If you’re looking for a new project during these difficult times, here is a five step guide to getting started in Affiliate Marketing. For those new to the idea, Affiliate Marketing is an industry in which you as a website or social account owner make money by referring people online to a product or service that you like/endorse. If the people you introduced buy something, you’ll get a referral fee (usually related to how much the customer spent). If this sounds like something you want to try for yourself, here are five easy steps to get you started:
1) Choose your passion
It helps to get your affiliate marketing adventure underway by choosing an area that you are genuinely interested in. You are likely to be writing about this topic and encouraging people to shop based on your recommendations so it will definitely help your motivation if it’s a topic you love talking about! Some of the most common topics are fashion, health & beauty, home & garden and consumer electronics. Really though, there are no rules around what you can or can’t write/post about and retailers with affiliate programmes exist for almost every topic imaginable!
2) Create a platform where you can share your ideas
The most common platforms used in affiliate marketing are of course websites, but you may also choose to create an account on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Tumblr or others. It is down to personal preference and many first timers choose to use multiple platforms as they believe it will help to attract a bigger audience. Personally, I find that multiple platforms can be a bit of a distraction and in the early days you want the majority of your time to be spent on creating content rather than updating multiple platforms. I recommend starting with a basic website and there are some great, easy to use platforms out there like Squarespace (£10pm), Wix (free) and WordPress (free).
3) Sign up to a tech solution
There are services like Skimlinks, Sovrn (formerly called VigLink) and Yieldkit who will give you special ‘tracking links’ that help a retailer recognise when you were the person who sent them a customer. These tech companies give you access to thousands of retailer’s tracking links and are the perfect way to get started quickly. They handle all of the reporting, payments and tracking for you so that you can focus on more important things. I recommend using Skimlinks as they have lots of useful resources that help you understand how tracking links work, how to write with affiliate marketing in mind and other great tips.
4) Start writing/posting
New affiliates should view writing and producing content as the most important thing that they do each day. The less time spent worrying about links, researching your topic and trying to get that perfect website design, the better. There is a commonly used phrase that ‘content is king’ and nowhere is this truer than in affiliate marketing. Your content should help viewers understand what they are buying, why they are buying it and what motivated you to recommend it.
5) Be patient and have fun
Affiliate marketing can take time to make your first sale(s) and a lot of your success will depend on how much traffic you are able to attract. It takes time for people to find your website or get followers but as long as you keep creating original content, they will eventually find you! Focus on writing about the things you enjoy as your natural enthusiasm should shine through and make your content more interesting to your audience. Lastly, remember to have a ‘disclosure page’ in which you let your audience know your website may make money if they click on your links and buy things (this is a legal requirement).
That’s really all there is to it! Good luck and don’t hesitate to reach out to us at hello at inspinn.co.uk (no spaces) if you’d like some advice or help with your affiliate efforts.
22 April 2020Affiliate Marketing, Startups
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