Looking to earn money online through affiliate marketing? Well, you’re in luck! This guide has all you need to start. Did you know the US affiliate industry is set to reach a whopping $8.6 billion?
Want a piece of that pie?
Affiliate marketing offers a fantastic opportunity for nearly effortless income. You’ll keep earning, even when you’re not actively working. But remember, you’ll need to put in some initial effort. Just a small portion of that $8.6 billion can have a life-changing impact.
Let’s dive into the basics of affiliate marketing.
The Ultimate Guide to Affiliate Marketing for Beginners
Before you begin earning with affiliate marketing, it’s important to grasp a few key concepts. This section will walk you through different business models and the types of products and services you can promote.
But first, let’s define what affiliate marketing actually means!
Understanding Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is a way to earn money by promoting products or services that you didn’t create. Here’s how it works: You find something you like, share it with your followers, and if they buy it or take a specific action, you get a portion of the money they spent.
Did you know that 84% of people who do this kind of marketing make money? That means you have a great chance to earn online too. The idea behind affiliate marketing is like sharing profits.
Now, let’s talk about the different ways it works. When you promote something and people buy it or do something good for the seller, you get a reward. This reward is your payment for helping out.
Types of Affiliate Marketing: How it Works
There are two main ways affiliate marketing happens – one where you earn when someone buys a product, and another where you earn when someone takes a certain action. Knowing about these ways will make it easier for you to start with affiliate marketing.
Earning Money with Affiliate Marketing Models
There are two main ways you can make money through affiliate marketing: Cost Per Sale (CPS) and Cost Per Action (CPA). Let’s break them down in simpler terms.
1. Cost Per Sale (CPS) Affiliate Marketing
Imagine you’re telling your friends about a cool video game you found online. If they use a special link you give them and actually buy the game, you get a piece of the money they paid. This works for all kinds of stuff, like software or gadgets. Some businesses that do this are big, like Amazon, and some are smaller stores.
For instance, if someone buys a product from Amazon using your link, you earn a commission. But here’s the catch: you only earn money when people buy something using your link. Even if thousands of people visit the online store, you won’t earn anything unless they become buyers.
2. Cost Per Action (CPA) Affiliate Marketing
This one is a bit different. You don’t have to wait for someone to buy something. Instead, you get paid if they do a specific thing, like signing up for a free trial or filling out a form. This might seem easier, but a lot of people are trying to do it, so it can be tough. Some folks even spend money on ads to make money this way.
For example, If you spend $1000 on ads to make $1500 in profits. That’s $500 extra in your pocket. It’s a good deal if you do it right. To make this work, you need to be smart about your costs because even a little increase in how much you spend on ads could lead to less profit.
If you focus on a specific topic that you’re passionate about, like a certain type of video game or a hobby, you’re more likely to do well. You’ll create a website or page that’s all about that topic. When you run ads, the people who visit are more likely to become customers because they’re already interested in what you’re offering.
Before you get started, make sure you understand the type of product or service you’ll be promoting as an affiliate. This will set you up for success in the world of affiliate marketing!
Choosing the Right Products or Services
There’s a bunch of stuff you can promote as an affiliate marketer, like online courses or actual things you can touch. Let me break it down into three main groups and explain them simply.
1. Digital Stuff
Imagine things you can’t hold, but you can use, like online courses or digital files. You can’t touch or taste them, but they’re still valuable. For example, think about music you listen to online. You can’t grab it, but you enjoy it.
To make money, you tell others about these digital things and get paid for it. They usually come as files you can download or stream. It’s a bit tricky because there’s lots of free stuff online. But you can do it if you try.
Where do you find these digital things to promote? You can look on websites like:
First, make an account on these sites. Then, find stuff related to what you’re interested in. Tell people about them, and you’ll earn money when they buy. People like Peter Mark even make $100K a month doing this.
2. Physical Things
If you don’t want to compete as much, you can promote physical products you can touch. I’m not saying you should sell super popular stuff like iPhones – those are still really competitive. But there are plenty of other things to choose from.
Instead of only digital stuff, these are actual items people buy. It’s a bit different from digital things, but you can still earn money by telling others about them.
So, whether you’re into digital or real things, there’s a lot of potential to earn money as an affiliate marketer. Just find things you like and start telling people about them!
Choosing Physical Products for Affiliate Marketing
Picking a physical item to promote is easy! Just follow these steps:
- Visit big online shops like Amazon, eBay, or Alibaba.
- Look through different categories to find things people like.
- Check out the good reviews the products have.
- Choose something that seems solid and reliable.
Once you’ve got your product, start making content about it. Share your thoughts and why you like it. Add your special link, and when people buy using that link, you’ll earn money. If you’re into promoting real things, Amazon Associates is a great choice. It’s one of the biggest affiliate programs out there.
3. Promoting Online Services
Now, there’s another cool thing you can promote: online services. These are different from physical items. Services can be stuff like software tools or skills people offer online.
