People all over the world are flocking to the internet to try and generate a second income through online marketing and never has there be a better time than NOW to explore this option. There are MANY different ways to make money online, but the best way to get started is most probably with a business model known as Affiliate Marketing.
Why is Affiliate Marketing deemed such a lucrative business model?
It is easy to get started.
Very little start-up cost is needed.
You don’t have to create your own products.
You don’t need to have a physical brick and mortar building – you can literally work from anywhere as long as you have a WIFI connection/data, laptop and or cell phone and you are good to go.
No Customer Management needed on your part.
You don’t have to take care of the logistics – it is all taken care off by the product owner.
What exactly is Affiliate Marketing?
Affiliate Marketing is based on a performance remuneration model. The Affiliate Marketer gets remunerated by the product owner (the business) in the form of commissions on each and every sale he/she generates. The role of an Affiliate Marketer is to connect the end user (customer) who has some sort of a problem/need with a product/solution that fulfils the customer’s need and once a customer buys, the affiliate gets paid.
It is therefore essential that the affiliate marketer understands and knows his/her customer. What are her pain points, what makes her tick, where does she hang out on social media. This is called your Customer Avatar. You can grab our free worksheet HERE to assist you in creating your Customer Avatar.
Below is a graphic representation of the Affiliate Marketing Process
How to get started with Affiliate Marketing?
First of all, you have to decide on the niche in which you want to build your business, i.e. Make Money Online, Weight Loss, Dog Grooming, Fashion, Beauty etc.
Definition of a Niche: This is a specialized segment of a market, i.e. Weight Loss and this can be broken down even further into Keto, Paleo, Healthy Living, etc.
Once you have decided on the niche you should identify Vendors/Merchants to affiliate yourself with. There are basically 2 ways to find online affiliate programs to join.
- Firstly, you can join a stand-alone affiliate program. That means the vendor is running his/her own affiliate program and is not linked to an affiliate network, e.g. GetResponse or Clickfunnels, etc. You can find a stand-alone affiliate program by doing a simple Google search i.e. searching for your specific niche + affiliate e.g. search for “dog grooming affiliate” and it will suggest affiliate programs that you could join.
- Or another option is to join an Affiliate Network such as ShareASale, Clickbank, etc. Joining an affiliate network grants you access to thousands of affiliate offers all under one umbrella. In some instances, you have to individually apply to each vendor inside the network to promote his/her products and in other instances, it is just a matter of grabbing your affiliate links and starting promoting. Click HERE to get a list of my favorite Affiliate Programs.
I would recommend, when you start out, to join a vendor/program that offers a lot of support to its affiliates, as in the form of email swipes, suggested FB ads etc. If you are brand new to affiliate marketing, my best recommendation would be to join a program that comes with a “Done For You System”. One such program is Legendary Marketer. What I personally like about Legendary Marketer is the fact that it doesn’t just show you how to throw affiliate links out into the internet world, but shows you how to build a real sustainable business from your affiliate efforts. And yes, they DO offer an affiliate program themselves, but one has to apply and only if they find you to be a suitable candidate will you be approved. The best way to get access to their affiliate program is to complete their 15-Day Business Challenge during which they physically guide and assist you in crafting a real business plan for your online business. I would strongly recommend anyone who is looking into affiliate marketing as a business model, whether you are desirous to promote Legendary Marketer or not, to go through their 15-day business challenge. This will definitely provide you with a solid foundation and help you succeed in the online world.
All vendors will supply you with affiliate links, that are cookied to you. These you will use when advertising/promoting their products. The cookie will tell the vendor who has generated the sale and which affiliate needs to be paid.
No business can exist without customers. The next step is hence to get traffic to your offers. This can be done through a number of different channels and can mainly be split into two main categories, i.e. Paid Traffic and Organic/Unpaid traffic.
Paid traffic as an example could be Facebook Ads, Google Ads, Solo Ads etc. while unpaid traffic would largely be generated through social media and forum marketing as well as marketing to your email list.
An email list is an online marketer’s greatest asset and any new online marketer should start building an email list as soon as possible.
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There are many different email providers out there, but my personal favorite is GetResponse as it is really cheap compared to other providers and it provides you with everything you need as a beginner affiliate marketer to get started, including autoresponders, landing pages, newsletter templates, conversion funnels and excellent support. What I also love about them is that they offer new subscribers a FREE trial during which you can test drive and learn the system before you start paying for their services. Click HERE to start your free trial today.
Whether you choose paid or unpaid ways to generate traffic is up to you. Whether you choose paid or unpaid, the next step would be to generate high-quality content to educate your potential customer on the benefits of your product and what it could potentially do for them. You have to provide VALUE in all your marketing efforts. This will distinguish you from the wannabe marketers.
Content is King. Your followers should get to know you through your content. They must perceive you as a person of value. It is also essential when promoting through social media to build a relationship with your followers in order for them to get to know, like and trust you.
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People buy from people they know, like and trust.
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As an affiliate marketer, it is essential that you know where your traffic is coming from, what work and what doesn’t work. Eliminate that which doesn’t work and do more of what does work. My advice to you would be to identify only a few traffic sources to start off with and master those before you try to use a number and not being successful in any.
Get paid!!! Celebrate even the smallest win as that will keep you motivated to get going.
PRO TIP: I would recommend you lock arms with a person that is already successful (a mentor) to show you the ropes. This in itself can take off months, if not years, in reaching your goal of being a successful online entrepreneur. Personally, I struggled for months trying to find my feet with affiliate marketing, but truth be told, I was moving one step forward and 2 steps backward almost on a daily basis trying to put all the moving pieces together. Just as I thought I’ve got it all figured out some “guru” would say something that I’m not doing and then I would run off in that direction … and you’ve guessed it… wiping out all progress I’ve already made and having to start ALL OVER again. That was until I aligned myself with one mentor and allowed him to guide me through a step-by-step process to set up my affiliate business in the right way! No more guru this or guru that…. Just pure focus and daily action!! If you can associate with any or all of the above, please be my guess and check out his video (Click HERE) to learn more on how to become a successful Affiliate Marketer.
karinknoetze.com 
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