How to Start Using Affiliate Marketing In Your Blog

Once you’ve been in the blogging world for a bit, you might start to think about affiliate marketing. Affiliate marketing is a form of promotion where a product and/or service produced by another retailer or advertiser is promoted through your blog, and for that promotional service you are paid a portion of the commission. Affiliate marketing is a great way to create passive income from your blog, but it’s not as easy as it may seem to get started. Below are some helpful tips on how to start using affiliate marketing in your blog:

Identify Your Blog’s Niche

The best way to begin using affiliate marketing is to identify the driving force behind your blog. For example, say you have a blog about singing, that’s a broad subject that isn’t very likely to grab attention during searches. There are so many types of singing styles and genres across the world, narrowing your focus on a style or genre of singing would potentially allow you to draw in a more focused audience from key-term searches on search engines. 

First, you’ll need a solid and catchy domain name that captures the essence of your niche. You can work with a domain broker to find the best possible domain name at a price that works for you. Then, learn to use SEO techniques to make your words do the work. One of the main reasons that affiliate marketing relationships fail is because of broad-based searches not garnering enough site traffic. When you identify your blog’s niche and expand upon it, you create a nurturing environment for affiliate marketing to take place. 

Examine Different Affiliate Programs

Finding which type of affiliate program works best for you is important for your long-term success with affiliate marketing. The three affiliate program types are:

Low-Paying, High Volume: These programs offer a low percentage of pay for high traffic on your site, it’s much better for websites and blogs that have large volumes of monthly users to make money. While you do need high traffic to make money off these affiliates, they also allow you to take on more contracts at one time. These programs are best for targeting consumers, especially through blogs, and will most likely be the best fit for you. 

High-Paying, Low Volume: These programs tend to offer high pay for affiliates that fit their niche requirements. These also tend to be very competitive and reserved for more experienced affiliate marketers as they’re very good pay. Take time developing your space in the blogging world to acquire these contracts. 

High-Paying, High Volume: These programs are also usually reserved for more experienced marketers. The partners are looking for affiliates who have high website traffic, and are usually geared towards business audiences where they can spend a lot of money and get a large return on their investment.  

Drive Traffic Through Enhanced Content

Once you’ve narrowed down your niche and decided which affiliate program works best for you, it’s important to immediately begin prepping your new content. Research whatever products you’ve taken on and find the best way to include them in blog posts. Take advantage of SEO by making sure your language reflects positively on the products you are promoting. 

Be sure to use your affiliate links throughout your posts, but don’t shove them down your reader’s throats, make the introduction seamless. Make sure your website’s theme and color scheme fit the brand you are creating and welcome new users to your site. This will be a great way to make sure your new content gets the most views, and therefore your affiliate links get more clicks.  

Disclose Affiliate Links in Blog Posts

When you choose to use affiliate marketing, it’s important to disclose the affiliate links to your blog visitors. The only way to ensure your affiliate links don’t come off as a sales tactic is to disclose them at the beginning of your post. Simply include a sentence that tells your reader that there are links within the information below that you do benefit from financially if they click on them. These acknowledgements of affiliate links and “sponsored post” are commonplace now, so it’s much better to be truthful than try to hide your intentions. 

Only Recommend Products You Vouch For

The products and people you promote on your blog are a direct representation of your own blog. When taking on affiliate marketing contracts, it’s important to identify bad products or false promises from vendors trying to engage with you. If one of your readers purchases a faulty product or has a bad experience with another business because you put them in contact, you’re bound to lose business. Be sure to thoroughly research and vet any and all affiliates you take on.