It’s a shame so many still think the idea of making money from the comfort of your home is merely a pipe dream. The internet is, in fact, a treasure trove of realistic opportunities to make a reliable, job replacing, monthly income.
Affiliate marketing is one of those opportunities and with these top 10 affiliate marketing strategies for beginners you’ll soon see how.
Today, the affiliate marketing industry is valued to be over $15.3 billion. According to Glassdoor, the earnings of an Affiliate Marketer in the United States are approximately $78,530 per annum.
Image source: Glassdoor
If you’re thinking of joining the ranks of high paid affiliate marketers but have no idea how to start, this guide will walk you through all the affiliate marketing strategies for beginners that work today.
Quick Takeaways:
- The Lucrative Potential of Affiliate Marketing: “Affiliate marketing offers a realistic opportunity to earn a substantial income from home, with the industry currently valued at over $15.3 billion.”
- Passive Income through Affiliate Marketing: “Affiliate marketing enables earning passive income, providing financial freedom and the ability to balance work with personal commitments.”
- Low Entry Barriers and Flexibility: “This field is attractive due to its low barrier to entry and flexibility, allowing marketers to work from anywhere without inventory or startup capital concerns.”
- Strategic Approaches for Beginners: “For beginners, effective strategies include engaging in email marketing, creating valuable content, and using sales funnels to guide customer journeys.”
- Building Trust and Authority in Your Niche: “Success in affiliate marketing hinges on building an audience and establishing oneself as an authority in the niche, leading to better promotion of products.”
What is Affiliate Marketing?
Affiliate marketing is an advertising model where third parties (i.e., you) receive commissions for every visit, signup, or sale through displayed promotional links.
With this model, brands pay an Affiliate Marketer for the promotion of their products. Affiliate marketing is popular due to its low barrier to entry and how easy it is to get started due to huge affiliate marketing platforms such as Amazon Associates and Shareasale.
There’s a growing increase in the demand for affiliate marketing as more and more people turn to the internet for their shopping needs. This is especially true for millennials, who prefer online shopping to brick-and-mortar stores.
Benefits of Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is about building an audience and being an authority in your niche. This will make it easy to promote other people’s products and services. Here are some other benefits of affiliate marketing;
Passive Income
Passive income gives you financial freedom and breaks from the helms of 9 to 5 jobs. The idea of earning while you are not actively working might seem surreal but it’s doable.
With affiliate marketing, you can make money without giving up on your other commitments. That way, you take care of your loved ones and have more time for yourself.
To get started, identify products that are in popular demand. Reach out to the brands for partnership. Then create content around these products and ensure that you get enough traffic on your site (Here’s a resourceful guide on improving website traffic).
Additionally, you can earn a commission whenever someone clicks through one of your affiliate links and buys something. The more people click through your links and buy something, the more money you make.
You Don’t Have to Keep Inventory
Inventory management comes with a lot of difficulties like managing shipping, and warehouse space management.
But you don’t have to worry about all that as an affiliate marketer. All you need to do is identify a marketable product and partner with companies selling it.
It’s best to choose a reputable brand that your audience will trust.
Control Over Your Working Location
A traditional business model needs brick-and-mortar outlets to function. Some eCommerce websites have geographical restrictions that prevent you from selling products to people in another country.
Apart from that, you also have to pay taxes on any income earned in any location.
However, Affiliate Marketers don’t have to be tied down to a single location. You can set up your business anywhere in the world, as long as you have access to an internet connection, a PC, or a mobile device.
You Don’t Need Startup Capital
Capital remains the main barrier to entry crushing the brilliant ideas of many business-oriented people.
If you are starting a brick-and-mortar business, you will pay rent, buy equipment and supplies, hire employees — the list goes on and on.
Even in eCommerce businesses, where low capital is required, you still need money to set up an online store and hire contractors to help with your website design and the formulation of your marketing strategy.
You don’t need to pay for any of these in affiliate marketing.
You Get To Choose Your Working Hours
Excessive working hours with insufficient rest can lead to health problems. It can also cause fatigue and low levels of productivity.
At most 9 to 5 jobs, you have to get up early in the morning, go to work, and spend the rest of your day there. And when you return home, you take care of your family and do other chores before you can think of relaxing.
