If you’ve started an affiliate marketing side hustle but haven’t seen much success yet, you’re in good company.
Many of us have been right where you are, figuring things out as we go.
In this week’s newsletter, we’re going to show you how to take your affiliate marketing game up a notch.
Whether you’re just starting or you’ve been at it for a bit, we’ve got tips and tricks to boost your affiliate marketing income and see better results.
We’ll explore strategies like how to choose the best products to promote, the importance of being passionate about what you’re promoting, building strong connections with product creators, and creating content that really grabs your audience’s attention.
Ready to go pro? Let’s get started!
This week’s newsletter brings you:
- Trends – We dissect the most popular categories affiliates are making bank in right now.
- Strategies – We unpack the best strategies for taking your affiliate marketing side hustle to the next level!
- Tool of the Week – The tool we recommend this week is Bitly. A tool that makes it easy to shorten long affiliate links so that they look more attractive in your social media posts or wherever you promote your affiliate offers!
Trends
Alrighty side hustlers, we’ve done the research so that you don’t have to! Keep reading for a look at the most popular categories for affiliate programs, along with how brands utilise affiliate marketers. Plus there’s plenty of opportunity to find some great affiliate offers on the largest affiliate networks!
Brands Utilization of Affiliate Channels
It shouldn’t be surprising that 27.8% of brands who engage in affiliate marketing work with bloggers to assist them. Excluding social media, other important affiliate channels include Review Sites (18.7%), Coupon Sites (14.8%), Newsletters (7.2%), and Editorial Sites (6.5%).
Fastest Growing Affiliate Categories
When it comes to up and coming affiliate categories, Toys has seen a huge amount of growth over the last year, followed by software and home improvement.
Largest Affiliate Networks
Surprise, surprise! Amazon Associates Remains the Largest Affiliate Network Despite changing its conditions in 2020.
Strategies
With the numbers out of the way let’s dive in to the strategies that will supercharge your affiliate income!
Boost Your Income with One-Time Purchases
When it comes to affiliate marketing, choosing the right products to promote can make a big difference in your earnings. While subscription-based products might seem tempting because of their potential for recurring commissions, there are times when it’s smarter to focus on products that have a one-time fee. Here’s why.
Less Worries About Drop-offs: Subscription-based products often face the problem of customers dropping off after a few months. It’s like people signing up for a gym membership in January and then slowly disappearing by March. But when you promote one-time fee products, you don’t have to worry about customers canceling their subscriptions because there are none! You get your commission, no matter what happens next.
Casting a Wider Net: One-time purchases tend to be more appealing to a broader audience because there’s no long-term commitment. This means you can target a bigger group of potential buyers, including those who might hesitate to sign up for a subscription. By reaching out to this diverse crowd, you can increase your chances of converting more people into customers.
Checking Out the Deals: Affiliate program terms can vary a lot. Sometimes, one-time fee products come with really generous commission rates. So, take a good look at the earnings potential and the terms of the affiliate program for each product you’re considering. You might find some hidden gems.
Promote Products You Love
Affiliate marketing becomes a whole lot more enjoyable and successful when you’re promoting products you genuinely love and want to use yourself. Here’s why this is a smart strategy to employ:
Sell with Authenticity
When you’re genuinely passionate about a product, your enthusiasm shines through in your marketing efforts. Your excitement is contagious, and potential customers can sense your authenticity.
This makes them more likely to trust your recommendations and convert into buyers. After all, who wouldn’t want a product that someone truly believes in?
Build Trust and Credibility
Passionate affiliate marketers tend to establish themselves as experts in their niche. When you’re genuinely interested in and using the products you promote, you can provide in-depth insights, answer questions, and offer real-life experiences. This builds trust and credibility with your audience, making them more likely to follow your recommendations.
Avoid Burnout
Affiliate marketing can be demanding, and it’s easy to burn out if you’re constantly promoting products that don’t resonate with you.
However, when you’re passionate about the products, it doesn’t feel like work. Your enthusiasm fuels your efforts, making it easier to consistently create content, engage with your audience, and stay motivated in the long run.
