4 Steps to Start Affiliate Marketing
Posted on 02. Nov, 2010 by Frank in SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION
One of the many ways to make money online is through affiliate marketing. But, if you are new to making money online, this simple way of making money can seem out of reach. But, after you complete this step-by-step guide, you will be ready to start your own affiliate-marketing page.
Step 1: What will you promote?
There are several ways to choose what you will promote or sell. Some people like to choose something they are already interested in like pet products, fishing products or even hair care products. Other people don’t care what they sell as long as it makes money. In either case, you need to know what you are going to sell first.
Step 2: Make a Webpage
While you can get a free webpage, it is not the best way to go. Eventually, you will have to pay for a site to make money. When this happens, you are left out in the lurch. All the promotion you did for your first page is wasted because now you have to promote a different site.
To make a webpage you need to:
1. Buy a domain name. You can buy domain names from many places like Godaddy or any one of hundreds of other places. Ideally, the domain name will reflect what you are selling.
2. Hosting your domain: Next, you will need to find a place to host the domain. Again, you have lots of options including Godaddy and Hostgator. Once you find someone to host your domain, you can start building your page within 24 hours.
3. Build the page: You can find tons of readymade templates and find plenty of templates to buy. Alternatively, you can buy software that allows you to make your own webpage. For newbies, I highly recommend using WordPress. You can use it free on Hostgator or you can have WordPress host your domain. Either way, it is the simplest for beginners.
Step 3: Find Affiliates
Once you have a page up, you can start applying to be an affiliate. There are two basic ways to find affiliates.
1. Individual Products – If you have a product you want to promote, you can go to their website. Then scroll to the bottom and look for a link that says affiliate. Generally, you can apply there if they have an affiliate program. Not all companies do.
2. Affiliate Group – Alternatively, you can go find a group that has hundreds of affiliates for you to apply. Places like ClickBank and Shareasale are among the most well loved, but there are many others.
When you apply, you will have to give your website URL. This is why you must have a website before you can start. With huge places like ClickBank, you apply to them and they make your account. Then each affiliate on their site will question you to apply again. But, ClickBank will be the one to pay you.
Step 4: Promote Your Site
Once you have an affiliate, they will give you links and ads to place on your webpage. When these are in place, you will need to start driving traffic to your website. This can be done through social marketing, article marketing, pay per clicks or any number of other ways.
After you complete these four steps, you will start reaping the benefits of your affiliate-marketing page. From there, you will learn more, tweak your site, and start making more money.
