If you’ve got a decent social following, an engaged online audience or a website that sees a lot of traffic and you’re wondering how you can generate some passive income, you’ve come to the right place. In our latest post, we’re on hand with a step by step guide for publishers so you can join the affiliate marketing world and start making cash.
Just in case you aren’t already familiar with the term, affiliate marketing is promoting other people’s products, most commonly through an affiliate network. If you drive sales through your promotions, you’ll earn a commission. The rates of commission can vary from each retailer. Typically, some brands will offer a commission of 2-7% while some may offer up to 15%, a very attractive rate! Simply put, affiliate marketing provides publishers with an incentive to promote products and services of their choice.
Now you know what it is, you’ll want to know how to do it. We’re going to keep it simple with these steps.
1. Choose your Niche
While it’s great to have a good following or an engaged audience, they’ll soon lose interest if you bombard them with content that is so obviously affiliate marketing. When affiliate marketing is done well, consumers aren’t even aware that it’s marketing. For example, if you have a lot of followers on social because you publish makeup tutorials, seek out the affiliate programs of your favourite skincare and cosmetic brands and that there. In a nutshell, ask yourself two questions: Am I passionate about this product? Will it make me money?
2. Research Affiliate Programs
Once you’ve determined your niche, the next step is to look into the affiliate programs of your favourite brands. Choosing an affiliate network will take a little work, but you can easily find out which networks brands are on with a simple google search. Of course, you can sign up to more than one network, but it’s easier to start with one or two such as AWIN, CJ or Webgains.
3. Familiarise yourself with the Network you Choose
While it won’t take long to get the hang of things, you must take the time to learn how to use the site correctly. As a minimum, you’ll need to learn how to create deep-links, run reports and utilise the creatives from brands.
4. Nail your Content
So, you’ve got your audience, you’ve picked your brands, selected your favourite products and set up your affiliate links. Now, the important part comes. While it’s the most time-consuming stage of the process, it’s also the most rewarding in most cases. When it comes to affiliate marketing, the phrase “content is king“ most definitely comes into play. To keep readers engaged, drive traffic and generate sales, you’ll need to be consistently producing unique and high-quality content. Not to mention, great content will also contribute to the DA of your site, slowly but surely moving you up the ranks.
5. Build your Audience
As you continue to roll out content, you should also work on building your audience. Working on your social media, creating a link building campaign and investing in paid advertising are great ways to increase your audience. What’s more, if you can grow a decent email list along the way, affiliates will likely offer increased commissions if you can offer them additional exposure. Although it’s time-consuming, it will be worth it in the long run, trust me!
6. Promote the Affiliate Offers
Now that everything is as it should be, it’s time to start shouting about the offers you’ve chosen. The way you do this can vary from publisher to publisher. You may opt for product reviews or links within blog posts, or you might select banner ads or email promotions. If you prefer to use social media, you can trial discounts and giveaways through your social channels to drive traffic, or you can do all of the above. Whatever you decide to do to promote your offers, the key is to stay consistent.
Once you’ve got to grips with the world of affiliate marketing, you’ll soon see the amount of untapped potential that is now at your fingertips. Just remember, to repeat steps 4-6 regularly, because when it comes to the world of affiliates, quality and consistency are essential for success!
If you’re a publisher within the fashion industry and you’d like to work with us to promote our clients, get in touch!