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Have you thought about using affiliate marketing to monetize your blog? When I first started my blog, I blogged about various topics and shared too many thoughts on my one website. So, the first time I attempted to use affiliate marketing I failed.
It took some time for me to realize what I had been doing wrong so when I redesigned my website, I began diving into affiliate marketing for beginner bloggers again. Affiliate marketing is considered a passive income, but keep in mind passive income is not free. It takes hard work and dedication to earn money through your blog.
What is Affiliate Marketing?
Affiliate marketing is when you promote another companies’ product or service. Allowing your reader to link to a product or service through your blog gives you a commission when the product or service is purchased.
Understanding the Parties Involved in Affiliate Marketing
The merchant is the person or company who creates the product or service.
The affiliate is the person or organization who markets a product or service.
The consumer is the buyer of the product or service.
How Does Affiliate Marketing Work?
You will choose an affiliate marketing program that will give you a trackable URL. When the user clicks on the URL link or banner ad you are promoting, the link will add a cookie to your user’s browser.
All purchases through the links and banners you promote are directed back to you as the affiliate.
When you add affiliate links to your blog posts, blog pages, email, and social media you allow potential consumers to purchase from you. Therefore, the commission you make comes from those consumers who make purchases through your affiliate links.
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Choose Affiliate Programs for Beginner Bloggers
When you begin your affiliate marketing journey look for the programs that do not require a large number of followers or blog posts.
Some affiliate marketing programs are direct from the seller or retailer, others are considered an affiliate network.
An affiliate network is an organization who allows you access to a wide variety of merchants. However, you will need to apply to each merchant separately through the network.
Some of the affiliate marketing programs I had luck getting access to when I first started affiliate marketing were:
I recommend promoting products and services you talk about on your website and have personal experience with. It is easier to promote companies and their items you yourself feel strongly about.
How Do Affiliate Marketers Get Paid?
You, as the affiliate, will get paid by the company you signed up with. This will either be the merchant or the affiliate network.
The method of payment will be determined by the affiliate marketing program. Many of the affiliate marketing programs I have seen use PayPal.
In addition, the affiliate marketing programs will disclose a percentage or amount to be given to the affiliate as a commission for each sale.
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How Do I Start Affiliate Marketing?
Like many of you, I started out blogging by reading and following the bloggers I admired the most. In the last year I have taken a variety of online courses.
The course I took specifically for affiliate marketing was Michelle Schroeder-Gardner’s Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing. In this course Michelle shares her exact strategy on how she makes money through affiliate marketing.
Michelle now earns over $50,000 a month through her blog using affiliate marketing. In addition to Michelle’s course, she also has a free easy to download ebook, Affiliate Marketing Tips for Bloggers.
Michelle’s course has been well worth the investment. Although, I have been blogging for a few years the course has assisted me on how to incorporate affiliate marketing into my content and so much more.
I recommend downloading the free 36-page ebook here and now!
Are You Looking for Reasons to Become an Affiliate Marketer?
- Convenience in goals, products, and time
- No startup cost
- Passive income
- You get out what you put in
- Work from home
Conclusion
Affiliate marketing for beginner bloggers is another source of income. Affiliate marketing requires work on your part, but eventually all your hard work will work for you!
Very informative.
Thank you!
I just got started with affiliate marketing myself and it’s definitely new territory for me. I do write about several topics on my blog, so I’m a bit concerned I will have the same issue you first did. I hope to take Michelle’s course when I can afford it! I’ve heard great reviews
Michelle’s course is a good reference and very helpful. In the beginning I was so excited about blogging that I was writing about too many topics I felt I wanted to share. Definitely narrow your niche.
Great tips and ideas for getting started with affiliate marketing. You are so right – it may be passive income, but it still takes a lot of work!