Are you interested in getting into affiliate marketing? You are? We certainly don’t blame you. In today’s capricious economy and with the uncertainty of Brexit just around the corner, more and more of us are looking for a “side hustle”. A means by which they can earn a little extra money without having to quit their day job or devote hours and hours of their sparse free time. The beauty of affiliate marketing is that it can be pretty much whatever you want and need it to be. If you’re looking for something to earn you a little extra pocket money by monetising your blog or social following it can be that. If you’re looking for something to help you to transition out of a job or career that’s frustrating you, it can be that, too. It all depends on how much time and effort you’re willing to dedicate to it. If
Because, despite what you may have heard, affiliate marketing isn’t passive income. You need to develop and maintain your online presence as an affiliate. You’ll also need to carry out extensive research before offering up your online presence as an affiliate. Because, when all is said and done…
If you have no clue what affiliate marketing even is, we recommend you check out our blog “What Is Affiliate Marketing – How To Guide”.
Success starts with finding the right partner
No matter how robust your following, how well respected you are within your niche and how much your social following hangs on every word you say, affiliating yourself with the wrong brand (and the wrong product) can be disastrous. It can lead in legions of disgruntled customers to associate your brand with a shoddy product or dismiss your online content as nothing more than glorified advertorial.
The trouble is that with so many affiliate programmes out there, it can be hard to know which to choose. The last thing you want is to hitch your wagon to a merchant that inspires no trust or confidence in your following. At the same time, however, allying yourself with a known brand like eBay or Amazon isn’t a surefire recipe for success, as they can offer pretty anemic commission rates (anything up to 10%).
As such, you’ll need to master something of a balancing act in finding the best fit not just for your personal brand but for your following.
You’ll need to find a merchant with a reliable product and high professional standards. Someone who’ll pay you enough commission to make your efforts worthwhile and who will give you the support you need to succeed, as well as giving your following the highest standard of service once they become customers.
Research and choose the right product(s) for your audience
As well as affiliating yourself with the right merchant and brand, you’ll also need to think carefully about the kinds of products you offer to your following as an affiliate. There’s no point in joining an affiliate scheme if your affiliate links and banners are going to go unclicked by an audience who has no interest in the product or can’t see how it will benefit them.
Typically, the better you know your niche, the better positioned you are to offer them the products which are of the most value to them. As appealing as it may seem to try to be all things to all people, you stand a much better chance of success if you know your niche and cater to their needs. A little market research goes a long way.
Get to know the people who make up your target audience. What sort of problems and challenges do they encounter on a regular basis? What frustrations might they face to which you could help them find solutions? Needless to say, these will be very different depending on whether your target audience is stay-at-home single parents or busy small business owners.
Of course, you don’t necessarily need to affiliate yourself with one product, but it’s recommended that you narrow it down to two or three at the most. As time goes on, you’ll be able to check your metrics to see which products strike a chord with your target audience and which do not. Of course, the more products you have available under your affiliate programme, the harder and more time-consuming it is to keep an eye on your metrics.
Get to know the product yourself first
Affiliate marketing is infinitely more meaningful if you choose a product that you believe in. And if you can answer your followers’ questions about it and allay any concerns that they may have on your online platform, you stand a much better chance of enjoying high conversion rates.
Take some time to get to know the product you’re indirectly selling. Use it if you can. At the very least invest the time and effort in getting a user’s perspective. This will help your followers to believe in the product and make them less likely to see your efforts as adverts masquerading as online content.
Reviews are a great way to do this. They help your following to engage with the product and get to know its relative merits. They also make the affiliate link seem like a natural part of the content and bring fresh pairs of eyes to your online presence. Which brings us to…
Invest in growing your following
Needless to say, if referrals and commissions are to keep rolling in, you’ll need to keep on growing your online following. Use the social platforms that engage your target audience rather than trying to engage everyone. Use your email mailing list as a way to hook your followers up with great deals and offers. Use live streaming, videos and webinars to help your followers get to know you a little better. The better they know you, the more they’ll trust your word as an affiliate.
Why choose our Affiliate Programme?
With so many affiliate programmes out there, it can be hard to know where to turn to get the best deal for yourself and your following. We’ve pulled out all the stops to bring an affiliate programme that goes the extra mile for our partners. It’s quick, easy and free of charge to get started and registration is as simple as clicking this link. We give you ample support when you need it as well as generous rates of commission up to 30%. And because many of our products are subscription-based, you’ll get your commission every time referred customers renew!