How to Earn Money with Affiliate Marketing
There are lots of ways to make money online, and Affiliate Marketing is one of them. Entering an affiliate program means that you agree to promote products online and will in turn earn a commission when sales come through your promotional efforts. It can be quite a lucrative agreement, but before you get started, it’s important to understand how it really works, and what it takes to be successful.
What is Affiliate Marketing?
Most affiliate programs consist of a relationship between a company selling a product or service, and a publisher or advertiser. The advertiser will add links on their own website, or place ads online that point to the product or service. If that traffic bring in sales, the affiliate earns commissions on those sales. Affiliate Marketing can be a great way to make money off of an existing blog or website.This is especially suited to websites that generate a lot of traffic, since it can be a bit of a numbers game.
While signing up for an affiliate program can be a relatively easy process, you should understand more about how it works. And what it takes to be successful.
How does it work?
If you think you might be interested in affiliate marketing, it’s important to do some homework up front. Here are some tips to help you get started:
What niche or products are right for you?
You will want to promote something that you and your audience will be interested in, or have a need for. What is your website about and who is your audience?
What is the possibility for income?
Do the research to see who in your desired area of interest has an affiliate program. What is the barrier to entry, and how likely is it that you will be able to convert sales? And of course, know fee or percentage will be earned for each sale.
How crowded is the space?
Some of the most profitable niches may also be the most crowded. If there is too much competition, you should realistically consider how likely it is that customers will purchase from your site.
Do you want to be associated with the product?
When you promote a product you are basically putting your reputation behind the offering. Is it something of real value? Would your audience agree?
How desirable is the product.
Even if you find a great product or idea, you need to make sure there are actually enough customers to make it worth the effort.
What kind of Support do they offer?
We all want to work with someone who is on time and responsible. Make sure you know what you can expect from the company you choose to promote. What is their contact method and response time. You may want to talk to other partners about this.
Choosing the right type of product you are willing to promote may take some time. And you will also have to do the research on affiliate programs across that industry. Putting the effort into this search will be worth it in the end.
How will I make money?
This may be the most important question. After all, the reason you are looking into affiliate marketing is to generate income. The amount paid to an affiliate for each sale can vary greatly depending on geography, industry, and product pricing, but the basic premise is the same. Affiliates will earn a commission (flat fee, or a percentage) of each sale facilitated by their efforts.
When you join an affiliate program, you will get a link, or set of links with an identifying code that is unique to you. This unique link should be used as provided on your site, or in your promotional materials so that the clicks to it are traceable to you as a source. If a sale is made based on one of these clicks, that sale is eligible for a commission payout.
Sales may be subjected to a verification process to ensure the sale has been made in accordance with the specific program requirements. And payments will be made to the affiliate based on a pre-defined schedule that is communicated upon acceptance into the program.
How do I promote the product?
If you think this is for you, then you will want to maximize the volume of clicks and subsequent sales from your unique links. Much like all web activities, adding link and hoping they will come is not a strategy for success. Real results will come with higher visibility and increased web traffic. Here are some ideas to help you maximize traffic, and your income potential.
Optimize Traffic to your website
More traffic to your site means more potential for clicks on the banners or links you promote. Search ranking will be key in getting more website visitors. Make sure your site is filled with quality content that is relevant to the desired audience. You should incorporate SEO best practices in your website design and all your writing. Consider promoting your content on social media, external forums and sources, or even with paid advertisements.
Consistently Produce Blogs
Regular blogging is a great way to create search-friendly content and grow your reputation as a subject matter expert. Writing about a topics relevant to the products you promote will help build trust with your audience. Blogging can be the main purpose of your affiliate website, or as a way to encourage more interest and engagement from your audience. Be sure to promote your blogs from social for maximum exposure.
Product Review
If you are creating a site specifically to drive revenue from promotions, then a product review site may be right for you. Find a niche that you are familiar with, or care enough about to get familiar with. Put the time in to write thoughtful, professional reviews. A too-salesy or poorly written review will not help to encourage a purchase. When done well, this kind of site offers a significant potential for income.
Banner Ads
Using banner ads on your site, or in ads placed on other sites will may perform better than text links. Some affiliate programs provide you with prepared banners, or with the tools you need to create banners for multiple use cases.
It can take some time to create an audience and start making sales. For real success, it’s best to find a program in your area of expertise, or that you have a passion for. Your genuine interest will be key in creating engaging posts and messaging. And your enthusiasm will show through to encourage your audience to make a purchase.
The iPage Affiliate Program
Affiliate programs are available in most industries and as mentioned above, your chances of success will be greater if you select an area you have a true interest in. If you have a passion for all things web, including websites, blogs, or online business, then you should look closely at the iPage Affiliate Program.
The iPage Affiliate Program is free to join and only takes a few minutes to complete the application process. We will provide you with a unique id code for use in the banner ads or text links on your website. And we have a library of banner ads and promotional material to help you generate more sales.
What we offer
- Payment options: You can choose to be paid either by check, paypal or through credit to your plan.
- Payment frequency: Commissions are processed approximately 15 to 30 days after the end of month in which a Qualified Purchase was completed
- Choice of ads and links: We provide a variety of pre-made banners and text links to suit your needs.
- Program support: iPage provides you with helpful program support, including pre-made affiliate ads, online tools to track and manage your commissions and assistance from iPage Help Center.
- Good feelings that come from sharing: By directing your colleagues, friends and site visitors to iPage, you are introducing them to a quality and affordable Web hosting solution.
Please review the complete iPage Affiliate Agreement to learn more about the enrollment process, what constitutes a verified sale, and the responsibilities and obligations of both parties.
