You might be familiar with the concept of making money by selling other people’s products online. But have you ever thought of doing it on your own?
This concept is called affiliate marketing, and it is a growing sector. Around 40% of marketers think that affiliate marketing is a crucial skill. If done correctly, a person can earn a good amount of money through it.
If you also want to step into the affiliate marketing world, check out this post on “How to Start Affiliate Marketing in India”
If you are looking for ways to earn money from affiliate marketing, read further to find many useful tips and methods to earn from affiliate marketing.
What Exactly Is Affiliate Marketing?
Affiliate marketing is a simple way of marketing by recommending products online. This marketing model only requires you to promote the product through online channels to increase sales. You do not have to create any product.
Affiliate marketers get a link that they use to direct the audience to the promoted product or service. The affiliate gets a commission when a sale is made through their link. You can consider this marketing model as an innovative sales technique that helps increase product sales.
It’s important for affiliate marketers to regularly study the market so they can effectively promote the product without looking too pushy. Affiliate marketing has become popular after the Amazon Affiliate Program, which lets marketers advertise products online on a global scale.
It was when the secret of affiliate marketing was revealed, and people saw the opportunity to recommend products to others. In simple terms, affiliate marketing is economically advantageous and risk-free.
Numerous online tools help affiliate marketers create better content for recommending products.
However, you must keep in mind that certain practices are prohibited in the affiliate marketing world. Things like misusing tools, spamming, and overpromising are frowned upon. If you perform these practices, your account can get blocked.
Keep reading to learn how to make money through affiliate marketing.
10 Ways to Earn Money from Affiliate Marketing? [With Infographic] 🖼️
If you want to start your career as an affiliate marketer, check out the top 10 cool ways to understand how to make money online through affiliate marketing.
1. Promote Your Products in Newsletters
Email is a powerful medium for communication, and it always gets attention. The customer’s email inbox can be seen as a curated feed that they have full control of. The feed has the most relevant information.
A person can delete the mail if they see no value in it. Moreover, they will unsubscribe if they find no value in the string of emails. But if the content of the mail is engaging, they will find it engaging.
You can regularly send newsletters as emails to help build customer loyalty. As an affiliate marketer, you can send creative newsletters to give your audience a quick update on the products or services that you are offering. In addition, you can also use solid tools to manage the newsletter.
Building an audience is not easy, but it is certainly rewarding. You can establish a long-term relationship with your customers by getting to know them and discussing what matters to them.
For instance, you are affiliate marketing a product. You can share tips, tricks, how-to posts, or similar content to engage your audience.
2. Share Discount Codes
When you start your affiliate marketing journey, your affiliate partner offers you different tools to use while promoting the products. These tools include email marketing copy, banner graphics, and similar stuff. But you can also ask for active coupon codes to make the promoted product interesting.
The active coupon and discount codes can single-handedly convert the new people who have not tried the product into potential customers. A survey has revealed that millennial customers like to try new brands that offer discount codes.
After your affiliate partner provides discount codes, you can advertise them by sharing the code on your social media posts with direct affiliate links to the shop. You can update any affiliate-related website with the active coupon code to drive more sales.
In addition, you can send an email with a coupon code and link that directs the audience to the shop. Lastly, you can add “discount codes” to the meta description of your review pages that can encourage searchers to click through.
A great example of review page discount codes is Sprocker Lovers, which posted a product review with affiliate links to the reviewed product. The review was ranked on the page. When the targeted customers clicked the link, the discount code was communicated via meta title, which increased the sales.
3. Write Product Reviews and Tutorials
Did you know that almost all customers look for product reviews before making a purchase? That means if you write optimized reviews for the affiliate products for search engines, your chances of reaching more people will increase.
For instance, you are writing a product review for a show called Allbirds running shoes. In your review, if you include the keyword “Allbirds shoes review,” which is searched by multiple people, your review can reach a wide number of audiences.
Don’t forget to add affiliate links to your perfectly optimized content. It will help you earn a commission on each sale through your review. Even if the people knew about the product, you would still earn the commission if they purchased it through your referred link.
4. Public Comparison Pages
Compared to basic product reviews, comparison pages are different and more interesting. These pages compare two products against each other so readers can determine which one best fits their needs.
While comparing the products, don’t forget to add the product link so the reader can check the product themselves in the process. Try to add high-volume keywords and push people through your link by guiding them. Doing so will help them to make better buying decisions.
A great example of public comparison pages is Khris Digital’s ClickFunnels vs. ConvertKit. In this article, the links to both tools were monetized. That means Khris Digital would earn money if a reader purchases either software. Thus, it’s a win-win.
5. Influencer
Another way to earn money from affiliate marketing is by becoming an influencer. In simple terms, influencers are content creators who can impact a vast majority of people. They promote affiliate products or services through interesting content so a large segment of people can purchase them.
