Shopping online has become a major trend in the past few years. With our busy lives, we no longer have the time to window shop or peruse stores for products that we want. The e-commerce trend has bettered our lives by not only making shopping easier, but it has also given us the luxury of reading reviews on the products and services we are looking for.
How can we use this type of digital commerce to help our own income? The answer to that is affiliate marketing.
Affiliate marketing is a way of making commission on products and/or services that are sold online. By affiliating with companies, you are given links which you can insert into any online space you own (websites, social media, YouTube channels, blogs, online stores, Pinterest, etc.).
While some companies have regulations as to where their links can be placed, many are open to a variety of online platforms for use and promotion of their goods and/or services.
The process begins mainly by someone who is interested in promoting any given product or service, and affiliating to the company that sells it. Promotion is the key to affiliate marketing. The more products and/or services you promote, the more commissions you are likely to make. You will not only be helping the original seller, but you will also be earning your own share of that and other sales.
The first step to affiliate marketing is to find products that you want to promote. Consider some of the products or services you have had a good experience with, or have enjoyed.
After you have a list of the items you want to promote, you will want to find a company that sells this product and/or service that you can affiliate to. Affiliating may be a bit complicated, depending on the company. Companies vary when it comes to their terms and conditions for their affiliation process, so you must read them very carefully. Make sure you can fulfill all the rules and regulations when it is time to promote.
Once you have become an affiliate, your affiliate company will give you affiliate links to insert into your online content. These will be inserted into your online space so that anyone that is interested in the product you promote can purchase through your link. Any sales that come from that click will be a commission for you.
The next step is to do some research on those products and/or services. When you are looking to promote, write down all the pros of this product or service. Look for things you can highlight, such as new features, additional features, ease of use, the advantages of the product or service, the overall experience, and other positive things.
Once you have your list of highlights and positives, it is time for you to get creative in your promoting skills. Write a short review that is catchy and positive about the product or service you are promoting. Sometimes, a short blog is a great way to get traffic to your online space, and promote at the same time.
When you have reached the point of satisfaction with your promotion style (review, blog, ad), it is time to place it into the online space (or spaces) you have chosen. Remember to have original content so you have a higher customer traffic inflow.
There are endless possibilities to what you can promote for affiliate marketing. Some marketers decide they want to focus on things that they are familiar with.
Physical products are the main types of products promoted online. For example, a contractor might choose to review and promote the materials he uses in his trade (paint, tools, work cars, plasters, etc.), since they have used these products and are familiar with them on a deeper level than most people. A teacher might review different types of supplies they use in their classroom (paint, paper, scissors, pencil cases, etc.).
On the other hand, there are other types of things to promote, such as services. These are digital services such as tutorials, seminars, videos, e-books, etc. A beauty clinic might want to promote a spa that they are affiliated to, in order to share customers. A writer might want to promote a video or an inspirational book that has inspired them.
In the end, you can chose any product or service that you want. The options are never ending!
There are a plethora of companies that you can do affiliate marketing with. The most popular companies are Amazon, E-Bay, and ClickBank. Each one differs from the other, but in the end, they all have the same interest which is to sell, and allow you to make a commission from your promotion of their products and/or services. The best thing to do is research for the right company that sells the products or services you are wanting to promote.
There are a few key factors that come into play to answer this question.
Each company has different commission rates. Therefore the amount you can make differs from company to company. Amazon has a maximum of 10% rate for the more expensive, luxury items. Other items will render anywhere from 0% to 9%. The commission rate for eBay is from 2% - 6% of the selling price. Other companies like ClickBank like to offer commission rates of 50% or more of the selling price.
Commissions are earned through sales, so you will want to promote as many products as you can. The more items you promote and convince people to purchase, the more commissions you will make. Keep in mind the rates your affiliate company offers for the items you promote.
Promoting is all about getting users to see your ads and links. The more original your content, the more traffic you will have into your online space. With more traffic, your sales will increase.
Affiliate marketing is a powerful tool to make extra income. Promoting your site in your online space is something that is relatively easy, and can be fun. Keeping updated with goods and services can potentially make you an entire months’ worth of salary, and potentially even more!
