13 Affiliate Marketing Tips & Strategies to Earn More Money

Are you looking for a simple way to earn money on the side? One of the most popular side hustles is affiliate marketing. As an affiliate, you can partner with brands, create unique affiliate links, and earn commissions for each sale you make.

How does a beginning affiliate marketer become a full-fledged business owner who makes enough money online to start an affiliate website full time? 

Affiliate marketing is all about lead generation and finding as many targeted eyeballs as possible for the offer you want them to see. Here we’ll discuss the top 13 methods to get those eyeballs on your affiliate link. Hundreds of ways exist to market your affiliate offer, but we highlight the strategies that are generally easy and essentially free.

1. Select the right niche

The niche you choose has to have a potential client base that is easily reachable. People who use the internet or social media platforms are easily reachable through forums, emails, Facebook groups and pages, YouTube groups, and so on. They are examples of potential customers who are easy to reach through the methods affiliate marketers normally use. 

On the other hand, if you were trying to market to the “He-Man Internet Hater’s Club,” that would be an example of a group that’s hard to reach since they never use the internet and wouldn’t see any of your information.

The niche you choose also has to have a good number of salable products that your market research has shown you are popular sellers with good user feedback and low complaint levels.

Another reason you want to do your niche research and selection first is competition. The larger the market, the stronger the competition. The more money there is to be made, the more willing the combatants will be to spend any amount of money to be on top.

2. Write authentic product reviews 

Write honest, thorough and simple to read reviews about the services or products you’re promoting. Always look for ways to promote your product without coming out as a shrewd sales pitch. 

Develop a unique and personal style that is able to connect with your readers. Tell a story that is personal to give an authentic and human aspect to your reviews. Write balanced reviews that include a few flaws to aid people in making informed decisions. 

Also, they will be impressed by your sincere effort to highlight both the good and the bad of a product or service. Your customers will consider you to be a trustworthy and reliable source of information/reviews on those products or services that you are advertising. 

Use products in a personal way before you recommend them to your clients. This will give you a naturally informed tone. Be focused on benefits, not the product’s characteristics. Be sure to follow the WIIFM method that is followed by the top copywriters from all over the globe. 

WIIFM is simply what’s in it For Me. Inform your audience about what’s inside instead of merely presenting features in a dry and stricken staccato pitch. Explain the benefits of the product for them and why they truly require it. 

Write compelling, persuasive, and concise headlines to attract the interest of your readers since 8/10 readers decide whether they want to read a book or not based on your headline. 

Use a question-based headline that triggers an emotional response or pulls at their most fervent desires or fears. 

One of the best methods of improving customer experience and improving conversion rates is to present the advantages and disadvantages of a product or service in a bullet form after writing an extensive review that covers all aspects of the product. 

It is possible to rate the product or service by a number from 1 to 10 for every aspect. For instance, if you are reviewing a food processor, you can divide it into various sections such as usability/functionality, design, value for money etc. Write detailed reviews on each element of your product. What is the expectation of users from the product, in terms of its design and usability? 

Additionally you should give it an overall score on a scale from 1 to 10. Then, you can summarize the review by stat- ing both the positives and negatives included in bullet point format. End with one line which best describes the item which includes its pros and pros.

3. Create a sense of urgency

It’s not about filling your blog with endless “buy todays” or “take actions today.” It’s about creating rational and emotional content to build gradually an urgency that will inspire your readers to take the desired decision. 

Some people may decide to do something, but could put it off for later (and then buy directly from the website) and result in you not making an affiliate sale. 

Therefore, creating a sense of urgency is essential to complete the action immediately. The longer it takes people to make decisions, the harder it is to make them buyers. Help them understand what you want them to do by making it clear and making it simpler for them to understand. 

Give them the reason to help them make a purchase decision immediately. “Sign up Now”, “While Supplies Last”, “Limited Period Offer”, “Final Chance! Take advantage of it while you can!”, “Don’t Put this off Any Longer”, “Buy One Get One Free – Lasts a Short Time” and many other similar urgent messages calling to action copy. The people are looking for a reason to pull the trigger. Let them have the chance and you’ll see a significant increase in the conversion rate of your affiliate. 

Create a sense of insecurity connected to the item or service. The feeling of scarcity can trigger people to go into the action. If you’re providing unique incentives, let them know that they’re only available for a limited time and won’t be offered in other places. 

For instance “this exclusive bonus is only accessible to the first 50 people who take action” as well as “only 50 bonus packs remaining” or similar offers are fantastic particularly during the initial stage of a product or service.

4. Include testimonials 

Testimonials are crucial in building a brand’s credibility for their services or products. If they are done correctly they can increase your conversion rates drastically. 