For example, there are software tools like Canva or SEMRush. You can tell people about these services and earn money when they sign up or buy using your special link. It’s a bit like promoting digital stuff, but it’s not the same as selling physical things
In this article, I will teach comprehensive method to target affiliate program that you can use to apply on any affiliate product you want to promote.
Additionally, I will assist you by sharing innovative strategies to boost your traffic and increase conversions through affiliate marketing.
These techniques have personally enabled me to successfully promote over 16 affiliate programs, leading to the creation of a reliable online income stream. Let’s begin
Selecting a Product or Service
To begin, you need to decide on a product or service that you want to promote. This is similar to choosing a specific topic for your blog or website. For instance, if your area of interest is football, you might want to promote items like footballs, nets, and related gear.
Some people pick a niche based on what they personally like. On the other hand, others focus on products that have strong money-making potential. Regardless of your approach, you need to pick a product or service around which you can create content.
The first way to target affiliate program for promotion is to explore affiliate programs or networks. Some examples are CJ, ShareASale, ClickBank, and more.
Additionally, you can utilize the Digit Crafter affiliate programs tool to help you make a decision regarding an affiliate marketing program.
Here’s what you need to do:
- Visit the Digit Crafter Affiliate Programs tool.
- Enter keywords related to your niche to narrow down the results.
- Evaluate and select the affiliate program that matches your criteria.
Alternatively, you can take a look at all these programs and decide which ones suit you best. For instance, you might consider promoting products from NameCheap because they offer a generous two-month cookie duration. Isn’t that a great opportunity to promote?
Create Your Blog or Landing Page
To start making money through affiliate marketing, you need a platform to work from. You can create a blog, a website, or a landing page. This is where you share helpful content with your audience and showcase different products to earn commissions.
For instance, you can visit the NameCheap website to see their landing page in action.
This is GoDaddy landing page.
This is the page where you share your idea with your audience.
Here’s how you can set up a blog:
- Buy hosting from a top hosting service.
- Get a domain name from NameCheap, GoDaddy or Domain.com, or need a suggestion to generate domain name? Go to YourDomainer.
- Connect the domain name to your hosting.
- Install WordPress to manage your content.
- Begin creating content related to your chosen topic.
You can create a special page just for presenting your idea to your audience. This special page is called a “landing page.” However, if your goal is to make more sales, it’s a good idea to write multiple posts.
If you’re looking to make a landing page or a blog for almost no cost, here’s how you can do it.
What should you do after creating and publishing your content? Well, introduce affiliate links, of course! You can promote your affiliate products using:
– PrettyLinks (A plugin that helps you naturally include affiliate links)
– Banner Ads (Copy the code from the affiliate program and paste it into your blog)
– Recommendations page (Create a page where you recommend products)
– Tutorials, tips, and guides (Offer valuable information to build trust with your audience)
Many marketers simply wait after creating content in their chosen area. However, my recommendation is to actively promote your content through various channels. Don’t just sit and wait – run campaigns to spread the word across different media platforms.
Run Online Campaigns
Running campaigns through email, social media, and search platforms is the quickest way to earn money as an affiliate. These campaigns can be either free or paid. Paid campaigns tend to yield faster results compared to free ones.
Here’s how to run an email campaign:
- Begin by building your email list through lead magnets and other methods.
- Set clear goals for your campaign and stick to them.
- Get to know your audience well to tailor your messages effectively.
- Create attractive opt-in offers to entice people to subscribe.
- Plan out your emails and set a schedule for sending them.
- Craft engaging subject lines that grab attention.
- Utilize an email marketing service like Get Response, Moosend, or even Stripo.
- Design an email drip campaign that delivers content gradually, if you don’t have a professional email account, check this guide to make a professional email address.
Initiate sending these emails to your audience. Connect with them in a friendly manner and genuinely offer assistance. As you consistently build trust, you’ll start earning money through affiliate commissions.
Running well-structured campaigns across different channels can significantly enhance your affiliate marketing success.
Monitor & Evaluate Your Progress
It’s crucial to keep an eye on how you’re doing to achieve long-term success. Thankfully, you don’t need advanced knowledge to do this. Simply pay attention to the dashboard of the affiliate program you’ve selected.
However, keeping track and analyzing progress might get tough if you’re willing to work with multiple affiliate programs to target. In that case, you can consider using the services of L-inked.com. This tool helps you track and assess all your links conveniently in one place.
Here’s how to get started:
- Visit L-inked.com.
- Create a free account there.
- Begin shortening and managing your links.
- Log in to your dashboard.
- Monitor and analyze your progress.
L-inked.com isn’t just a top-notch URL shortener; it’s also a comprehensive link management tool. It can even help you create a single link for all your links and develop quick landing pages.
That’s it for now. I hope this affiliate marketing guide assists you in starting with these four simple steps: pick a product, set up your blog, run campaigns, and track your progress.
Got questions? Feel free to ask in the comments below.