It’s a never-ending cycle of tiredness and fatigue.
With affiliate marketing, you don’t have to worry about long working hours. You can work whenever it suits you. You can work during the day, at night, on weekends, or on holidays.
Performance-Based Rewards
If you are looking for a job that offers performance-based rewards, then affiliate marketing is your best bet.
As an affiliate marketer, your income will not be based on how many hours you work or how many people report to you; it will be based on the sales you generate from your campaigns.
If you have a great outreach strategy, you’ll get a handsome commission from the company you’ve partnered with. You are entirely in control of your income as an affiliate marketer.
Unlimited Numbers of Products to Promote
eBay alone has over 1.5 billion active listings. Amazon has 350 million. No matter which niche you choose you have a huge array of products to choose from and promote through various affiliate programs for bloggers.
Not just that, you can choose to promote multiple products at the same time. That way, you can easily hit your income targets.
You also have the chance to enrich your portfolio for prospective brands in the future.
In addition, some brands will provide you with marketing tools and resources that you need when you decide to partner with them.
Pro affiliate marketing tips: Don’t guesswork when you choose a product, do quantitative market research. Also, ensure that the brands’ value aligns with yours. The partnership will be far more lucrative if you’re promoting highly relevant and quality products.
Low Business Risk
Affiliate marketing comes with minimal business risks. As we’ve mentioned earlier, you are not required to keep inventories of the products you promote through the affiliate marketing program. Therefore, there’s no risk of losing money on unsold products.
Similarly, Affiliate Marketers don’t have to worry about the costs of shipping products from a warehouse.
If one product doesn’t perform well, it won’t negatively impact your entire business, as it would if you were selling your products in an online store.
Flexibility
Affiliating for other people’s products is the ultimate in flexibility.
If, for example, your ecommerce website is focused on the sale of product which due to market changes have recently reduced in popularity, it’s extremely difficult to get rid of all your inventory and switch to a newer more popular line of products.
Similarly, if you’ve created an information product which has gone out of date due to platform or strategy changes, you have to start a again and re-record your course.
With affiliate marketing however, you can switch products at the flick of a button. You can also leave course updates to the creator.
You’ll possess the freedom to explore new opportunities, brainstorm new ideas, and find products that are more profitable for you.
10 Best Affiliate Marketing Strategies for Beginners
Expert affiliate marketers understand the need for strategic affiliate marketing. They know how to plan and execute their campaigns to attract customers and increase sales. But if you’re just starting, this can be overwhelming.
That’s where these ten affiliate marketing strategies for beginners come into play. These tips will give you a head start over your competition. They will also help you get started on the right foot.
1. Make Money From CPA Programs
CPA is an acronym for “cost per action.” It’s a marketing model that involves a partnership between an affiliate and an advertiser.
Here, an advertiser pays a fee every time a lead completes a predefined action such as signing up for a newsletter or downloading an eBook.
As an affiliate marketer, CPA programs are a great way to make money. The best CPA programs have substantial conversion rates.
There are also many CPA offers, such as lead generation and email marketing, so it’s not just limited to physical products.
2. Promote Reputable Brands
You might wonder why a reputable brand with thousands or millions of customers would need an affiliate marketer.
Well, not all people who visit the website make a purchase right away — some of them need more information before making a decision.
That’s where you come in — you can provide additional information and help them make more informed decisions with product reviews, comparisons, and other website content that can influence their buying decision.
Reputable brands understand the influence of an industry expert on their products, so they’ll be willing to work with you.
But you’ve got to proceed with caution. Before promoting any brand, make sure they are a good fit for your audience.
Example offer relevant to my audience – Adam Enfroy Blog Growth Engine Course
3. Engage in Email Marketing
Email marketing is one of the best affiliate marketing strategies for beginners because it allows you to connect at a much deeper level with potential customers.
You can also use it to share and promote your latest blog posts, newsletter, and product recommendations with your subscribers.
Additionally, email marketing is perfect for promoting products that have already been reviewed or discussed on your site. You can attach the link to your review or discuss the product in your newsletter and encourage your subscribers to click on it.
