The way to be a profitable affiliate marketer: Development methods & ideas

By Phil Norris March 28, 2024

Do you know the typical affiliate marketer makes simply over $8,000 a month?

Not unhealthy for a job that allows you to work wherever, set your individual hours, and earn passive earnings.

However, as all the time, there’s a catch:

That determine is massively skewed by affiliate entrepreneurs with 10+ years of expertise, who herald a mean month-to-month earnings of $44,000+.

In the meantime, if you happen to’re in your first 12 months of internet online affiliate marketing, you may count on a barely extra humble return of $636 a month. Which in all probability gained’t even cowl your payments, not to mention fast-track you towards a lifetime of luxurious.

Nonetheless, if you may get by means of these tough first two years, the rewards are there for the taking.

And we can assist you get there by sharing our prime tips about be a profitable affiliate marketer…

The place to publish internet online affiliate marketing hyperlinks

Let’s begin with the fundamentals of promote an affiliate hyperlink. There are 4 major channels you should use, every with its personal strengths and weaknesses:

Search engine marketing

SEO (Search engine marketing) includes constructing a search-friendly web site that targets the sorts of key phrases your viewers is in search of. It’s the #1 supply of visitors for affiliate entrepreneurs.

However Search engine marketing is hard. In case you’re focusing on a key phrase with first rate search quantity, you’ll possible be competing with big, generalist publishers like Forbes and Enterprise Insider, so that you’ve obtained your work minimize out getting wherever close to the highest #10 search outcomes.

Natural search can also be extraordinarily risky, with a 13-month research of 28,000+ domains discovering that <5% of internet sites preserve their prime #10 rankings for an entire 12 months.

👍 Search engine marketing execs:

• Free visitors supply
• Targets certified customers looking for particular data
• When you’ve constructed a well-optimized website, it might probably hold producing visitors for years

👎 Search engine marketing cons:

• Constructing an Search engine marketing-friendly website takes a whole lot of time
• Nevertheless a lot work you place in, it’s extraordinarily tough to outrank large publishers
• Search engine algorithms change frequently, so your rankings may tank in a single day

E-mail

E-mail advertising and marketing has the very best return on funding of any advertising and marketing channel, but it’s one thing of an untapped useful resource — particularly amongst new associates. In reality, skilled affiliate entrepreneurs use electronic mail advertising and marketing 47.8% extra than newcomers.

Not solely are the bills minimal (simply the price of your electronic mail advertising and marketing platform), however investing in electronic mail additionally reduces your reliance on search and social algorithms by letting you share affiliate hyperlinks straight to your viewers’s inbox.

👍 E-mail execs:

• Low prices
• Very good return on funding
• Reduces reliance on search and social algorithms

👎 E-mail cons:

• You’ll want some type of exterior mechanism to develop your electronic mail checklist (like a touchdown web page or web site)
• It may take time to develop your electronic mail checklist

Paid media

Paid adverts on search engines like google and social media largely work on a pay-per-click (PPC) foundation, which is strictly what it appears like: you create an advert, set a funds, and solely pay when somebody clicks by means of to your touchdown web page.

It’s a fast and handy option to drive visitors to your affiliate website — you may construct an advert marketing campaign in a couple of minutes, then begin producing clicks the second you set it stay. Nevertheless, it’s not low-cost, with an common cross-industry cost-per-click of $4.22 (and no assure that the clicker goes to purchase something).

Given that you simply would possibly solely be making a couple of dollars in fee per sale, PPC simply isn’t cost-effective in a whole lot of affiliate niches.

👍 PPC execs:

• Constructing advert campaigns is fast and straightforward
• As soon as a marketing campaign goes stay, you can begin producing visitors immediately

👎 PPC cons:

• Prices-per-click are prohibitively excessive in some niches
• When you cease paying, your visitors stops too

Natural social

Natural social media includes posting on platforms like Fb, Instagram, and TikTok with none PPC advert funds. So it’s sort of like Search engine marketing: you’re counting on the standard of your content material and your optimization efforts to achieve your required viewers.

Sadly, natural attain on most social platforms has plummeted in recent times. To make issues worse, the likes of Fb and TikTok need to hold you on their platform, not click on by means of to an affiliate web site (or your affiliate accomplice’s retailer) — so it’s turning into more and more unreliable as a visitors supply.

Which explains why internet online affiliate marketing consultants use natural social media 26.7% much less than newcomers.

👍 Natural social execs:

👎 Natural social cons:

• Natural attain is declining on most social platforms
• Onerous to show social views into web site visitors

The best technique for internet online affiliate marketing success

Most profitable affiliate entrepreneurs use a mixture of channels to achieve their viewers and drive visitors towards their affiliate companions’ web sites.