You can use images of your emails or social media posts whenever a product or service receives positive reviews. If you get a positive or encouraging review about the product or service, you can ask permission to share it with the world. Invite people to submit their photos and then include it in the review to give it more authenticity. 

People who are considering becoming buyers will appreciate testimonials and pictures of real people who have enjoyed products or services. You may also inquire with your merchant partners. They might have a database of testimonials that you could use in your blog. If it’s a top-quality and well-known product, a lot of users would have praised it, which can increase sales.

5. Use split testing or A/B

Split testing is frequently utilized by affiliate marketers all over the globe to increase the number of conversions. A/B or Split testing could be used to decide which is the most effective option between two versions of headlines layout of pages colors, text, offer, navigation dimensions of buttons, images and many more. 

The first step is to create two distinct headlines or other elements to test. A/B testing software channels half of the traffic to page A, and the remaining half to- wards page B. Both pages include an action call. In the end, you can figure out the number of people who visited both pages clicked to figure out which headline call to action is more effective over the other. 

At the beginning of your venture, make sure you make sure you have at minimum one A/B split-test running on your blog at any given time. Be aware that there’s no one-size-fits-all strategy to ensure success with affiliate marketing. You’ll be able to determine what works and what doesn’t by conducting continuous tests. 

Make sure to only test one thing at a time in order to pinpoint the things that are working and not. If you find yourself testing multiple aspects it will be difficult to pinpoint the specific factor that is working for the conversion rates. 

Also, look for the size of the action button as well as the call to action copy. Certain words for call-to-action are great for certain specialties. For example, “Demo/ Trial” works well in the context of software products, whereas “checkout/purchase” is ideal for courses, information reports and eBooks.

6. Optimize your SEO strategies

Having people find you and your offering online (in this case, your affiliate link to a suitable offering) is an important approach for you. People who search for a product or service indicate that they may be interested in purchasing it. 

Search engine optimization (SEO) helps you maximize the content on your site so that visitors have an easier time finding you online. A better SEO strategy on affiliate sites, blogs, opt-in pages, etc., increases the likelihood that customers will click on your affiliate offers.

Affiliate marketing’s holy grail is to get a “pre-sold” prospect – a prospective, prequalified buyer. In the end, if they’re going to buy anyway, they might as well do so through your affiliate link.

For more guidance on SEO strategies, head over to our complete SEO guide for affiliate marketing. 

7. Make good use of social media marketing

Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and many others are free to join. Social media is now a natural part of communication, and affiliate marketing is about promoting your affiliate link or offer to as many people as possible.

Using social media for affiliate marketing can look like this:

• You belong to a Facebook group of pet owners, and you are an affiliate for merchants offering pet products and services.
• Your Pinterest page lists books about nature and the environment, and every picture is accompanied by an affiliate link to the Amazon page.
• You’re a skier, part of a Meetup group for skiers, and an affiliate for a skiing products company.
• Your LinkedIn article on job-hunting strategies includes affiliate links to job-hunting resources.
• During the latest Twitter controversy about organic umbrella stands, you add your thoughts (and affiliate link) to the discussion.

You could also make use of forumslike Reddit. Online listing websites like Craigslist are also useful.

8. Make videos for product demonstrations

It’s no longer a secret and many affiliate marketers are aware of the value of making videos to promote affiliate products or services. There are many videos that you can make, beginning with How-To’s all the way to product demonstrations. 

YouTube is the 2nd frequently used search engine and is controlled by the giant G. Google ranks videos on YouTube highly on its results for searches. It’s not just an abundance of organic traffic, but you’ll also get a wider audience compared to long, text-based content , since videos are more personal and easier to follow. 

Create a basic video using an ordinary phone camera at first, with no need for flashy equipment. If you don’t like to be directly in front of the camera, make a PowerPoint Presentation or simply keep your eyes on the product. Sparkol as well as GoAnimate are great alternatives for making fun and easy-to-read videos that are animated. 

Videos don’t just boost the amount of traffic you get, but they also boost the conversion rate dramatically. Incorporate links on the blog post that is related to the video near the conclusion of your video.

For more information, you can check out our guide on how to make YouTube videos. 

9. Make tutorials

One of the best methods to increase your affiliate earnings is to make tutorials since you’re teaching them how to use the product, rather than just selling it to them or telling them that they have to use it. 

Reviews of products, usability guides and resource lists, articles that provide before and after results as well as gift ideas and lists rounds are all great ways to get a lot of conversions. Create step-by-step guides to inform your readers on how to build things or make use of certain tools and resources. Then, you can include your ideas as affiliate links on your blog. 

If, for instance, you write a step-by-step guide about how to set up your WordPress blog, then you could make use of your affiliate link to either the host service or premium theme as well as offer valuable tips to make your blog more efficient. Let people know how it’s done instead of urging them to make a purchase on your recommended tools. 