Connect with Your Audience
Passion creates a natural bond between you and your audience. Sharing your personal experiences and stories about how the product has positively impacted your life creates a connection with your followers. People love to relate to real-life stories, and this connection can lead to higher engagement and more loyal followers.
Leverage Your Knowledge
Being passionate about a product often means you’re knowledgeable about it. You understand its features, benefits, and potential drawbacks inside and out.
This deep understanding allows you to create high-quality content, whether it’s in-depth reviews, tutorials, or comparisons, which can drive more traffic and conversions.
Long-Term Success
Building a sustainable affiliate marketing business requires a long-term perspective. Promoting products you love ensures that you’re in it for the long haul.
Your passion helps you weather the ups and downs of the industry and adapt to changes, ultimately contributing to your long-term success.
Becoming the Ultimate Authority
In the world of affiliate marketing, being the go-to expert in your chosen category can set you apart from the competition and lead to exceptional success. Moreover, becoming an early adopter of a product in your niche and building a strong relationship with its creator can be a game-changer.
Establishing a strong relationship with the creators of the products you promote can be mutually beneficial. When you have a direct line of communication with the product creators, you gain insider information, access to updates, and a deep understanding of the product’s development roadmap.
This knowledge can be invaluable for creating informed and compelling content.
Working closely with product creators also allows you to collaborate on marketing strategies. You can jump on a call with them to brainstorm innovative ways to promote the product effectively.
This collaboration benefits both parties: you gain valuable insights and promotional materials, while the product creator benefits from increased exposure and sales.
Your close relationship with product creators also enables you to create content that stands out. You can produce in-depth reviews, behind-the-scenes looks, and exclusive interviews or testimonials. This unique content not only attracts more viewers but also showcases your commitment to your niche.
Create bonuses to encourage more sales
To drive more affiliate sales, it’s crucial to give potential customers compelling reasons to buy through your affiliate link and not someone else’s. One effective strategy is to offer valuable bonuses that fill gaps or enhance the product you’re promoting.
Here’s how to implement this approach effectively:
1. Spot Product Gaps: Start by checking out the product you’re promoting with a discerning eye. Look for areas where it might be missing something or where people might want a little extra.
2. Cook Up Helpful Bonuses: Once you’ve identified those gaps, think about bonuses that could fill them in nicely. For example, if you’re promoting a cooking app that lacks vegetarian recipes, you could offer a bonus pack of delicious meatless meal ideas.
3. Keep It Exclusive: Make sure your bonuses are like special treats that people can only get through your link. This exclusivity makes your offer extra enticing.
4. Shout About the Good Stuff: Let folks know how awesome your bonuses are! Explain how they make the product even better and more useful.
5. Build Trust: Share your own experiences with the product and how your bonuses have made a difference. People like to hear real stories, and it helps them trust your recommendations.
6. Tweak and Improve: Keep an eye on how your bonuses are doing. Listen to feedback and data. If some bonuses are a hit, give them more spotlight. It’s like fine-tuning a recipe to make it perfect.
7. Mix It Up: Over time, offer different kinds of bonuses to cater to different tastes. This way, you can appeal to a wider group of folks.
For example, imagine you’re promoting a fitness app, but it doesn’t offer personalized workout plans. You could step in with a set of customized routines for beginners, intermediates, and advanced fitness enthusiasts. These bonuses would make it even more appealing to your audience.
Or let’s say you’re an affiliate for a budgeting app that’s missing budget templates. You could create a bunch of pre-made templates to help people get started on the right financial track. These bonuses could save them time and make managing money less stressful.
Have fun experimenting and see what works!
Treat the product as though it was your own
Here’s another smart strategy to elevate your affiliate marketing game: market the product as though it was your own. Marketing doesn’t have to be a boring necessity to grow your business. Here’s some ideas to get your creative juices flowing:
1. Vlogs (Video Blogs):
- Use your authentic voice: Speak from your own perspective and experience with the product.
