.
BUILD A WEBSITE IN LESS THAN A MINUTE
- Create Content
Once you are done setting up your site, the next step is to create content that will be posted on it. The content you add should not only be relevant to your affiliate niche but also be engaging enough to appeal to audiences and encourage them to continue visiting your site. Read on for more details on content creation in the next section.
4. ENSURE THAT YOU HAVE QUALITY CONTENT
Your main aim when it comes to producing content for your site should be to ensure that it is established as an authority site. One of the most reliable ways to do this is to consistently provide unique content that is of high quality. Here are some ideas:
- Product Reviews
One of the main site models in affiliate marketing is based on reviewing products or services on your platform. To come up with informative posts, consider conducting keyword research to determine the interests of your audience. You will also want to ensure to research forums, social media, and even on your competitors so that you can come up with a shortlist of topics to discuss on your site.
- Informational Products
Another option is to give your site visitors informational products such as a mini-course, an e-book, or an email series. Usually, interested readers will be required to provide their email addresses so that they can receive your offer. Once you have the emails, you can make sales through email marketing. Furthermore, an informational product that is of good quality can increase the interest of prospective customers in the product you are trying to sell.
5. BUILD AN AUDIENCE
When you find a reliable audience, you will not only generate consistent traffic, but you will also make sales consistently. Here is how you can build an audience for your site:
- Email Marketing
Email marketing is still quite common despite having been around for quite some time. Its perseverance could be attributed to the fact that it is still very effective and worth your consideration. To get started, build an email list using a lead market such as a free product. You can then share your content to those who opt into your email list via email and also encourage them to go to your affiliate offers.
- Paid Advertising
This is a common way to generate additional traffic and increase sales. As a beginner, you might want to start with paid advertising on social media sites as they tend to be more affordable. Another option you might want to consider is taking out banner ads on niche sites.
- Post on Blogs That Receive High Traffic
Before your site fully takes off, consider capitalizing on the audience of someone who is already established. Continue to create high-quality content on your platform, but at the same time consider writing content for blogs within your niche that receive a steady stream of traffic. By doing this, you will introduce yourself to another audience and display your expertise on a topic in your niche. This will likely lead to more traffic being directed to your site as well.
- Social Media Promotion
Depending on the niche you choose to work in, you can opt to promote your content on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other similar platforms. Building a following on these platforms that is interested in what you have to offer is a great way to interact with prospective customers and gain their trust. You can then start promoting your products to them.
6. PROMOTING AFFILIATE OFFERS
To add value to your site, consider promoting products or services that customers will find useful. There are a variety of ways through which you can promote your affiliate offers:
- Discount and Giveaways
It is not uncommon to find affiliate programs giving their audiences discounts and giveaways to appeal to them. This is a great and usually effective way to promote your offers and provide good value to customers at the same time.
If you intend to promote affiliate offers, it is important to familiarize yourself with the terms and conditions that are attached to the affiliate program that you work with. Some of these programs will restrict you in terms of how to promote their products – for example, some might limit you to banner ads, while others will strictly require email marketing.
It is also important to have a disclaimer that lets your audience know that you may have added affiliate links intended to promote your affiliate offers. This is not only courteous to your visitors but is also a requirement for several affiliate programs.
- Email Promotions
If you have an email list, you can also use it to promote your affiliate offers. The emails that you send out should have affiliate links to the products so that when prospective customers click through and make a purchase, you could be credited for the sale.
- Banner Ads
Banners are another great option for promoting your affiliate offers. In many cases, the affiliate program that you work with will likely provide you with the banners, so all you are tasked with is inserting the banner on a page that receives a steady stream of traffic.
7. JOIN AN ONLINE AFFILIATE COMMUNITY
To familiarize yourself with the affiliate marketing world and have a better idea of what to expect as a beginner, consider joining an online community or forum that is exclusively made up of like-minded affiliate marketers within your chosen niche. It is usually free to become a part of these online resources, plus they can provide you with useful advice. These communities can also provide you with networking opportunities, allowing you to forge relationships with other affiliates.
HERE IS THE COMMUNITY THAT HAS HELPED ME REACH MY AFFILIATE MARKETING GOALS
FINAL THOUGHTS
Affiliate marketing is a genuine and reliable way to generate an income online. However, there are several crucial preparatory steps that you need to take before you can launch your affiliate marketing business. Additionally, it can take quite a while before you start generating considerable amounts of money, so it requires patience and dedication as well.
I want to help you get started in affiliate marketing in order to reach your financial goals. If you are interested in learning more, I invite you to join the community that I belong to. It is free and has a ton of training that can help you launch your own successful online business!
VISIT MY TOP RECOMMENDED AFFILIATE MARKETING TRAINING COMMUNITY – FREE!
I hope to see you on the other side where I will take you by the hand and help you through your journey in affiliate marketing!
To your success,
Mike Aha