MailChimp and AWeber are some examples of email marketing software that can help you streamline your email marketing campaign. You can use these tools to create email templates, send newsletters, and manage your subscribers.
Also, the platforms provide valuable analytics for tracking which emails are most popular with readers. That way, you can focus on sending out more email formats that work often.
4. Create Sales Funnels
A sales funnel is a series of journeys your prospect undergoes on the way to make a purchase.
You can create a simple sales funnel by using an email marketing platform with the help of a professional or hire someone who specializes in building sales funnels. A person specializing in this will analyze your current business model, identify gaps, and create emails guiding people through those points.
Building a sales funnel is a viable affiliate marketing strategy because it allows you to build relationships with your customers and guide them through making a purchase. Once you have created a sales funnel, you can send targeted emails that direct people to take specific actions that move them closer to buying from your affiliate partners.
ClickfunnelsClickfunnels – Sales Funnel Builder
5. Become a Prolific Content Marketer
No form of digital marketing can survive without great content. If you want to be successful in any marketing strategy, which includes affiliate marketing, you need to create high-quality content that educates your audience and helps them solve their problems.
The more valuable your content is, the more likely people will share it with their friends and family members with similar interests.
And with the right content marketing strategy, your affiliate marketing can be a long-term passive income stream that never runs dry.
One of the best affiliate marketing strategies for beginners, good affiliate marketers spend a lot of time creating educational and helpful content for their audience.
They understand this to be the best way to build trust and credibility with their audience, ultimately leading to more sales and better conversions.
Example of a valuable content page on this site with affiliate links to WPX Hosting & Bluehost
6. Use Promotional Banners
The digital advertising world is incredibly competitive. There’s a lot of noise, and cutting through the clutter is challenging. But one of the most effective ways to gain attention is using banners.
Banners are images you place on your website or blog that link to a product or service you’re promoting.
Banners can help you as an affiliate marketer to generate more sales and leads. Banners are a great way to get your message out there, but they should be placed strategically.
Don’t put them everywhere on your website. Instead, place them in strategic areas where they will have the most impact.
Example Banner from Shopify – Ecommerce Software
7. Promote High-Ticket Products
High-ticket products are those products with higher price tags compared to other products in your niche. These products are great for generating a lot of revenue, but they take time to sell because you first need to build trust with your customer.
The best way to build trust is by showing up consistently, becoming an expert in your niche and offering valuable information on the products you’re promoting.
Most beginner affiliate marketers shy away from high-ticket products due to the fear factor of selling something too expensive.
If you can get past that mindset however, high-ticket products are one of the best ways to make money with affiliate marketing. Firstly you’ll stand out from the crowd as someone who sells higher ticket items and you’ll see far greater profit margins for your efforts.
8. Use Landing Pages to Promote Products
Landing pages are a great way to generate leads and promote your affiliate offers.
To get started, set up a landing page dedicated to the product you are promoting then use social media or paid advertising to drive traffic.
Landing pages are one of the best affiliate marketing strategies for beginners because they allow you to focus on one product and give it the attention it deserves.
That is important for beginners because it enables you to learn how to promote a single product before moving on to promoting multiple products at once.
Example landing page for Junglescout – Amazon FBA Software
9. Generate Social Proof
We live in a world where one opinion can influence the decision of many.
People like to see proof that something works and often make purchasing decisions based on what others say about a product. This is called social proof, and it can be used to your advantage when you create an affiliate marketing business.
One way to use social proof is by asking existing customers for testimonials or reviews of the products you promote. Another way is to share videos and reviews of your products on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
Ensure that you only promote products valuable to your audience. They won’t be willing to give you any testimonials or reviews for a product that’s not valuable to them.
10. Use Scarcity Marketing
Every good marketer knows that psychology is at the heart of marketing. One of the most powerful psychological triggers is scarcity, which can create a sense of urgency in your customers and compel them to buy from you before it’s too late.
If you want to use scarcity marketing for your affiliate business, then here are some affiliate marketing tips for beginners:
1. Ensure that only a few products are available (for example, if there’s only one left on Amazon).
Source: Medium
2. Talk about limited-time offers and discounts that expire soon (for example, if you have a coupon code, they can use it only once).
