If you’ve ever been interested in starting your own business online, or if you’ve already started one, then you’ve likely heard of affiliate marketing, and even some affiliate marketing programs that are available to people just like you, who are looking to get started.
If you haven’t heard of it, affiliate marketing is essentially a program that many companies employ to allow people to promote and sell their product for a commission. You basically find a product you like or have enjoyed using, promote it for a company with whom you have a contract, and earn a piece of the profit for each sale you make for them. T
here are many ways in which to become a successful affiliate marketer, and here we’ll be going over some of the basics to get you started.
It’s important to keep in mind, however, that success doesn’t come without some work, and it won’t happen overnight; in fact, we estimate that it will generally take an individual anywhere from 18-24 months to begin seeing real success, but don’t give up!
Affiliate marketing can be very rewarding to those who stick with it and have the dedication and time to put into it.
Types Of Affiliates
There are a few different types of affiliates, and the first step to becoming an affiliate partner with a company is to decide which type is best for you and your particular method of marketing. For instance, the different types of websites you can market from are:
Blogs
Possibly the easiest type of affiliate site, as well as simple to set up, and the most popular. With these you have the freedom to conduct it however you’d like: formal or informal, text or video, interactive, etc. No matter how you decide to do your marketing, one thing is certain; you will need to write or vlog about things you are passionate about, and products and services with which you have had positive experiences and would recommend to others. The best kind of content you can possible post is unique, confident, honest, and thorough, and should be engaging enough to keep your audience coming back for more.
Reviews
This type of affiliate site is extremely flexible, both in subject matter and how the audience may interact with it. You will need to post reliable, honest, and current information about the products or services you are reviewing. Again, all content posted should be engaging enough to keep them coming back for more.
Coupons
This type of affiliate site is targeted more toward those who are consistent seekers of bargains or deals to help them save a buck or two on the products and services they require or desire. These sites in particular can generate quite a bit of traffic, but, like the review sites, your visitors will expect all information to be up to date.
Downloads
Download affiliate sites are by far the most lucrative, especially if you can become an affiliate for a large number of companies. These types of sites are more geared toward customers who want to try before they buy, and the main goal is to get them to buy the full version after they’ve gone through their initial trial period with it.
Your Domain
After you’ve chosen the type of site you want to operate, you’ll want to choose your web domain name. If you don’t know what a domain name is, it is essentially your online ID card – your presence online in the world of the great wide web. You can either find a domain to purchase from a third party or find one which is available through the particular domain registrars, but when you find your place, you’ll need to have a name ready for it. Don’t worry if the naming process takes you a while; with all the names that already exist, it can be difficult to find one that fits the standards you’ve set it place for what you want it to be, and that’s okay.
Your Host
Once you’ve got your domain all squared away, you’ll need to choose a hosting service for your site, or an Internet Service Provider (ISP). This will be what connects your site to the internet and makes it available to the public eye. Generally you’ll be paying for the space you take up there; for instance, if you’re using a company as your host and using up a portion of their storage capacity, you will need to pay for that space so you can store your files and data for your site. Don’t worry; many of the companies offer hosting service plans as a part of their domain registration, but it is good to have an idea of what you will need for your particular business plan so you can help them understand (or help you understand) what is best for you and your site.
Your Theme
Your theme will be the visual backbone of your operation, once you’ve gotten all the other stuff squared away. These can be available both for free or for purchase (unless, of course, you know HTML and CSS code, in which case you can just build your own from scratch), and allow varying ranges of personalization. Paid themes will generally allow for more customization, but you can do what needs to be done with a free theme well enough. It needs to flow well with the content of the website, and needs to be easy to navigate, see, and read for your consumers. A good start would be to have a friend or family member who you trust to be honest with you to take a look at your site once it’s finished, that way you can get feedback and make adjustments, if necessary. The theme should also allow room for growth, so that it may be altered or built upon when your business grows.
