Affiliate marketing sounds like the ideal gig. You don’t have a boss, you can choose your hours, and it can make you money even while you sleep.
But, unfortunately, lots of people promise you fast money with affiliate marketing, even though it can be very difficult for beginners to get started.
In this article, we have some genius tips and tricks that beginners in affiliate marketing need to know about NOW. These are affiliate marketing hacks that it might take you years to figure out on your own.
Since you’re an affiliate marketing beginner, let’s start with the basics, like the affiliate marketing meaning.
What is affiliate marketing and how does it work?
To get the ball rolling, you will first need affiliate links. You can find affiliate links either by browsing through affiliate program deals on affiliate marketing ClickBank, or if you already know which brand you want to promote, you can Google the brand’s name followed by “affiliate” or “referral program.” Alternatively, you could look into affiliate marketing Amazon.
Once you get a link that is specific to you, you will get partial commission for anyone who clicks on that link and ends up buying a product.
Getting the link is the easy part. The hard part is getting enough people to click on it.
Let’s go through some options that you have to build a platform, start a brand, and get people clicking on your links. We will include affiliate marketing examples and affiliate marketing companies that everyone should know about.
How to Start Affiliate Marketing in 2020
1. Build a Website
A great place to get started is building a website. You should get started with a web hosting service, as it’s usually not recommended to start building on your own.
On your website or blog, you can create a whole collection of articles and blog posts. These articles can simply be used to build authority and trust in your brand (this is called “content marketing”) AND you could use them to include and subtly promote your own affiliate links.
Here’s where SEO (search engine optimization) comes in. Use a keyword research tool to find out what people are Googling, then use those words and catchy headlines to create articles that people click on. That way you get something called “organic traffic,” which is people who stumble upon your blog from a Google search.
Try using these tips to get on the first page of Google in just a week.
Maybe English isn’t your first language, maybe you aren’t confident in your writing skills, or maybe you just want someone to help lighten the load.
You could always consider outsourcing writing and hiring a freelance writer who knows a lot about SEO.
2. Keep up your Social Media
It is possible to make money on social media in 2020.
Remember, building an audience isn’t some magic, mysterious thing that happens to random people. It’s a deliberate decision that you can make to build an audience over time.
Affiliate marketers don’t just share their links on websites and blogs, they are also very common on social media. Even if you’re a beginner, you can get the right gear and look like a professional from the get-go.
Check out this article with tips about building your audience to make money on social media.
3. Target a Timely Niche
Firstly, don’t underestimate the importance of having a niche. Any affiliate marketer who doesn’t target one audience seems unfocused and untrustworthy.
Now, considering that you’ll be spending a lot of time focused on this niche, it’s a good idea to pick something that you’re passionate about.
But remember that, at some point, you’re hoping to monetize your brand. For that reason, choose something that people need, or want, so that later on you can promote certain products.
While you may think there aren’t a lot of business opportunities right now, there are actually certain markets that are expanding in these times of Covid, and you can take advantage of that.
4. Make a Marketing Plan
If you really want to commit to affiliate marketing, invest in it like it’s your business, because it is.
Look at it this way: you just became a freelance entrepreneur.
You can learn about marketing, or you can outsource expert marketers who will help you develop a whole plan to start getting attention and views.
Another option for building up views and clicks is taking advantage of the audience of someone else. On Udimi solo ads, you can buy a spot on someone’s email newsletter and get a recommendation from them. This will bring some of their loyal followers over to your account, and it’s not too expensive.
5. Be Realistic
You have probably heard that you can start affiliate marketing free or start an affiliate marketing business with no money. That might have been the case at one point, but for affiliate marketing beginners in 2020, you will need to invest time and money in your growing business.
It helps to have a realistic idea of how much it will cost and how much you want to invest. Also be realistic about the fact that it will probably not be free.
You can’t start making money until you’re realistic about the upfront costs.
Try following some affiliate marketing blogs, taking an affiliate marketing course, or looking into affiliate marketing companies. Building an extra source of income with affiliate marketing is attainable, but it takes time, effort, and dedication.