In this post, I give some background information on how to start Affiliate Marketing.  Affiliate marketing is where you promote and sell a product for a company or owner of the product for a share of the revenue generated.  Sometimes you may have an interest in the product because you

•  have used it, and seen its value;
•  can also sell goods you have not used;
•  can also produce the product and market it as a creator and marketer. Or have others promote the product for you too.

 

Parties involved in Affiliate Marketing

There are several parties involved in affiliate marketing, namely;

 

The Merchant – the one that creates the product – can be a large company like Adidas; or an individual owning a small business.

 

The Network –  is the intermediary that puts together all the products and handles the affiliates and payments, like Amazon. Product owners make the product, link up with networks who then acts act as an intermediary between them, and the affiliate. (sellers)   Affiliates can have access to several products from one network.

 

Affiliates are also known as Publishers by some sites.

 

The Customer –  is the buyer.

How does Affiliate Marketing  Work?

Affiliate Marketing works with the Network giving affiliates a unique link to merge with product images on their websites and other channels.  This way, the product is advertised for visitors to see.

Affiliates are expected to make known to the consumers their participation as an affiliate for a product.  This is where disclosure is revealed. A tracking system works in the background to effect delivery and payment.

Steps to Join an Affiliate Company and Succeed as an Affiliate 

• You need to look at reviews about the affiliate company you want to use.  Then register with them. They track the links to know what items were purchased or even viewed.
• Make reviews of products, the right way, to enable you to make sales easily.
• Find a medium or think through how to get your links to your chosen audience.  It could be through a blog/website or through video on a YouTube channel, to name a few.
• Create the content and reviews about the products.
• Go through questions people are asking on your niche (interest or product) and use keyword research to
• Start writing answers on them through posts on your blog.
• Get free products from producers or purchase some for the purpose.

 

In writing a product review, you establish trust with the customer.   A product review template enables the consistent and quick generation of reviews.

 

 

 

Niche affiliate marketing

With niche affiliate marketing, you can have what is known as a niche affiliate blog.   Focus is on one product or a set of products in a related category that are reviewed in blog posts.  You can replicate this method for an offline side hustle;  your creativity comes in a great deal here.  This can also be termed as building your brand.  The products you offer can be so focussed that it helps to find your site.  We can relate to this, as there are particular sites we choose to visit only because of what is offered and the way it is done.   We get our problems solved by visiting certain websites.  In the same way, setting up a niche site should solve problems for others.

 

Best affiliate Marketing Programmes

You can be an affiliate for anything from

• Courses,
• Hosting,
• WordPress themes,
• eBooks (downloadable products),
• Physical products,
• Software.

 

Affiliate marketing opportunities abound online, the most popular one being Amazon.   To find them, make a search in Google for say children’s’ toys (niche) + affiliate programme.   This is a very focused niche, as it is only one item related to children that have been chosen.  You can also search, based on something you’ve’ used and would like to write reviews about it for the benefit of others.

 

Affiliate marketing average income – depends on the company, product, and type of affiliate programme being used.  One product when promoted well can generate a lot of income.

 

How to create an affiliate website

Anything you have learnt about creating a website can be applied to an affiliate website.  You may just have to look round to see how others have done it for you to decide.  It may also lead you to your choice of a website theme.  Some WordPress themes are set up for product images or shops.

 

Benefits of Affiliate Marketing

The ease of entry into Affiliate Marketing is one benefit most people like about it.  You may have to set up a website with some content on it before some networks will allow you to be a publisher.

 

Affiliate marketing is considered passive income.  Once the process is set up properly, it generates earnings on its own.  This kind of online marketing requires some knowledge and training.  Like any online business, it is necessary to attract visitors to the site through SEO using keywords.  Also, study other sites to learn their strategies.  Most people fail because they give up too early and don’t take the time to put in their best efforts.

 

Wealthy Affiliate teaches affiliate marketing in four steps providing the necessary tools to help you succeed.  The steps are to

• Find a niche;
• Set up a website. Find a product.
• Register with affiliate progs provided as part of the training;
• Use keywords to write product reviews;
• Earn.

 

Here’s what some members have to say:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Visitors gain trust as they are helped by your content that offers the value they need.

You now have an idea of how to start Affiliate Marketing.  Did you enjoy this post and learn something new?  If you did, leave me a comment and please share it.