Can You Make a Legitimate Income Online as an Affiliate Marketer?
There are many ways to monetize a blog, and affiliate marketing programs are especially popular. The experts at Internet Marketers Education have put together a collection of affiliate marketing video tutorials, and below we’ve listed some advantages of marketing products that others have created. If you want to make a nice side income with a blog, increasing your affiliate earnings is a great way to do it.
Why it’s Easy to Make Money with Affiliate Marketing
There are many reasons to get into affiliate marketing, and we’ve listed some of the biggest below:
- You don’t need to create a product. Digital products are an excellent way to monetize blogs, but creating your own can be time-consuming. One of the greatest benefits of affiliate marketing is that you don’t have to spend time creating products; someone else has done it for you. As an affiliate, you can promote products right away, and you’ll earn for every referral sale. Most digital products come with substantial commissions; up to 50% in some cases. When you don’t have to take the time to make a product, you can spend more time promoting them and making sales. The training courses at IME can help you choose a high-performing affiliate program that’s a good fit for your site and your niche.
- You don’t have to serve customers directly. Not only will you save time on product creation, but as an affiliate marketer, you don’t have to spend time supporting customers. The time spent on customer service varies by product, but some sellers spend a substantial amount of money and time supporting their offerings. WordPress themes, software and plugins are especially popular, and while there’s a lot of income potential, there’s also a lengthy time commitment. Affiliates don’t have to provide support – all you have to do is make a referral, and once the sale is complete, customer service is the seller’s job.
- Income potential is high. Although time requirements are low, there’s a lot of money to be made in affiliate marketing. If you have a large fan base or an established online brand, you can make a great income as an affiliate marketer; those with smaller audiences or newer blogs will make less, but income can grow as your subscriber base grows.
- There are many products to choose from. There’s an affiliate program in almost every niche, and regardless of what you blog about, there’s likely to be a promotable product that would fit your readership. The more people are interested in your niche, the greater your selection will be. Popular industries typically have great affiliate terms (high commissions) because there’s tremendous competition for affiliate marketers. To find products to promote, you can visit other blogs in your niche, or visit sites of products you use to see if there’s an affiliate program. If you’re completely new to affiliate marketing, IME’s membership site is packed with courses that can show you how to make money with affiliate marketing.
- Cash in on your reputation. As a blogger, you’re always trying to establish your brand and your reputation with your readers – and promoting affiliate products lets you make money based on the reputation you’ve built. If your readers trust you, they’re likely to follow your recommendations. However, you shouldn’t abuse that trust; by promoting quality products, you can grow your income and your readers will continue to look to you as an authority in your niche. The affiliate marketing training membership site at IME can help you learn how to build your brand and your reputation as an authoritative source.
Making Money with Affiliate Marketing
Once you’ve decided what to promote, start thinking of ways you can gain exposure for those products. Some examples are listed here:
- Collect readers’ email addresses. Email lists are a good way to make money as an affiliate. When someone subscribes, you can stay in touch and develop trust.
- Use an autoresponder sequence. If you’re using AWeber or GetResponse, you have access to an autoresponder. Here, you can set up emails to go out at predetermined intervals – it’s a great way to increase site traffic and boost your affiliate efforts.
- Don’t put too much faith in banner ads. This mistake is made by many bloggers, but banners aren’t as effective as other promotional tools. Including affiliate links in blog content can yield greater results.
- Ask for a raise. If you’re very successful in your affiliate program, consider asking the manager for a greater payout. It’s common practice for high-performing affiliates to be paid higher than the going rate, and managers often do this to reward and retain top performers.
Affiliate marketing is an effective way to make money online, but there’s a certain amount of work involved. By following the affiliate marketing tips above, by purchasing an affiliate marketing training membership from IME, and by learning how to grow your customer base while earning their trust, you can become a successful marketer.
