Getting started in affiliate marketing isn’t difficult, which is probably why so many internet marketers begin creating their online incomes in this way. Promoting other people’s products eliminates the need for you to create your own product or deal with customers. Below are a few things you should have in order to make your campaigns more successful.
Affiliate Accounts – Signing up with Clickbank, Amazon, and Commission Junction will give you access to thousands of digital and physical products to promote. If you wish to promote a particular product that cannot be found through these marketplaces, do a Google search for the product name + affiliate program. Many companies have an in-house program that works similar to the sites listed here, though they sometimes pay better since there is no middleman.
A Blog – You need a place to add your affiliate links, and a blog is typically the most effective landing page you can have. Providing good content will develop trust between you and your visitors, making them feel good about purchasing the items you are linking to. Not only will your blog help pre-sell the visitor, but updating it regularly will give the search engines fresh content, which is something they love.
Content – You can’t have a blog or website with content. Make sure it is unique content that is readable and understandable to the average internet user. Writing your content at about a sixth grade reading level is ideal. Avoid using PLR articles, as your site will not receive a very good ranking in the search engines with rehashed, unoriginal content.
A Plan – Though the above three are the only real things you need for affiliate marketing, it never hurts to have a plan. Set a schedule on how you plan to get tasks done, and follow through with it. Be sure to include creating the site, creating and adding content, and you methods of gaining traffic. Having a well thought out strategy for doing any business online will make you more successful. Affiliate marketing is a great stepping stone for making money, so long as you grow your business by outsourcing and creating your own products once you get your feet wet.