Remember not to throw affiliate links all over the place. Make tutorials and links to other pages or articles on the blog. Make sure to direct viewers to the tutorial to ensure they’re well-informed about benefits of the product or service and how to use it. Your suggestions will gain more credibility. 

You won’t appear as a predatory bird looking to catch innocent victims if you go to the time to provide greater value to your audience with clear tutorials.

10. Create a resources page

One of the most effective tips to boost your affiliate sales without appearing to be an unscrupulous salesperson is to set up the resources page on your blog. 

It is possible to list the top products and services you have enjoyed using and that you are confident will benefit your readers on this site. This is a great method to boost your credibility as an affiliate marketer , rather than just posting links all over the internet. Link visitors on your page to get more details. It is also possible to mention your resource page in the social networks you use as well as Facebook groups without appearing to be spammy. 

Referencing is a great way to make things easier for both you and the readers . You don’t feel guilty about selling to your readers, without providing anything of worth.

11. Disclose affiliate links

The public will surely shun purchasing from you after your reputation for being a marketer has been damaged. Beware of engaging in illegal ways to make money quickly if you intend to create a long-term, reliable way to earn passive earnings. 

You must make an honest disclosure to your readers legally and ethically. Inform them that your blog contains affiliate links and you earn an amount of money when they buy through these affiliate links. Offer the idea as a reward that you receive for putting in your time and energy in recommending products that are suitable to your readers and operating the informative blog for your readers. 

This will help you appear as a transparent and honest marketer that provides worth in exchange for commissions instead of being a shrewd person who is just trying to make money. Make an effort to make sure that your customers won’t be paying more for the service or product since you make a profit on it. They’ll be paying the same amount as they do on the website of the seller. In the event of exclusive dis- counts or promotions be sure to mention them clearly and loudly.

12. Create a clear and persuasive Value Proposition 

Value proposition is among the most important elements in the determination of the rate of conversion. How do you define a value proposition? What’s in it for the buyer? What is the reason why he/she should choose you? What can the product do for the customer or enhance the quality of his/her life? 

If you could explain what product you’re advertising in 10 words What do you think your pitch would be? 

Increase your proposition of value by making the possibility of purchasing your product or service irresistible. It must be something that sets the product or service from other products or services. It should have a distinct benefit. Even if the product or service that you’re selling is comparable to competition’s offerings on every metric that it is, it must be distinctive in one particular aspect. 

Choose this as the area where your service or product has in terms of its unique value proposition when advertising the product. Making a value-based proposition is the most important element in influencing customers to make purchasing deci- sions. 

Continue to refine the value of your proposition till it is able to make it clear in an unambiguous, convincing sentence. Continuously improve your value proposition by using the aid of split-testing.

13. Set up a sales funnel or Cycle 

If you’re trying to get people to buy through your affiliate link as soon as they visit your website, you’re living in a fantasy realm. Don’t try to sell too quickly. Create a sales funnel that can make it virtually impossible for the buyer to turn down your proposal. 

One of the most common mistakes Internet marketers commit is asking for signup sales in a hurry and not investing time and effort to build a trusting relationship. 

The majority of the time, customers are just browsing the internet for information, not being in the emotional zone of making a purchase. As an affiliate marketing professional, you need to guide people from the zone of browsing to the buying zone by constant efforts and a well-planned sales funnel. 

The more costly or complicated your product or service is the longer it takes for consumers to make a decision. Give them time to decide. Take a step back initially and concentrate upon building trust and establishing relationships and demonstrating your knowledge. 

Let’s say that you’re promoting the course to build a lucrative travel site. Your aim is to convince the maximum number of aspiring travel bloggers as well as those who want to live a nomadism to enroll in your course. 

Your readers’ aim is to find out more about the techniques of an effective travel blogger. What can you do to achieve both of these objectives? 

1. Start by providing free advice on travel blogging through blogs, video and information reports, tutorials and infographics. 
2. Earn the trust of new travel bloggers and be their “go-to” expert for anything associated with travel blogging. 
3. Provide them with a compelling incentive to join your mailing list in the kind of helpful details or resources (for instance, an overview of the various travel niches within the general travel industry). It is also possible to offer free drip content video tutorials on travel blogging. It could include the basics. 
4. Send the customers to your marketing brochure and ask them to take that much wanted sale! 

The most experienced internet marketers say that it’s minimum 7 contact before a potential customer is at ease enough to make a purchase from you. This isn’t backed by any research however. It does however clarify the idea that the more solid your connection with your customers and the more likely they will be to buy from you. 

In addition, they can also be evangelists for your products or services. Reduce the speed. Give them value and confidence before you ask for an offer. This is why it is important to take their emails using an opt-in system so that you are able to keep the conversation going.