Image source: bathandbodyworks.com
3. Use flash sales to create a sense of urgency (for example, if an offer expires on June 30th at midnight, you could say, “This is your last chance to get this amazing product”).
Image source: Etsy
If you can master scarcity marketing as an affiliate, you’ll be able to generate a lot of sales in no time. It’s a great way to boost your affiliate income and help more people get the deals they want.
Pros and Cons of Affiliate Marketing Strategies for Beginners
Pros:
- Diverse Affiliate Marketing Opportunities: The realm of affiliate marketing offers a wide range of opportunities, allowing beginners to select products and services that align with their interests or expertise within their affiliate marketing niche.
- Potential for High Affiliate Revenue: With the right approach, affiliate marketing can be a lucrative endeavor. High paying affiliate programs in particular can offer significant affiliate income, especially when combined with a solid digital marketing strategy.
- Flexibility and Passive Income: One of the most appealing aspects of an affiliate marketing business is the potential for passive income. This allows for a more flexible lifestyle, as earnings can be generated even when not actively working.
- Wide Range of Products to Promote: Affiliate networks provide access to a multitude of affiliate products, giving new affiliate marketers the chance to find products that resonate with their audience.
- Learning and Growth: Starting an affiliate marketing journey is also a learning experience. New marketers can gain valuable insights into online marketing, digital trends, and customer behavior.
- Support from Affiliate Networks: Many affiliate networks offer support and resources to help affiliate partners succeed. This can include marketing campaigns guidance, tips, and tools to better promote affiliate products.
- Opportunity to Build a Personal Brand: By promoting affiliate products on platforms like a YouTube channel or an affiliate website, marketers can build their personal brand alongside their affiliate marketing work.
Cons:
- Time and Effort Required: Successful affiliate marketing doesn’t happen overnight. It requires time, effort, and patience, especially when it comes to implementing affiliate marketing strategies effectively.
- Risk of Over-Spending: Beginners might spend money on paid marketing campaigns without seeing immediate returns. Balancing the budget is crucial, especially in the early stages of an affiliate marketing guide.
- Fluctuating Affiliate Marketing Trends: Staying up-to-date with affiliate marketing trends can be challenging. What works today might not work tomorrow, and marketers need to be adaptable.
- Dependency on Affiliate Networks: Your affiliate marketing business can be heavily dependent on affiliate networks or affiliate partners. Changes in their policies can impact your affiliate sales and revenue.
- SEO and Competition: Succeeding in affiliate marketing often involves understanding SEO and standing out in a competitive online environment. This can be daunting for new affiliate marketers.
- Limited Control Over Products: When promoting affiliate products, marketers have limited control over product quality, availability, or pricing, which can sometimes lead to challenges in maintaining affiliate income consistency.
- Need for Continuous Content Creation: To keep the audience engaged and to continue promoting affiliate products effectively, there is a constant need for fresh content, be it on a blog, YouTube channel, or social media.
While affiliate marketing provides excellent opportunities for generating income and offers flexibility, it requires dedicated effort, continuous learning, and adaptation to the latest trends and market changes. Understanding these pros and cons will help beginners navigate their affiliate marketing journey more effectively.
Affiliate Marketing Strategies for Beginners – Summary
Although there are advantages to becoming an affiliate marketer, such as not having to create, sell or update your own products, this business models is just as much hard work as all other online lifestyle business models.
You’ll need to take the time to either build a reputation, become an influencer and promote products to your growing audience, or you’ll need to become an expert at advertising and be willing to spend some money to test varying ad strategies.
The truth is that: The more you know about affiliate marketing and how to get results, the better your chances of succeeding.
If you’re just getting started, these 10 affiliate marketing strategies for beginners will hopefully give you some inspiration. Now you need to take action! You’ll be amazed how quickly your skills will improve once you put all these affiliate marketing best practices into place.
Good luck!
Affiliate Marketing Strategies for Beginners – FAQs
What should a beginner do in affiliate marketing?
