Affiliate marketing is one of the top ways to make money as a blogger. So what is it?
Affiliate marketing means you’re promoting a product or service on your blog or website, or maybe even just encouraging your readers to take a particular action, and then once they make the purchase or the complete the action, you earn a commission fee.
Below are some tips and things to know if you’re a new blogger weighing whether or not affiliate marketing is right for you as you explore how to make money from your blog.
Be Part of a Specific Niche
One of the biggest mistakes new bloggers make when they’re just becoming involved with affiliate marketing is not targeting their niche market narrowly enough. If you’re in a specific niche with not only your blog but also what you’re marketing, you’re likely to have greater success than you would simply trying to sell everything available. If you’re trying to sell products or services that aren’t in your niche, it can start to feel like spam to your readers very quickly. One more note that’s important here: you need to research your audience thoroughly to understand what is going to appeal to them.
Only Give True Recommendations for Products
If you’re a new blogger, and you really want to make money quickly you might try to market things in a way that you wouldn’t usually feel comfortable recommending, and that’s never a good idea. Yes, affiliate marketing is a business like any other, but at the same time, you want to be able to make recommendations authentically if you want your business to have longevity.
Shop Around and Compare Programs
There a few reasons it’s best to compare affiliate marketing programs. First, you want to make sure you’re choosing a reputable program. There are thousands of options available, and you want to pick the ones that are well-established and have a positive reputation in the industry. Another reason to shop around before choosing any one program is so that you can make sure you’re going to be earning the maximum amount of money. Not all programs are the same in what they pay their marketers.
Be Clear on Terms of Service
Before you sign on with any affiliate marketing program, make sure you’re clear on the terms of service. They’re all going to be different, and they’re going to have different ways of doing things, so reading the terms of service protects you.
Make Relationships a Priority
If you don’t have a blog following of people who trust what you say, your affiliate marketing isn’t likely to work very well. You want to build real relationships with your readers, and the ability to do this is what is going to set your blog apart, above everything else. Focus on being sincere and being a resource your readers can turn to, and once you do that, you can start building your affiliate marketing revenue. Yes, you will need to also build your traffic, but before that you need to be seen as credible and someone your readers can fully trust.