The allure of affiliate marketing is apparent; who can resist the allure of passive income?
But, to make passive money, you must first put in some effort.
Before you earn your first affiliate revenue, there are a few steps you must take to thrive in affiliate marketing. And these steps are anything but passive.
All of your efforts are aimed at assisting you in making your first affiliate marketing sale. Nothing beats the first sale to motivate you and keep you going.
So, what should you do to get started?
For affiliate marketing beginners, we’ve simplified the process down into seven steps. Following this advice will put you on the right track to earning your first commission in no time.
Select a Niche
Before you even start building your first website, you must pick which niche you want to target.
Obviously, you can’t build a site if you don’t know what it’s about or who you’re going to target with it…can you?
Congratulations if you’ve already figured this one out! This is, without a doubt, one of the most challenging and intimidating steps.
If you’re not sure what your niche is yet, here’s some advice you might find helpful.
When defining your niche, consider the following questions:
What topics already pique my interest?
When you’re passionate about something, it’s a lot easier to work on it. Moreover, when you have a passion, you’re usually pretty knowledgeable about it, which is a big plus. So, for example, if you are passionate about makeup, your niche of choice may also be cosmetics-related.
Is there money to be made in this niche?
While pursuing your passion is always the best decision, the opportunity of making money in a profitable niche can occasionally outweigh passion. So, you may not know much about your niche, but if it’s going to make you money, you can learn more about it.
What is a topic upon which I could easily write 25, 50, or 100 blog posts?
The topic you chose must be deep enough that you can generate a large amount of content for it. This is critical for building an authoritative site, search engine optimization, and, most importantly, the end-user. If you don’t have enough content on a topic, you won’t be considered seriously as an authority on the subject, and it’s doubtful that you’ll be able to persuade someone to buy from you.
Is there room for another affiliate marketer in this niche?
Several profitable niches are also quite popular among affiliate markets. However, before you go into a tremendously popular niche, make sure there is enough room for you. That is, will you be able to make money while competing with established marketers? If not, continue your search.
Is there sufficient interest/demand for products in this niche?
Your chosen niche may pique your audience’s interest in terms of reading and obtaining knowledge, but are they also eager to purchase relevant products? Your niche will not make you any money if there is no consumer interest in the products.
Is there an affiliate program in this niche?
This is, without a doubt, a critical factor to consider. You may have an idea for a niche that you are very knowledgeable about, but are there affiliate programs for that niche? There will be no sales if there is no affiliate program. So it’s time to find a new niche.
Other Resources for Choosing a Niche
Investigate Affiliate Programs
Once you’ve selected a niche, it’s time to research what programs and products are available to the market. You’ve probably already done some preliminary research for this while investigating your niche – now it’s time to go further.
Choosing an affiliate network will require some effort, but don’t be scared to devote substantial time to it because this is, after all, where your revenue will come from. Choosing the correct program will make off handsomely!
Keep the following points in mind when selecting an affiliate program:
What kind of merchants participate in the program/affiliate network?
You should check to see whether other similar merchants are also utilizing the network since this can assist you in making your chances of success with the specific program.
How much commission do you expect to make from the products?
Make certain that you enroll in programs that are profitable and provide a significant return on investment. Some pointers:
When using ClickBank, products should have a commission rate of at least 50% (ideally 60%) and a high gravity rating (indicating that they are in demand).
CPA commissions (cost-per-action) programs should be greater than $1, and products should not be unduly limited in terms of how they can be promoted.
Look for commissions of more than $40 on physical products.
Do you want to be linked to the products and services?
The products and services you will promote to your target audience must be both relevant and of high quality. Please make sure you believe in them and know everything there is to know about them before presenting the sales pitch to your audience. In addition, you need to develop trust with your audience, so make sure the products and services you offer are reliable.
Advertisements like the one below frequently lead to dubious products — do you want to be linked with a product that promises results that may or may not be true?
What kind of assistance does the program offer?
Once you’ve signed up for an affiliate program, check sure you know what kind of customer service you can expect. Conduct internet research and, if possible, speak with other vendors utilizing the program to gain their feedback. Is it possible to contact someone via phone or Skype, or do you have to wait 72 hours for email responses? Be certain of this because, believe me, you will require assistance at some point.
Create a Website
Steps 1 and 2 are all about conducting research and determining what is feasible and profitable. It’s now time to put your research into action.
This will be the next step if you do not already have a website. Fortunately, building a website is no longer as difficult or time-consuming as it once was.
If you’re new to website creation, WordPress is the most user-friendly building. The WordPress CMS is relatively simple to use, and while technical skills are useful, you won’t need them to set up your site for the most part.
To get your site up and running, you must first complete the following steps:
Purchase a domain.