Influencers can greatly benefit from affiliate marketing as they are in a position to impress their following successfully. Their blogs and social media posts have the power to direct the customers to the seller’s products or services. After directing the customers, the influencers receive a share of their profit.
Influencer marketing is quite popular on TikTok and Instagram as a large number of people follow influencers on these websites. Brands can partner with the leading influencers of their niche. The product promotion can be done either through a series of product reviews, account takeovers, photos, or live videos.
A successful influencer must always add an element of the prompted product on their social media posts so the people can feel connected. Adding an element also ensures brand recognition and recall.
6. Review Products on Video
Did you know that around 84% of people find videos more convincing than other forms of engagement? Videos persuade the audience in a better way and make them more likely to purchase certain products.
On average, people spend 18 hours watching videos. After the pandemic, the number of video content consumers has also increased as it is the most personal medium. So, if you promote your affiliate products through review posts, your audiences will like it.
The transparency you create through video can help you in the long run. If you properly promote your products through videos, the product’s sales will certainly increase.
The best channel to promote and review products on video is YouTube. Many affiliate marketers use this channel as it has a good audience reach. So, if you see a person promoting some product, they might be an affiliate.
You can try this amazing strategy if you like being on camera. As an affiliate marketer, you can review any of the affiliate products through your YouTube channel. Don’t forget to place your affiliate link in the description.
While ending your video, you can place a Call to Action button to encourage people so they can take the next clear step.
7. Start a Podcast
When discussing how to earn money from affiliate marketing in India, it’s hard to forget the podcast. After all, this industry is rapidly growing and is estimated to reach $95 billion globally in the coming years.
Podcasting gives you the power to tell an engaging story around the product. So, you can affiliate market a product or service in a cheaper and easier way. While the podcast is helpful, there is a missing element, i.e., video.
If you are affiliate marketing a product through podcasts, you must reflect on the show’s theme and format. Ensure you have the gear, including a microphone and a pair of headphones. Don’t forget to have software so you can make better podcasts.
You can also host your podcast on WordPress, which integrates best with social media hosting services. Try to recommend and review the affiliate product in each episode and an affiliate link in the captions.
Establishing a consistent schedule will help you keep your audience engaged. This way, you can increase your chances of earning better income through affiliate marketing.
8. Post in Online Communities and Forums
You can promote your affiliate product in the online communities as many people come together to share their views and thoughts. You can increase your chances of earning better money through affiliate marketing.
You can use the help of the social media community. One effective example is the Facebook community. You can easily find multiple online forums that exist outside of social media sites as well. One of the best online communities is Reddit.
As an affiliate marketer, you can use this online community’s help to communicate with your audiences directly.
9. Increase Your Affiliate Partners
It’s important that you must carefully choose and diversify your affiliate partners. While it happens rarely, the company has the power to deny payouts, close down their affiliate program, or slash commission rates.
An infamous example of slashing commission rates is the Amazon Associates Program, which reduced the commission rates across all product categories from 8% to 3%. It was done within a week’s notice.
If you want to become a successful affiliate marketer, you must remember the rule of not letting your affiliate partner make more than 50% of your revenue. This way, you can cut down the risk. After all, it’s easier to replace your half income than all.
10. Disclose Affiliate Links
If you do not disclose the affiliate links, you might be unable to gain people’s trust. And eventually, your affiliate marketing journey will end.
Remember that even if you do not disclose the fact that you are earning for recommending the product, your followers will figure it out. If that happens, their trust will shatter. So, you must always disclose the affiliate marketing links to generate a trust factor.
Even the Federal Trade Commission has a strict rule for endorsed products that misleads the customers. As an affiliate marketer, if you have any relationship with the retailer of the product that you are recommending, you need to disclose it.
A great example is Wirecutter, which has a disclaimer on the top. This disclaimer lets the readers know the website will receive a commission if they purchase through the referred link.
Also read, How to Create an Affiliate Website [Step by Step Guide]
How to Develop Your Affiliate Marketing Business? [With Infographic] 🖼️
You are required to keep your business flourishing to become successful in affiliate marketing. If you are new to this world, follow the below-mentioned tips to develop your affiliate marketing business.
1. Learn from Others in the Business
One of the easiest ways to develop your affiliate marketing business is by studying and learning from others in the business. You can gain experience by meeting people or joining a discussion forum. The online forums are free, and you can get some helpful advice.
You can use online communities like Digital Point, ABestWeb, and Warrior Forum. These forums also give you a chance to meet experienced affiliates and network with other marketers.
2. Create and Build Relationships
Creating and building relationships is an interesting way to become a successful affiliate marketer. Be patient before you make money online. You can drive traffic through affiliate marketing programs and maintain relationships with partners to get better work opportunities.
