Are you interested in affiliate marketing but do not know where to start? I created this post to help answer this question.
Here are the four main steps to getting started. I’ll answer each step in a separate blog post, so check the links at the bottom to access the other two parts.
- Find product(s) to promote
- Determine how often you will work and what work you want to do
- Figure out how to promote the affiliate links
- How to monetize your affiliate business
The first thing is to find products to promote. I have been an affiliate in numerous industries. The main business I built is in the insurance industry, which was mainly an offline business with customers based regionally around New Jersey (where I live) and New York. I entered the insurance industry because my father and grandfather were in the business. Looking back now, what I find interesting is that with so many different insurance products to promote, I eventually specialized in certain product lines I liked the most.
When I decided to start another business that was truly an online business, I thought about what I wanted to do with it. What kind of products would I sell? Because of my background in developing the other business, I wanted to start an online business that focused on how to build a business, particularly with passive income opportunities. I already have so much knowledge and expertise on the subject that I wanted to use the online business to share it with others in their pursuit of building an online business and creating the life of their dreams. I then found products such as training and coaching programs to help me build an online business. I then became an affiliate for the programs I liked the most.
I mention this because I genuinely think the right way to start an affiliate marketing business is to find products that resonate with you. Turn your hobby or experience into a business. What do you love to do? What could you talk about all day long? What products or services have you used that you feel are good to recommend to others? This is a good starting point for figuring out what products you want to be an affiliate for. People are making money in every industry nowadays, and I do not think people have to focus on something they do not want to do. Building an online business is hard enough, so make it easier on yourself by doing something you want to do.
Next, list some companies and products you are interested in. Go to the company websites and see if you find an Affiliate tab. If you do not see anything on the website, you can also reach out to customer service. However, a link is probably somewhere on the website if the company has a genuine affiliate program.
I have another blog post about what to look for in an affiliate program. Click here to read this. I made a few mistakes early on, so check this out to avoid making the same mistakes.
Once you find at least one product with a solid affiliate program, join it! Sign up. You should then get your affiliate links, which will be your ‘store’. If the company has other resources, like educational or promotional PDFs, that you can use in your marketing, that is great. Anything to make it easier for you to promote the products is critical.
The next step is figuring out how to promote the products via your affiliate links.
I will discuss this in the next blog post!
Click here to access Step 2: Determine how often you will work and what work you want to do.
And, if you want to jump ahead to Step 3: Figure out how to promote the affiliate links, click here.