Your domain namis the web address for your website (for example, www.scaleo.io). Thus this is the first thing you’ll need to do when getting started. Given that millions of websites are on the internet, it’s conceivable that the domain name you desire has already been used. As a result, make sure you have a few options in mind. Please read our advice on how to choose a decent domain name.
Purchase and connect a hosting account
If your domain name is your address, hosting is the real residence where your website will reside. It’s your own tiny piece of the internet – the location of all your website files. Hosting is fairly affordable these days, so don’t cut corners unnecessarily. Instead, choose a renowned, dependable service because your affiliate marketing business is at stake.
If you buy your domain and hosting from different provides, you’ll need to connect the two. Don’t worry; it’s a straightforward procedure. Check out our tutorial on how to connect your domain to your hosting.
Install WordPress.
After you’ve set up your hosting, you’ll need to install a content management system (CMS) for your site. We recommend WordPress because it is simple to use, and a beginner (like you!) can rapidly learn how to utilize it. In addition, most excellent hosting companies will feature a one-click install option for WordPress, which means you’ll have WordPress installed on your site in a matter of minutes.
Install your chosen theme.
A WordPress theme is responsible for all of the stylings you (and your audience) see on a site’s front end. There are thousands of themes to choose from, so it may seem not easy at first. Our recommendation is to start with something simple and easy to customize. You can always change your mind afterward.
The WordPress theme is completely configurable and designed exclusively for affiliate marketers, allowing you to avoid much of the initial learning curve that other affiliate marketers may face. Of course, you can also use a site like Theme Forest to look for themes.
Make content.
Finally, after your site is complete, you must create content for it. The content you write must be relevant to your niche while still being intriguing and engaging enough to keep your audience coming back for more. You should also make certain that the site’s content is search engine friendly. More information on content production can be found in Step 4.
Create Outstanding Content
Now that your site is up and running and you’ve joined an affiliate program, you’re ready to dive into the most time-consuming (but potentially rewarding) aspect of the affiliate business: Creating content.
This is where the overused but all-too-true cliche “content is king” comes into play.
Your site’s goal will be to establish itself as an authoritative site in your niche. The primary approach to accomplish this will be to continuously publish new, high-quality content.
This could include:
Product evaluations.
Your affiliate site concept could be built on posting reviews for various products or services. This is a common model that, when executed correctly, may be quite effective in producing affiliate money.
Blog postings that address prevalent problems, queries, or concerns in your target market.
Creating blog content is a very beneficial and effective means of continuously building content for a site. When creating blog entries, it’s good to conduct keyword research to see what your target audience is interested in and searching for online. Also, to limit down themes for your blog, conduct research on competitors, forums, and social media.
Content that is evergreen.
You can create what is known as evergreen content if you are creating a site that has the potential for information that will never age and remain relevant to your audience. However, before creating any evergreen content for a site like this, it’s important to conduct significant keyword research, as the right use of keywords within such content could greatly help your site.
Informational products.
Giving away a free product, such as an e-book, an email series, or a mini-course, is a common strategy employed by many affiliate marketers. Typically, your viewers will be required to enter their email addresses in order to obtain the product from you. You can then utilize this information to sell to them through email marketing.
Furthermore, an informational product can pique people’s interest in the real product you’re attempting to sell. If your product is successful enough and drives enough traffic to your site, you could monetize the traffic through other means, such as AdSense.
The type of content you create for your website will be heavily influenced by your niche, as certain pieces of content outperform others.
Remember that buying generic content is NOT an efficient way to build your site. While it may be tempting to load your site in this manner, it will not help you position yourself as an expert in your niche in the long term (and ultimately means less traffic and fewer sales).
Build an Audience
Building an audience for your site will happen organically in certain ways once you start providing outstanding content. An interested audience will not only provide regular traffic to your site but will also result in constant revenue for you.
So, how do you go about building an audience for a brand-new site? Here are some suggestions:
Use social media to spread the word about your content.
Social networking is the simplest and most usual technique to begin building an audience for a website. You can choose Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and a variety of additional niche and location-specific networks, depending on your niche and sector. Building an engaged and interested social media following is a terrific way to build relationships, and once you have their trust, you can promote your products and services to them.
Guest post on popular blogs.
While your site is still in its early stages, it’s a fantastic idea to start using someone else’s audience. Continue to focus on building your own content and consider writing content for a few relevant, high-traffic websites in your niche. Writing content for a larger size allows you to reach a new audience and demonstrate your expertise on a specific issue. This will eventually result in greater traffic to your site.
Build an email list.
Don’t believe anyone who tells you that email marketing is gone. Every affiliate marketer needs an email list. You can begin building your email list with a lead magnet (such as the previously mentioned information products) or simply by asking your audience to sign up for your updates. You may then send this audience your content via email while also directing them to your affiliate offerings. Don’t be sleazy with your sales, but if you build enough trust with your email list, they will not mind purchasing a product from you when the time comes.
