Affiliate Marketing. Passive Income? Free cash? Lazy dollars? Easy street?
What does it mean to make money by promoting other peoples services or products? Well it starts with knowing something (or everything) about an exceptional product or service.
And if you show people good products to help them in their journey to success, they’ll love you for it. And so will your bank account.
Some people make a massive profit from this business model. Would you like an example?
What if Gordon Ramsey endorsed a certain brand of knives in his videos and website content? Better yet, what if those knifes were YOURS? Would you be rich? Maybe, because Ramsey currently has a lot of followers…
16.8 million actually…
And his opinion goes a long way. So if you could convince this man to use your products, you would see almost overnight differences in your traffic…
Anyway, you’re here to learn the foundation of what makes Affiliate marketing successful for millions of people. Also, it falls into that heavily coveted category of Passive Income.
Steal Gordon’s audience (but they’ll keep going back) and see what the power of endorsement from powerful sources can do in your life and your business.
Oh and did I mention how it costs nothing to do this? Because when you’re simply recommending a top performing service, you get to cut the work involved by 90%, and you get a cut…
FREE CASH anyone?
Affiliate Marketing (Get More, Do Less)
The practice of promoting the products or services of another person or company in exchange for a commission on the resulting sale. Affiliate marketers join affiliate programs, find reputable affiliate products to promote, and then share those products with their audiences.
Basically, it’s a modern interpretation of a very old idea — getting a commission on a sale.
But keep in mind, this requires your audience to trust you immensely. Consider the opinion of Neil Patel…and how much power his recommendation holds for you…
And if you cannot be bothered to create your own product or service, make sure to read this entire guide on hoe it’s done and how it will make you passive income.
It’s time to go deeper into the workings of this business model…
Ready?
The “Simple And Plain” Method (Phase 1)
You’re earning a commission in exchange for giving readers valuable insights on products or services they were already thinking about purchasing. So, in a way…you’re building extra credidbility by giving them even more value upfront.
People will be happy t save time by reading an informational Blog post that shows them an easy way to accomplish their income reqirements…
You see, your readers are already in the Market for tools and solutions, so in the age of gold miners….
SELL THE SHOVEL
I dont know if you read that right….
SELL THE SHOVEL
I’ll show you metaphorically what I mean shortly.
Imagine if you pass by a truck that has been towing a massive trailer full of tools…
And you slow down with your tow truck and offer some assistance. The driver has already packed up all og the toools and paid for all of the gasoline already…
And because this vehicle is stuck in the mud…they need your services…
And meanwhile you will make a handsome profit just to help thsi person fr about 30 mins of your time, and yet still you will make a whole days pay.
Why?
Convenience. You are the shovel seller in this situation. And the person with the truck is the gold miner (confused? I like metaphors)
So theres’ no need to be the gold miner here…
So lets bring it back to the point. You dont need a whole infrastructure to make money, but you can point people in the right direction, or a commission.
Enough metaphors for now, you came here for an easy to folow, step-by-step process to get this started.
Lets go. Step 1 inbound..
Choose a Service Or Product…
Now don’t make the mistake of promooting shady prooducts or sub par services…
Especially if your audience already trusts you, and you’ve made the decision to monetize.
Now here’s 2 things to keep in mind while making these decisions….
- Stick to products that you know well and inside and out. This kind of genuine feedback an go a long way while presenting it to others.
- Finding new products that are new to you. If you have persuasion skills, and a very obvious reason as to why they should care about your affiliate marketing request…you’re in business.
No matter which approach you take, expect to have to invest time and money into researching the best products for your audience.
Here are your two main options…
#1 Market Known Products/Services
Do you love a certain SEO tool? Have you used it for years and know it from front to back? This is the most common way to get started with affiliate offers.
But make sure to feel good in your heart, about reccomending it to others.
Or be prepared to watch your reputation collapse like a fishing lure. And while you are doing this, you are building your reputation by recommending something better than you.
It could be a course, mastermind, or eBook that your readers could also benefit from, it only makes sense for you to spread the word and share your results. If you share your results, it’ll help in the recommendation process.
Especially in the beginning.
Now it’s worth noting that not all companies offer an affiliate program (like Amazon) but a lot of the do. So, go claim your money.
You can reach out directly to the merchant or use Google to search like this: Search “Affiliate program” and add the product /service at the end. Boom.
But run every option through this checklist…
- You have a good story to share about your experience with the product.
- The offer fits your audience’s needs and won’t abuse the trust you’ve built with them.
- You’ve previewed the product so you know its quality.
- They have a solid refund policy that you trust they’ll honor.
- They provide good customer support (and you’ve tested it).
If somehow, you mange to find a product/service that fits all these requirements…you are so much closer to earing passive income. Is that exiting? Most people have jobs…so probably.
Now fire off 1000 emails to the product owner/distributor…
Just kidding, send one…with a maximum of one follow up.
You got it right? Ok, moving on.
#2 Find Products That Need Affiliates
I understand this may all still be new to you. That’s why I have designed this Blog post to be fully informative. By the end of this short read, you will be ready to take all the steps for successful Affiliate Marketing. Cool right?
Here’s a list of appropriate affiliates to choose from.
Amazon products, in particular, are an easy way to get started. Many newbies begin by becoming an Amazon affiliate and then scaling to other types of more profitable affiliate offers.
Your An Affiliate Marketer (Phase 2)
Of course, you will be required to provide some preliminary information to each of these Affiliate networks. This isn’t anything deeply personal, but they will want to know who they are allowing to represent their products.
