Becoming an affiliate marketer requires only joining a quality affiliate marketing program and distributing your affiliate links. However, to generate consistent income, you must approach this business strategically.
Here are the essentials needed to start this business:
A Website
As mentioned in earlier chapters, most affiliate programs demand a website before accepting your application. Advertisers review websites to evaluate your content quality. Some advertisers are very selective when choosing affiliates, accepting only those whose sites can generate substantial traffic. However, don't be discouraged - many beginner-friendly affiliate programs will accept publishers with new websites.
A Profitable Niche
You can't simply build any website to become a successful affiliate marketer. Specifically, you must be strategic when selecting your niche market. We'll explore how to choose the right niche in upcoming chapters. Remember that your chosen niche market determines which affiliate products you can promote. For example, if you want to sell only high-value items, ensure your selected niche has high-ticket affiliate programs available.
An Organic Traffic Source
In internet marketing, traffic comes from two sources: organic and paid. While some affiliate marketers use paid methods successfully, these approaches involve higher financial risk. Those using paid methods have refined their skills through years of testing and experimentation.
Focus initially on building assets that generate organic visitors. This includes social media accounts and pages, forum memberships, niche community accounts, offline traffic sources, and similar assets. You must consider where your website traffic will originate to succeed from the beginning.
Affiliate Marketing Program Membership
Countless affiliate programs exist online, but not all will suit your traffic type. You need to select an affiliate program matching your audience's needs. We'll discuss choosing the best affiliate programs for your audience in subsequent chapters.
These four elements are the minimum requirements for successful affiliate marketing. After selecting an affiliate program, you can apply directly online. Most applications simply require completing a form with personal information. Additionally, the form may ask about your traffic generation plans, product promotion intentions, daily website traffic, and other monetization methods used on your site.
You might also need to complete a tax form, depending on the affiliate program's country requirements. For instance, when applying to Amazon Associates for Amazon.com, US citizens must complete a US tax form. Different forms are required for Amazon.ca (Canada) Associates program applications.
How Hard Is The Application Process?
Some affiliate programs have easy approval processes - some even automatically approve applications. However, more specialized programs may request additional requirements after application submission. The most demanding programs have staff members review your website's content quality. If they're unsatisfied with your site's design or content quality, they may reject your application.
These highly selective programs maintain strict standards for various reasons. Most do this to protect their brand reputation. Major brands only want association with high-quality content websites. Some only accept websites operating for extended periods with hundreds of archived articles. Some brands will also reject applications if your website or content doesn't align with their target customers. For example, if your website is in English but you apply to a Spanish-focused affiliate program, rejection is likely.
My Application Is Approved, What Next?
The real work begins after approval. Now that you have products or services to promote, you can start generating traffic and directing it to your affiliate links. Multiple methods exist for this purpose.
First, you can use paid traffic methods. You can utilize advertising platforms that permit affiliate links and pay for ad clicks or views. This method requires spending money to make money. You'll need a budget of hundreds, if not thousands of dollars to make this strategy effective. You must also follow affiliate advertiser guidelines.
Most programs restrict certain keyword usage in advertising targeting. If you're selling Nike shoes, for example, the affiliate contract may prohibit using keywords like "Nike." They do this to prevent affiliate marketers from competing with the parent company in advertising auctions.
The second method involves spreading links across the web. Previously, people used questionable techniques to get affiliate link clicks. Some placed affiliate links in their forum account signatures. When people saw their forum comments, they also saw the affiliate links. Many forums discovered this practice and now ban signature links.
Some affiliate programs allow redirects and pop-ups for traffic generation. An affiliate marketer using redirects might create a page that automatically redirects to the affiliate website. When visitors access that page, they're automatically transferred to the affiliate program's landing page. The problem with this strategy is that most people going through automatic redirects arrive at the affiliate website unwillingly. Most will bounce (leave instead of viewing additional pages). This excess non-buyer traffic eventually burdens the advertiser's website. This is why many affiliate programs ban redirects.
Some people also use link pop-ups to direct people through affiliate links. They may set pop-ups to appear after clicking certain website links. Upon clicking that link, another window or tab opens. This works on both desktop and mobile browsers. When the pop-up opens, the affiliate link activates and the affiliate landing page loads.
This traffic generation method is also problematic. Besides being prohibited by most affiliate programs, browsers typically have pop-up blocking technology. This prevents most pop-ups from opening even when the correct link is clicked.
The recommended traffic generation method for affiliate programs is content marketing. Simply put, content marketing is the process of attracting internet users' attention using different content media types. You can use text, audio, images, videos, or combinations of these to invite people to your website.
News websites are classic content marketing examples. They create news articles and include videos and relevant images. After creating content, they post it on their social media properties. They distribute news articles through Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms. When someone interested in the news sees the article, the headline and accompanying image should compel them to click the article link. This leads them to the news website.
After reading the article, they may click the content's up-vote button. Some may even share the content link with friends. By doing this, they spread the news and increase the article's reach. Other news-interested people may also click the article. Afterward, they may share the content with their social media followers, continuing to spread the news.
People looking for that specific news article may also search on Google. Due to proper search engine optimization practices, the article appears in the top search result position for relevant keywords or phrases. Because of this, more Google users read the content. Some readers interested in the article content may also choose to share it with friends.
While this may seem like a simple illustration of content marketing mechanics, this is how most web content functions. Content creators simply make content and share it in relevant online locations. They develop attention-getting skills through thousands of practice hours.
You can do the same with your affiliate marketing business. You can attract internet users to your website by creating and sharing content relevant to their interests and needs. While viewing your content, they should also see the affiliate ads you display on your website. A percentage will click these marketing materials and make purchases. You'll receive a percentage of the sale amount your referred customers spend.