A beginner in affiliate marketing should start by understanding their target audience and selecting a niche that aligns with their interests or expertise. It’s essential to find affiliate programs that offer products or services your audience will find valuable. Joining multiple affiliate programs can diversify your opportunities. Focusing on building a solid online presence, either through a blog, an affiliate website, or social media marketing, is crucial. Consistent marketing efforts, such as creating high-quality content and implementing affiliate marketing strategies, are key to affiliate success.
How do I start affiliate marketing from the beginning?
To start affiliate marketing, the first step is to choose a niche that suits your interests and has potential for growth. This could be anything from tech gadgets to beauty products. Once you’ve identified your niche, find affiliate programs and affiliate networks that align with your chosen area. Create a website or blog as your primary affiliate platform, ensuring it’s optimized for search engines. Focus on creating valuable content around your chosen affiliate products, and implement strategies for search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) to boost visibility and drive traffic to your site.
What are the easiest ways to affiliate marketing?
The easiest ways to start affiliate marketing include joining affiliate networks that offer a range of products and services, ensuring you have a variety of options to promote. Affiliate marketing software can also be a helpful tool for managing your affiliate campaigns. Utilizing social media marketing to share affiliate links and engage with your audience is another effective approach. Additionally, consider writing product reviews or creating how-to guides related to your affiliate products, as this content can be easily shared and is often sought after by consumers.
How do beginners promote affiliate links?
Beginners can promote affiliate links through several methods. Creating a youtube channel dedicated to your niche and using video marketing to showcase products is a powerful way to engage audiences. Incorporating affiliate links into blog posts or articles on your affiliate site is another effective tactic. Additionally, utilizing social media platforms to share content that includes your affiliate links can help reach a broader audience. Email marketing campaigns are also a great way to connect with your audience and share your affiliate products.
How to choose the right affiliate network?
Choosing the right affiliate network involves researching and comparing various networks to find one that offers products in your niche. Look for a network that provides a user-friendly affiliate dashboard, reliable support, and high paying affiliate programs. Additionally, read reviews from other affiliate marketers to understand their experiences with the network. It’s important to select an affiliate partner that aligns with your marketing strategy and target audience.
What strategies boost sales in affiliate marketing?
To boost sales in affiliate marketing, focus on targeted marketing campaigns that speak directly to the needs of your audience. Implement influencer marketing by collaborating with influencers in your niche. Use paid marketing tactics like PPC (pay-per-click) advertisements to drive traffic to your affiliate site. Additionally, leveraging search engine marketing and optimizing your content for search engines can significantly increase your visibility and affiliate revenue.
How important is content in affiliate marketing?
Content is critical in affiliate marketing as it helps build trust with your audience and positions you as an authority in your niche. Quality content that provides value to your audience can significantly increase affiliate sales and contribute to a successful online business. Whether it’s through blog posts, videos, or social media updates, your content should be engaging, informative, and relevant to your affiliate products.
Can you make significant money online with affiliate marketing?
Yes, it’s possible to make significant money online with affiliate marketing. Many affiliate marketers have turned this business endeavor into a lucrative source of income. Success in affiliate marketing, however, requires dedication, consistent marketing efforts, and the ability to adapt to affiliate marketing trends. It’s not just about how to share affiliate links, but about creating a comprehensive affiliate strategy that resonates with your audience.
What role does SEO play in affiliate marketing?
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) plays a pivotal role in affiliate marketing. It helps in increasing the visibility of your affiliate site or blog on search engines, driving organic traffic. Effective SEO practices ensure that your content ranks higher in search results, making it easier for potential customers to find your affiliate products. Regularly updating your site with SEO-optimized content is a key component of a successful affiliate marketing campaign.
How to track the success of your affiliate campaigns?
Tracking the success of your affiliate campaigns is essential for understanding what works and what doesn’t. Most affiliate programs provide an affiliate dashboard where you can monitor metrics like click-through rates, conversions, and earnings. Utilizing affiliate marketing software or analytics tools can also give you deeper insights into your campaign’s performance. Regularly reviewing these metrics helps in refining your strategies and improving your overall affiliate marketing success.
Velislava Georgieva is a Digital Marketing Specialist at Inbound Blogging, specializing in Content Marketing and Outreach Strategies. Besides her passion for digital marketing, she likes yoga, fitness, and hiking. You can connect with her on LinkedIn.