At a minimum you’ll need to provide:
- Your personal/business contact information for tax and reporting purposes.
- Your bank account where commissions will be sent.
In turn, the merchant must provide you with:
- An affiliate link. Whenever you post about the product, you’ll use this trackable link. It will have a long tag at the end of each link that includes your affiliate ID.
You’ll also usually get some tips and useful assets for marketing the product. In short, they want you to sell their products, so they will make sure to help you out (in most cases).
This could include:
- An affiliate guide as well as instructions on how to use the platform and summary of policies such as payouts.
- Online marketing tools like banners and sidebar graphics.
- Sample email/webpage swipe copy.
- Ongoing communications from the merchant about promotions, new products, etc.
If you use a network like Amazon, you’ll get your own link for each of the specific products you promote.
Start Promoting (Phase 3)
Ultimately, all your hard work finding and evaluating products only pays off if somebody takes your advice and make the purchase, right?
This can only happen if you put your heartfelt recommendation for the product in clear site for your viewers. But overall, make yourself, and the recommendation trustworthy.
It’s a beginner mistake to promote things that are not what your audience needs.
Follow The Rules
In the U.S., the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requires that you let people know that you’re promoting their products. But in my opinion, that’s obvious, because you need their affiliate link.
And don’t feel bad about making a buck. Your readers are spending money and time on this anyway, so if anyone disagrees with this type of transparency, it’s ok.
So wherever you share an affiliate link, whether it’s in blog posts, web pages, or emails, let your readers know that you stand to earn a small commission if they buy through you — and if they choose not to use your link, no worries.
Let your audience know that you are attempting to save them time, money, and the stress of searching for what they need by themselves. Build trust and make sure to offer quality.
Assure them that you wouldn’t recommend any products if you hadn’t used them yourself or were confident they could help them. It’s also a good idea to create an Affiliate Disclaimer page on your website.
Now what kind of products/services can you vouch for? If your going to pick anything, try something you personally know about, because it makes for the best recomendation.
Would you like an example? Imagine for a moment…that you have stabbing back pain. And I bump into you, and we discuss it. Before long we realize that I had a similar experience, but had found the solution. I begin to inform you that because I found the greatest acupuncturist, my pain is completely gone.
What would be your next question for me? Where is this Acupuncturist? Where can I find him? What’s his number? I think we can agree on this…
That’s Affiliate marketing.
4 Types To Try
- Digital Downloads….
Digital downloads are online resources that your readers can access instantly, without having to wait for a package to come in the mail. They could be audio or video files, PDFs, eBooks or even links to webpages where the content lives online.
- Software — Downloadable programs, courses, eBooks…etc
- Mobile applications. Love an app? Affiliate it.
- Music, movies, TV shows, and more — Media offered through Amazon as well as the iTunes Affiliate Program and others.
- Digital downloads are an easy way to get started and help your audience with pressing problems.
- There are no overhead costs of production, shipping or storage.
- Your buyer can access and begin benefiting from their digital product immediately.
2. Online Professional Services….
Keep this is mind. If you are offering an affiliate product, make sure there are no region restrictions in place, because if you offered a product not available worldwide…It could affect some readers.
So, what do you do? I’d say go with digital products. Or begin with the Amazon Affiliate program, because it’s a great place for beginners, but it doesn’t stop there.
I met a woman who made $40,000 per month with the Amazon affiliate program, who said it was because she knew how to simplify the idea of affiliate marketing.
In addition to that short story, I believe it was the inspiration of writing this Blog for you today.
In other words, don’t limit your earning potential by geography.
Your best bet is to represent online, hosted, or professional service providers/influencers you’ve worked with in the past and have full confidence in.
In addition, here are some advantages…
- It’s easy to become a service affiliate, and it helps your audience manage important tasks that require specific expertise.
- There’s likely a higher earning potential than from digital downloads because services are usually offered at a higher price point.
- Many hosted services will offer a recurring commission – meaning you’ll get paid for as long as the customers you refer continue to use the service.
Our Recommendation? Do it! Especially if you can find an excellent service provider who can potentially help nearly everyone in your audience at one time or another and who can be a strong, steady income generator.
3. Online Courses
The bread and butter of Digital sales…the fun part of teaching potentially thousands of people. Would you like an example? I purchased many educational videos from world known business mentor, Dan Lok.
I could use his affiliate link to refer him business, based on my own experience. Cool right? It would make sense to do that, if my target audience (potentially you) needed that kind of service, and I believed in that service, which I do.
So that’s one way you can do it. Do any products or services come to your mind?
The Bottom Line on Affiliate Marketing
It’s a completely achievable reality. In addition, it’s very fun.
What is?
Sharing the knowledge of exceptional products or services with others, while filling the void for the reader, the blogger, and the other company.
Are you exited to be involves with that? That’s great, so where will you start? Let’s recap…
- Decide what you want to promote, for a reputable company.
- Contact them. Show them the benefit of connecting with you.
- Get your affiliate link. Post it on your social media.
- Create additional content to promote your affiliate.
- Get more Affiliates.
Do you still have questions? I hope not, because then you would have to leave a comment and tell me what didn’t appear crystal clear to you.
A strong community requires strong communication.
So leave a comment, or you can get in touch with the RankBrew team for many services related to your business’s scaling needs.
Until next time friend.
Dakota Ryder.
