Making sense of affiliate marketing isn’t always easy, especially when you are just getting started.
When you are an affiliate, you receive a special link that you can use to promote other people’s products and services. When someone clicks on your link and purchases the product or service, you earn a commission.
Affiliate Marketing can also be a great way for you to earn passive income.
Affiliate Marketing 101 Video
You can be an affiliate for a large company, like Amazon. You can also be an affiliate for a small business. Many small businesses pay generous commissions of around 50% commission.
Where Can You Place Your Affiliate Links
You can place your affiliate links in a variety of places, and we will be talking about that throughout this article.
Before you can place your affiliate links anywhere, you need to get affiliate links … and you do that by joining affiliate programs. Look for affiliate programs that complement your business.
A health coach could promote Vitamix Blenders, health food, exercise equipment, exercise and nutrition workshops, and other health related products.
A business coach could promote software, workshops, and anything you’d find in an office.
- Look at the products and services that you use – do any of them have an affiliate program?
- What are some of the products and services that you get asked about?
- What products and services do you see people asking about in Facebook Groups (that match your target market)?
Your Assignment
Making Money As An Affiliate
As an affiliate, you earn a commission each time someone visits your affiliate link and makes a purchase. There are many places you can put your links – and we will talk about them. The important thing to remember is that it’s not just about spreading links around – it’s about recommending products and services that will HELP people.
One of the easiest ways to start recommending the products you are an affiliate for is through your blog posts. You can do review posts where you explain how to use the product. Link to products where it would naturally fit in with the blog post.
For example, if you’re a health coach, and you’re writing a post about smoothies, you could promote the Vitamix, a recipe book about smoothies, or a clean eating workshop.
If you’re a web designer, and you’re writing a post about web hosting, mention the hosting company you’re an affiliate for and insert your link.
Your Assignment
Add Links To Older Posts
You will be finding new readers all the time, and they won’t have seen your posts. The people who did see them may not remember reading them.
Spruce up your old blog posts, add your affiliate links, and start promoting those posts on social media again! You worked hard to create that content, don’t just promote it once and then let it sit there. Keep it in your content marketing rotation!
When you’re adding your affiliate links, you’ll do better as an affiliate when you are recommending products and services that will HELP people. Link to products where it would naturally fit in with the blog post.
Your Assignment
Create Resource Lists
Another place to add your affiliate links is to a Resource List. This can be a freebie that you give away. But you can also add this to a page on your website or blog.
What products and services do you use regularly? If that company has an affiliate program, join the program and insert your affiliate link under a description of that product. Not every product you include has to have an affiliate program, but remember, you do want to add your affiliate links when you can.
Your Assignment
Create Freebies
As you may know, creating freebies are a great way to grow your email list – but they’re also a great way to share your affiliate links! Just like in a blog post, you’ll want to share your affiliate links where it makes sense.
So what kind of freebies could you create?
If you were a Health Coach, you could create a “Quick Start Guide To Clean Eating.” You could then promote products such as health food, blenders, recipe books, health oriented workshops and exercise programs. You would then include links in your clean eating guide for these products.
If you are a Web Designer, create a “Guide To Getting Started Online.” You could promote web hosting, paid WordPress themes, plugins and software products.
Your Assignment
Don’t Overlook These 2 Places
Thank You Pages – These are the pages that people get redirected to after they sign up for your mailing list or purchase a product. After you tell them what comes next – such as: Check your email, I’ll be sending you the download link. Under that section, include a section such as “You Might Also Like..” Insert your affiliate links there.
Download Pages – These are the pages that people visit when they download something they purchased from you, or got as a freebie. Underneath where all the download instructions are, promote another product that is similar or can help the person in some way.
Your Assignment
Affiliate Links and Emails
As a business owner, your email list is one of your best assets. It helps you build relationships with – and stay in contact with your customers and potential customers.
It is also a great place to add your affiliate links. But again – only when it is natural to do so. If you normally talk about parenting tips, and that is what your readers expect from you, it would be silly to include affiliate links to motorcycle parts.
This depends on which affiliate programs you join, but sometimes the business will give you freebies and trials. You will still use your affiliate link, if the person who signs up for the freebie purchases something, you’ll get a commission. These are great to send out in emails.