Affiliate Marketing currently accounts for 16% of all e-commerce transactions, trouncing both display advertising and social commerce. A figure that’s expected to rise given the current 10% annual growth rate is expected to persist till 2020.

There is indeed no better time to join the affiliate marketing business for those who have an interest in it. Affiliate marketing allows you to earn a commission for selling a company’s products or services to consumers. Here’s a step by step description on how to start affiliate marketing.

Identify Products and Services You Know Well

You’ll be better off selling a product or a service you are well acquainted with rather than a product you’ve never heard of. An interest in the product by virtue or liking it or some expertise in the service you’re selling will be a great help.

Your vested interest in the product will aid your marketing efforts as you’ll have a first-hand insight into what’s most appealing about them.

Set up a Website

Set up a site whose interface is designed with the product you intend to sell in mind. Companies that are keen on bringing you on as an affiliate will give your site a look.

The goal is to make sure your content doesn’t harm their brand. One thing to have in mind while writing your content is to avoid detached ‘sales-speak’ and make it more engaging. A good place to start a website at no cost is WordPress.

Start Searching for an Affiliate Program

The affiliate program in your sights should be the one that offers products and services that align with your interests. An added consideration to make in choosing the affiliate business should be financial.

Which affiliate program will reward you most handsomely for your efforts? List every affiliate program that fulfills both considerations for later evaluation.

Make a Choice

Choosing the best affiliate program for you changes the question ‘how to do affiliate marketing?’ to ‘how soon do I start?”. You’ll be ready to get started once you submit your PayPal information or bank account details to facilitate payment.

Be wary of affiliate programs that ask for credit card information when you are signing up. Joining the vast majority of affiliate programs is free, so avoid such scams. Don’t hesitate to provide a link to the website you created earlier when it’s requested.

Affiliate Networks

If finding an affiliate program proves to be difficult you could always join an affiliate network. The reason being that the company whose products or services you’d like to market could already be working with an affiliate network.

In such a scenario, the network will act as an intermediary between you and the company. You will be able to monitor your performance on the network and receive earnings

A popular affiliate network is Shareasale. Take time and visit an affiliate network for details on how to become an affiliate.

Wondering How to Start Affiliate Marketing with a Bang? Make Use of Affiliate Links!

Adding affiliate links to your content adds a subtle touch to your marketing techniques. You’ll be able to bring the link to a person’s attention without seeming to overtly sell it to them.

When a person clicks the link and goes on to the company’s site and buys a product, a commission will be sent your way. If you are, for example, writing content about phones, you could hyperlink the words “phone cover” with a link to Amazon. A person interested in phone covers might follow the link and purchase one.

Make Optimum Use of Visual Ads and Good Content

Sites that take affiliate marketing seriously are more than generous in giving you the images and links you need. Take advantage of the provision to place visual ads in your website’s sidebar.

The visual ads can be used in conjunction with relevant content to keep the visitors of site engaged. The more a person visits your site to check out content the higher the chances of him/her clicking an affiliate link.

After all, it is only a matter of time before a customer spots something he/she wants. Ensuring your site has a steady flow of visitors every day is the way to go. You can also research the best digital marketing strategies that will help to make your site more visible.

Use Analytics to Monitor Your Progress

Combine Google analytics with the analytics function found in affiliate networks. The insights gathered from analytics will inform the decisions you make going forward.

Making prudent decisions is how you get ahead in the affiliate marketing business. A product or service that’s sells well will require more content in order to take advantage of the interest.

Write content that specifically targets the most responsive demographic. Google Analytics will prove to be handy in providing that information. The behavior of your site’s visitors will inform what content works and what should be discarded.

Be Ready to Fulfill Your Tax Obligations

Declare the income you make through affiliate marketing to the IRS. The companies you work with will most likely give you a 1099 tax form. But even if they don’t, you should take it upon yourself to do the right thing.

Automate, Delegate and Expand

If you are persistent in promoting your site and providing excellent content your site is bound to grow. Try to seek new ways to expand your business to avoid stagnation. Seeking new products to market is one way to do so.

The added responsibilities that come with growth might require you to delegate some tasks. Such a move allows you to handle a larger volume of business and grow even more.

You should, however, avoid delegating when automation will do. Digital marketing tools, for example, will free you to focus on other tasks and improve your overall productivity.

Hire a Consultant

Figuring out how to start affiliate marketing is just the first hump in a long journey. Moving forward you will have to grapple with innumerable challenges. Many of whom will involve figuring out the best digital marketing and business expansion strategies.

The stakes involved might demand bringing a marketer on board with specialized skills and experience to boot. I possess both qualities and more and look forward to hearing from you.

Contact me today and let’s gets started!