3. Get Targeted Traffic
You might get people to visit your site, but how will you make money online by converting them to leads? Here are four ways:
- Free Advertising: You can use a free website to drive traffic to your site. When you place links on the free websites, you get to reach a wider audience. One such free website is the US Free Ads and Craigslist, which allows you and the free site earner from affiliate marketing to earn money.
- Paid Advertising: Paid advertising requires combining links, graphics, and highly clickable ads. Whether or not the visitor makes a purchase, you will earn money through paid ads. A better example is Google AdSense.
- Email Marketing: Email marketing requires a form asking the site visitors to subscribe to the newsletters. When they subscribe, you get their name and email address, which helps you maintain a healthy relationship with them through regular newsletters.
- Article Marketing: Higher ranking articles in search engines can help you generate a better number of leads. A popular website is Ezine Articles, which is used for publishing articles. It has a unique resource box. When any other blogger or website manager republishes the article, the marketer earns a better rank in search engines.
4. Make a PPC Ad
PPC stands for Pay Per Click and is an important tool for affiliate marketing. You can use a good PPC ad to generate better sales and increase online money-making.
While making a good PPC ad, you need to address the problem that audiences usually face. You can attract them by offering a better solution. Try to use a high-volume keyword that can help you drive more traffic and sales.
Make sure that you have used the keyword on the main landing page. Lastly, you can add a call to action to direct the audience to the created pitch. Eventually, they will click the link.
5. Quality Over Quantity
You can have severe affiliate partners, but it is not guaranteed that you will earn money through all of them. So, the best thing you can do is properly study the market, get the right collaboration, and drive traffic. Additionally, you should try to establish a better relationship with the affiliates.
How Fast Can You Make Money with Affiliate Marketing?
If you are lucky, you can make money through affiliate marketing in a day. But this marketing model is no trick or magic. So, depending on your marketing efforts, you can expect better sales results.
Honestly, it takes somewhere around two to three months to start making money through affiliates. If you are new to the industry, you will require this much time.
Remember that affiliate marketing is not a brick-and-mortar business. When you try to promote products online, a trustworthy image can help you attract more people. If you want to make money fast through, you must focus on establishing a reliable online image.
Popular Affiliate Marketing Programs
Amazon Associates
If you have recently started your affiliate marketing career, the chances are that you might have heard of the Amazon Associates program. This program is seen as a flagship in the world of making money by recommending products online.
You can find numerous tutorials on how you can use Amazon Associates to make a comfortable living. Many affiliate marketers trust it to make money online because it’s a popular program.
Pros ✔️
- If you choose Amazon Associates, you get an option to choose from multiple products.
- Amazon is one of the biggest and most reliable names in the eCommerce world.
- It has a universal cookie, which lets you get credit for everything purchased within the cookie duration.
Cons ❌
- Some product categories on Amazon, like video games, offer limited commission.
- You must register for each country separately.
- The universal cookie only lasts 24 hours.
Awin
Awin is a similar marketplace to Amazon. It currently has more than 13,000 active programs with its affiliate network. The products and services that Awin offers are divided into four categories:
- Finance and Insurance: It includes traditional loans, savings, personal banking, property, insurance company offers, and credit cards.
- Retail and Shopping: It includes electronics, accessories, clothing, and more.
- Travel: It includes trans, accommodations, holidays, airlines, car rentals, and general tourism.
- Telecommunications and Services: It includes web hosting, education, and training offers.
As you can see, Awin offers multiple products for affiliate marketers to choose from. It’s a great marketplace for content creators, influencers, site owners, and technology-based partners.
Pros ✔️
- It offers multiple products and merchants to choose from.
- Low minimum payout.
- It offers a dedicated WordPress plugin.
Cons ❌
- Awin requires a $5 sign-up fee.
FlexOffers
FlexOffers is another excellent affiliate marketing network that offers around 12,000 affiliate programs. It has different categories, including business, education, legal services, travel, entertainment, and more.
Similar to other big affiliate programs, this platform has also offered its services for a long time. What’s better? Well, this platform offers a dedicated account manager to each publisher. You can use the account manager to know the best offers and improve your affiliate marketing game.
Pros ✔️
- It offers a huge section.
- It offers a dedicated account manager.
Cons ❌
- Affiliate marketers outside the USA can only use the PayPal payment system.
Conclusion
Are you still worried that you can’t make money with affiliate marketing? Well, you can make money through this unique marketing model. If you are new to this world, try to follow one of the ten ways mentioned in this post to earn more money.
You can also improve your affiliate marketing game by learning how to develop an affiliate marketing business. Lastly, you can choose a popular affiliate marketing program to start your journey of earning money by recommending products.