It all the time pays to diversify. That approach, your entire enterprise mannequin gained’t be ruined by a single algorithm replace. Additionally, the extra your viewers sees your content material, the extra possible they’re to click on by means of. Which, in flip, means they’ll see extra of your affiliate hyperlinks too.

So leveraging a number of channels is nothing new.

Nevertheless, there’s one particular multichannel internet online affiliate marketing technique that’s surprisingly underused.

It really works like this:

1. Establish a selected ache level your viewers desires to resolve
2. Construct an internet course to assist reply that ache level
3. Promote the web course (usually, the course is free, however some associates cost a small payment for his or her course content material)
4. Use the course to suggest particular on-line instruments or merchandise that can assist resolve your viewers’s ache level
5. Everytime you promote a instrument or product, add an affiliate hyperlink so that you receives a commission when folks click on by means of and purchase

This tactic is so efficient as a result of the individuals who join your on-line course are in search of solutions — they usually belief you to supply them. 

So while you suggest a product, they’ll sit up and take discover.

Let’s check out an actual affiliate website that’s making financial institution by means of this system…

CASE STUDY: Legendary Marketer

Legendary Marketer is a advertising and marketing schooling firm that provides (paid) on-line programs on subjects like promoting digital merchandise and constructing a training enterprise.

However that’s not the solely approach Legendary Marketer makes cash. It additionally employs the technique we described within the earlier part to generate a ton of affiliate commissions.

Regardless of the number of programs it sells, Legendary Marketer’s homepage is geared towards selling one particular product: its 15-Day On-line Enterprise Builder Problem. 

Simply have a look at these two outstanding CTAs:

If you click on by means of, you’re greeted with messaging that speaks to arguably the largest ache level for anybody making an attempt to construct an internet enterprise: determining get began.

Legendary Marketer guarantees that will help you overcome that problem — and all for the low, low one-off worth of $7.

In reality, the value tag is virtually irrelevant. In case you attempt to give up the web page, you’ll be hit with an exit intent popup providing precisely the identical course for simply $1:

Why so low-cost?

As a result of they don’t notably care how a lot cash they make from truly promoting the course. Their actual earner includes peppering their course content material with product suggestions (and affiliate hyperlinks) to generate clicks and commissions.

As an added bonus, enrolling within the course requires handing over your electronic mail deal with to Legendary Marketer — which implies they will hold sharing suggestions straight to your inbox.

To be clear, none of this implies the 15-Day On-line Enterprise Builder Problem isn’t legit.

There’s nothing improper with incomes cash from recommending high-quality merchandise, simply as long as you’re upfront and trustworthy about it.

Different internet online affiliate marketing course concepts

I believe we will all agree that Legendary Marketer has hit on a extremely efficient internet online affiliate marketing technique.

However we’re not essentially suggesting you do precisely the identical factor. In any case, there are many different niches to focus on and ache factors to resolve. As an illustration:

Ache level: Get your first 500 electronic mail subscribers

This can be a basic concern for brand new affiliate entrepreneurs (and, certainly, for any enterprise proprietor or content material creator who desires to leverage the advantages of electronic mail advertising and marketing), which makes it a unbelievable match for an internet course.

Earlier than you begin creating the course content material, you’d hunt down a bunch of affiliate packages for instruments to assist folks construct their electronic mail checklist. We’re considering:

• A graphic design instrument like Canva for designing and making a lead magnet
• A touchdown web page builder like AWeber to create a lead seize touchdown web page
• An electronic mail advertising and marketing platform to arrange automated campaigns (once more, they will do that by means of AWeber)

Ache level: Earn six figures on Etsy

One other widespread ache level — as a result of each Etsy service provider desires to earn more money.

You’d comply with the identical course of when constructing this on-line course: think about all of the instruments Etsy sellers would possibly must develop their income, then join the related affiliate packages and add their hyperlinks to your course content material. Instruments like:

• PickFu for optimizing product photographs, descriptions, movies, adverts, and product pricing
• Vela for managing Etsy product listings
• Outfy for automated social media administration for on-line shops
• LeadDyno for selling an Etsy retailer by means of internet online affiliate marketing

And, after all, AWeber for constructing an electronic mail checklist and operating e-newsletter campaigns to drive visitors to an Etsy retailer.