- Highlight benefits and features: Showcase how the product solves problems or fulfills needs.
- Incorporate storytelling: Share personal anecdotes and stories to engage viewers emotionally.
- Demonstrate product use: Provide practical demonstrations and how-tos to help viewers understand the product’s value.
- Interact with the audience: Encourage comments, questions, and feedback, and respond promptly.
- Promote vlogs across social media: Share snippets, teasers, or behind-the-scenes content to generate excitement.
2. Email Marketing:
- Build a subscriber list: Create opt-in opportunities on your website or social media to collect email addresses.
- Educate and inform: Provide valuable information, tips, and insights related to the product.
- Share success stories: Feature customer testimonials and case studies to build trust and credibility.
- Create exclusive offers: Provide subscribers with discounts, early access, or special promotions.
- Personalize emails: Use the recipient’s name and personalize content to make subscribers feel valued.
- Measure and optimize: Track email open rates, click-through rates, and conversions to refine your email marketing strategy.
3. Blog Posts:
- Research keywords: Identify relevant keywords and phrases to optimize your blog posts for search engines.
- Create high-quality content: Write informative, engaging, and well-researched articles that provide value to readers.
- Utilize visuals: Include images, infographics, and videos to enhance your content’s appeal.
- Incorporate SEO best practices: Optimize meta titles, descriptions, and headers to improve search engine visibility.
- Share personal experiences: Share your own experiences and insights related to the product.
- Promote user-generated content: Encourage customers to write reviews or testimonials that you can feature in your blog.
4. Social Media:
- Choose the right platforms: Identify which social media platforms your target audience frequents.
- Develop a content calendar: Plan and schedule posts to maintain consistency.
- Use eye-catching visuals: Create compelling graphics, images, and videos to accompany your posts.
- Share user-generated content: Repost customer reviews, testimonials, and user-generated content.
- Run contests and giveaways: Engage your audience by organizing fun and interactive contests.
- Interact with followers: Respond to comments, messages, and engage in conversations with your audience.
- Incorporate relevant hashtags: Use trending and industry-specific hashtags to increase the visibility of your posts.
- Analyze and adjust: Monitor the performance of your social media efforts and adjust your strategy based on what’s working.
Side Hustle Success Story: Pat Flynn
Pat Flynn is the founder of the popular website and podcast called “Smart Passive Income,” where he shares his journey, strategies, and insights into building passive income streams, including affiliate marketing.
Pat started his online business journey as a side hustler while working a full-time job in architecture. He created his website and began experimenting with various online ventures, including affiliate marketing.
Over time, he found success by sharing honest and valuable product recommendations with his audience. His transparency, authenticity, and dedication to providing useful content resonated with his followers.
One of the key factors that contributed to Pat’s success was his commitment to building trust with his audience. He never promoted products solely for the sake of earning commissions but instead focused on recommending products and services that he had personally used and believed in.
This approach not only boosted his credibility but also resulted in higher conversions.
Pat’s affiliate marketing success, combined with his other online income streams, eventually allowed him to transition from his full-time job into a successful online entrepreneur.
Today, he continues to inspire and educate others through his podcast, blog, books, and courses, helping countless individuals achieve their own affiliate marketing and online business goals.
Pat Flynn’s journey serves as a motivating example of how dedication, transparency, and a commitment to providing value to your audience can lead to remarkable success in the world of affiliate marketing, even as a side hustler.
Tool of the Week
Bitly is an essential tool for affiliate marketers. It shortens lengthy and complex affiliate links into user-friendly URLs, making them ideal for social media posts and emails. The platform offers customization options, including branded short domains, enhancing your brand identity and trust with your audience.
Bitly’s standout feature is its robust tracking and analytics, providing insights into link performance, audience demographics, and traffic sources. This data empowers affiliate marketers to optimize their strategies and focus on what works best.
Plus, Bitly simplifies link management, allows for easy editing, and offers mobile optimization, ensuring your affiliate links are always accessible and effective.