To improve search engine traffic to your site, use fundamental SEO strategies.
Organic search continues to be an important source of traffic for any website. Therefore you must optimize your website for search engines as well. When creating content, always keep the reader in mind, but don’t forget to adhere to a few basic SEO rules as well.
Learn SEO yourself or employ a professional SEO marketer to assist you in maximizing your site’s on-page and off-page SEO opportunities. If your site begins to appear in search results for phrases related to your niche, it will be a tremendous help in growing your audience (and sales)!
Spend money on paid advertising.
Many affiliate marketers utilize paid advertising to draw more traffic to their site and increase revenue. Paid advertising on social media is generally an excellent place to start because these networks are less expensive. You might also think about placing low-cost banner advertisements on small niche sites. Depending on your niche, Google AdWords may also be a viable choice for driving bought traffic to your site.
Advertise Affiliate Offers
Finally, the moment we’ve all been waiting for has here!
This is when things truly get interesting, my friends. Many fly-by-night affiliates will skip straight to this stage, skipping steps 1–5. And it is your uniqueness that will set you apart.
Once you’ve demonstrated that you can provide value in your niche, it’s crucial to keep adding value by recommending products that will be beneficial and helpful to your audience.
You can publicize your offerings in a variety of ways. It depends depend on the type of site you’ve created as well as what you’re offering. Here are a few examples:
Product evaluations.
Write honest, unbiased product reviews. Build trust with your audience, and keep in mind that they rely on your advice. Don’t only highlight a product’s benefits while ignoring its drawbacks. An unbiased viewpoint will be valued. Include eye-catching photos and describe helpful features, specifications, and other facts.
If your audience is interested, your product review can then connect to the page (with your affiliate ID attached) where they may make a purchase. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes You’ve completed your first transaction.
You can promote your affiliate offers by displaying banners on your site. When you sign up for their offers, most affiliate networks will normally provide their own creatives. All you need to do is place the banner on a heavily trafficked page (your affiliate tracking is usually embedded within the code). Banner advertising in the appropriate places can be quite effective in increasing sales.
In-text content links
This is a pretty frequent method of promoting offerings. For example, you’ll frequently encounter a blog post that includes links to specific products or services. The blog owner will receive a commission if the reader clicks through and makes a purchase. These in-text links mix in with other content on your site and are a terrific method to promote an offer within your content without being overly salesy with banners.
Email marketing promos
If you have an email list, you could advertise your affiliate deals through email promos. Just make sure you build a relationship with your audience first before going for the hard sell. Your affiliate links to products must be included in the emails you send out so that when your audience clicks through. You are credited with the sale.
Discounts and freebies are available.
Many affiliate programs will frequently offer promotions with enticing discounts or prizes appealing to your target audience. For example, if you’re an Amazon Associate and the site is having a huge Holiday Sale, it would be ideal for you to promote discounts to your website visitors. This is an excellent approach to promote your deals while also offering valuable content to your audience.
When marketing affiliate deals, make sure you understand all of the terms and conditions associated with your affiliate program. Some programs may be restrictive in terms of how you can sell their products. For example, some may restrict you from using banner ads and links, whereas others enable you to utilize paid advertising but not email marketing.
Also, make sure you include a disclaimer on your website informing your audience that you may include links that promote affiliate deals. This is required for several affiliate programs, as well as a fundamental courtesy to your website visitors. In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requires disclosure from affiliate marketers (as well as anyone offering endorsements).
Rinse, lather, repeat.
Step 7 is to simply keep doing what you’re doing now that you’ve completed Steps 1 through 6. Yes, I mean it!
As an affiliate marketer, your ongoing work will be to repeat steps 4 – 6 regularly. Building a site to the point where it can provide continuous income requires time and effort, and you must be willing to create consistently, promote, market, develop, and, of course, sell.
Key Points Reviewed
Making all of the essential effort involved in putting up your site and building your reputation can be overwhelming. But believe me, once you’ve made that first sale, all of your efforts will be rewarded!
To summarize, earning your first affiliate income takes some effort, but it won’t seem so daunting if you break it all down and follow it step by step. Here’s a quick rundown of everything you must do:
- Choose a niche.
- Investigate various affiliate schemes and products.
- Build a site.
- Create high-quality content.
- Build an audience.
- Publicize your affiliate product (s).
- Repeat steps 4–7 regularly!
As you can see, when it comes to affiliate marketing for beginners, there is a tried-and-true technique. But, put in the effort, and you’ll soon be rewarded with your first sale.
Last Updated on August 11, 2023