Ache level: Make your first dropshipping sale

Like internet online affiliate marketing, dropshipping is a well-liked facet hustle, serving to folks construct a income stream with out coping with most of the greatest challenges of operating a “correct” e-commerce enterprise, like:

• Spending a ton of money upfront on merchandise
• Managing retailer stock
• Coping with product transport

So it’s not arduous to see the enchantment of launching a dropshipping retailer. However, similar to with any on-line enterprise, most wannabe dropshippers don’t know the place to start — making this an ideal on-line course area of interest.

Once more, there’s no scarcity of merchandise (with affiliate packages) you may promote, together with:

Plus they’ll want an electronic mail advertising and marketing instrument, which is the place AWeber is available in.

4 internet online affiliate marketing greatest practices to drive extra clicks and gross sales

Constructing a profitable internet online affiliate marketing enterprise isn’t nearly having the appropriate technique. You additionally must execute it successfully. Make it occur by following these greatest practices:

Select a various vary of affiliate companions

Your affiliate companions — often known as advertisers — are the individuals who pay you for selling their merchandise. So it’s honest to say they’ll play an integral function in your journey to internet online affiliate marketing success.

Naturally, affiliate advertisers need to construct sturdy, mutually useful relationships with their greatest associates. 

However it’s vital to do not forget that they’re companies, not charities, so that they is likely to be compelled to vary their phrases and circumstances at a second’s discover. As an illustration, Amazon  — one of many world’s greatest affiliate advertisers — famously slashed commissions throughout a number of classes again in 2020, placing a significant dent in lots of affiliate entrepreneurs’ earnings.

In case you put all of your eggs within the metaphorical basket of a single associates program, the same choice out of your affiliate accomplice may decimate your corporation. 

So it undoubtedly pays to unfold the danger round by selling a number of affiliate packages (e.g. different markets like eBay and Etsy are a great substitute for Amazon).

Promote high quality affiliate merchandise

If you’re in search of affiliate companions, it’s simple to be blinded by enticing fee charges.

However the actuality is that the highest-paying merchandise aren’t essentially the most effective on your viewers. Sadly, the precise reverse is commonly true: they’re solely paying large commissions as a result of in any other case nobody would suggest them.

Whereas it’s tempting to concentrate on making as a lot cash as potential within the brief time period, your affiliate enterprise will likely be an entire lot extra sustainable if you happen to solely promote high-quality merchandise. So take the time to take a look at buyer evaluations earlier than signing up — and, ideally, suggest merchandise that you simply truly use.

Construct an asset, not a social channel

Positive, there are actual affiliate entrepreneurs making large cash from their followings on platforms like TikTok and YouTube.

However there’s an issue: these people don’t truly personal their viewers. TikTok and YouTube do.

You is likely to be considering: “So what? I don’t care if TikTok holds all of the playing cards so long as I’m nonetheless getting cash.” Nevertheless, there are some main downsides to this method.

For starters, tastes in social media change quick. If folks out of the blue lose curiosity in your chosen social platform, BAM, there goes your viewers — and there’s no assure they’ll comply with you to a totally different platform.

It additionally leaves you overly reliant on social algorithms. If TikTok or YouTube resolve they don’t need folks to see your content material anymore, you’re useless within the water.

That’s why we imagine the most effective path to turning into a profitable affiliate marketer is to construct your individual web site. Or, on the very least, a touchdown web page you should use to seize electronic mail addresses.

Goal high-intent key phrases

Earlier on this article, we identified that Search engine marketing is the highest visitors supply for affiliate web sites.

However not all search visitors is equally invaluable.

It’s high-quality to have one or two items of content material devoted to top-of-the-funnel subjects (like begin an internet enterprise). However the bulk of your Search engine marketing-focused articles or movies ought to goal commercially targeted key phrases.

Usually, industrial key phrases seem like this:

Folks looking for these types of phrases are shut to creating a shopping for choice. So in the event that they discover (and revel in) your content material, there’s a great probability they’ll click on by means of to your affiliate accomplice’s website and make a purchase order.

Supercharge your internet online affiliate marketing success with AWeber

Constructing a profitable internet online affiliate marketing enterprise is tough work. And there are not any ensures — in any other case, each affiliate marketer could be a millionaire.

However we will assure that you simply’ll stand a significantly better probability if you happen to construct an electronic mail checklist, then goal your subscribers with common newsletters recommending all of your favourite merchandise.

That’s why you want AWeber.

Our drag-and-drop builder and AI writing assistant make it fast and straightforward to create stunning, partaking, high-converting advertising and marketing emails, whereas our touchdown web page builder and signup types provide you with all of the instruments to develop your checklist.

Join your free AWeber account as we speak.

And, when you’ve achieved it, why not be a part of our associates program and unfold the love?