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3 easy steps to be a successful affiliate marketer. The how and why of being an Affiliate and the things you must do to reach the top

The introduction to Affiliate Marketing

This is probably the best game in town.

You sell a product that belongs to someone else, they bill it , service it and then pay you a percentage of the sale.
Even better than that you get paid a percentage every month for the life of the customer.
This means that you can build a healthy customer base that will provide you an ongoing living.

Your roll in all of this is to have a web page, maybe a social media account and an understanding of the internet.

This is something you can easily learn at Wealthy Affiliate .com

Affiliate marketing is a popular way to generate revenue, with U.S. spending forecast to reach $8.2 billion by 2022. However, in most affiliate programs, less than ten percent of affiliates drive 90% of conversions. So if you want to earn a full-time income from your affiliate marketing activities, it’s vital that you break into that top ten percent. 

Your opportunities

You can find affiliate opportunities for any product by simply running a Google search. “Product name Wealthy Affiliate” and there will be a list of opportunities.

However getting accepted may be a bit harder. You need to show some ability and have a track record of success.

That is why Wealthy affiliate is such a great opportunity.

You can join for free and start the training on day one. Plus you automatically become an affiliate for a recurring income product. That is everyone you recommend to WA could earn you about $22 a month, every month for the life of the client.

I have been at WA for about five years so it is generally a long term situation.
Being an exclusive affiliate is not necessary, you can be with countless companies to increase your wealth. In fact you can even play with competing entities.

The Amazon delusion

Amazon was responsible for the growth in affiliate marketing where you could sell any product on the shelf and make a healthy margin. However like all good things Amazon have reduced the commission rates to where they are hardly economical. Other big retailers have followed suite like Wall-Mart as an example.

How to market as an Affiliate

There are many ways to do this and it will depend on you which way suits you most.

Friends and family

First all all, you can use your own contacts plus supplement with Facebook and Instagram to grow an audience.
This is a no cost entry and can work quite well for the very active and social identities.

Run a blog site that promotes your range of interests.

What you are reading is a blog about Affiliate Marketing, one of the many hundred I have written. This is ideal for a long term venture and consistent input. It is not a one hit wonder but a work in progress, however the returns can be very big indeed.

Just build a website and start writing

Build an online shop

Using Shopify at a price or Woocommerce and WordPress for free. Both need a bit of training however they are not all that hard once you get the idea.

1) Your first step to freedom, choosing a niche

A niche is what product you want to sell and to what market. The better the niche the more chance you have of making the grade.

Amazon is a high traffic, high turn over niche that offers low returns. You may get to sell more but make little returns.

Insurance or credit cards are low traffic and high income returns where one sale could be a year of Amazon.

My recommendation is to chose something that you love. This is a journey and not a quick fix so maintaining your interest over a long period is essential.

Small business marketing is my niche and passion as I knock out a post about every third day.
Therefore something that you are passionate about will last the distance.

Therefore getting established and gaining a bit of traction will start the journey. Furthermore you can build a five or six digit income using simple tools and a bit of consistent effort.

3 easy steps to be a successful affiliate marketer step 2

2) Understanding Keywords is essential to your future

When consumers want to find something on the internet they key in a word or a phrase that they need an answer to. The keyword may be something like Cats. However that word will have a lot of traffic,(GOOD) however a heap of competition (BAD).
The unfortunate position is that Page one of any search term gets 90% of the traffic and some of that is paid for. Therefore the chance of getting to page one of the word Cats is not going to happen.
However we have got heaps smarter and understand search terms a lot better. It is also understood that voice search on mobile phones is very popular. Usually headed with a Who, How, why or Where to seek an answer.
So we take the word cats and expand on it. “Why don't cats like water”. This is a search term with a lot less traffic but much less competition.

Further reading

There are many courses on Keywords and SEO and they are well worth going over because it is important.

3) Planning your heading and meta

Even when you get to page one you are in a competition with nine other entries. Therefore the one that gets picked wins the war.
First of all the top two or three are usually paid ads so not much you can do unless you are paying the bills, even then it is competitive.

The first three free entries get over 80% of the clicks so how do you get to be the one?

The answer is in having the best URL and description. The following example shows a listing under cats.

Which would you choose

Using a special program I even show the volume of traffic, the middle entry gets far more general inquiries and visits.
The Keyword is thinking of getting a cat and the meta is the phrasing below;
“Before you adopt a cat etc”

Once you have this down pat life is easy.
Further reading

My conclusion on Affiliate marketing

I have run past you just three of the things you MUST understand. If you really have a deep interest you can go much deeper to gain more exposure to the subject by training.

It is worth a month of effort to provide a lifetime of success.

I love affiliate marketing because it is a business that provides a great return without a huge outlay in money. In fact you can start for free and build as you go along and become more adept in the process.

Having those cash deposits arrive in your account is a great thrill and one that will become addictive prompting you to greater heights.

3 easy steps to be a successful affiliate marketer by Peter Hanley

• Get Wealthy Affiliate premium for free by doing just one thing
• How to become a successful affiliate marketer
• How to maintain motivation as a blogger or online marketer
• What is the best affiliate program?
• Steps to start a successful blog