How to Master the Art of Affiliate Marketing

Would you like to add another stream of income? Learn how to master the art of affiliate marketing! I’ve got you covered with this session recap from the Blog Life University conference.

Affiliate marketing is an effective way to earn income through the content you’re creating. Dollie Freeman, the blogger behind Wholesome Influences and the founder of the Gameified Frameworks, shared some excellent tips on incorporating affiliate links into your website and blog posts that fulfill your readers’ needs and help you earn extra income.

3 Keys to Getting Started with Affiliate Marketing

How do you know where to start? With so many affiliate programs out there, it can be overwhelming. You don’t want to add affiliate links just to add them. You want to add links that are useful to your readers, and you want to do it in an authentic and non-spammy way.

1. Know What Your Audience Wants

Conduct a reader survey (try Google Forms or Survey Monkey) to get a better idea of what your community wants. Take time to do your market research, too! Ask what topics you write about that your readers love and what topics they want you to write about.

2. Know What Your Audience Needs

What does your ideal client struggle with? Ask them directly, and ask what they need help with. What problems they are trying to solve? Knowing this will give you insight into what products or services they need.

3. Know What Your Audience Buys

Strike up conversations to get an idea of what they like to buy and where they like to shop. Take a look at your most popular content and see what kind of products you could incorporate affiliate links for that would be helpful to your ideal client.

Identify what emotions you want to trigger that will encourage them to buy the affiliate product you are promoting. Tell them how the product will:

Fill a need
Tell a story that resonates with them
Satisfy a curiosity
Grab a deal
Help your friends
Fit their lifestyle
Be a clever, fun, or useful gift

How to Incorporate Affiliate Links into Your Content

There are several ways you can incorporate affiliate links into your website and content. Here are a few that were recommended:

Product tutorial and review – explain how to use the product + how it solves a problem
Create a list of options/roundup – book lists are powerful regardless of the niche
Add affiliate links to your landing pages which have better SEO than regular blog posts
Use a plugin – add the graphic code one time, and the plugin will put the graphic on all pages, which is especially good for getting traffic to sponsored posts.
Make evergreen gift guides – ex. “gifts for boys” that could be used during holidays but also when anyone is searching for a birthday gift.

How to Incorporate Affiliate MARKETING Links Into an Email Series

Your email subscribers are your biggest supporters. They are the ones who gave you a spot in their inbox so don’t be afraid to connect with them. They are most likely to trust your opinion and therefore, they are more likely to buy products you recommend to them.

also read: 4 REASONS YOU NEED AN EMAIL LIST

Here’s an outline for an email series to get your subscribers primed to buy an affiliate product you recommend. The trick is staying focused on one concept at a time so that your reader will be more likely to click on the next email to learn more by the end, and they are ready to buy it.

Introduce the product and why you love it
Identify product benefits
Respond to frequently asked questions
Invite them with a personal Q&A
Illustrate why this product will work for them

How to Incorporate Affiliate Links Into Social Media

Social media can be great for attracting new readers to your blog and starting conversations that help you identify what your audience wants, needs, and buys as discussed above.

Here are a couple of tidbits to help you get affiliate links into your social media:

Share a resonating story from your blog
Share a “can’t miss this deal” when the product goes on sale
Do a Facebook live, Instagram story, or YouTube video Q&A about the product
Do a Facebook live, Instagram story, or YouTube video product review
Pin product image that takes the reader directly to your affiliate link, and type a short review of the product in the pin description
Share product pictures and your blog post or affiliate links across your social media platforms

Now for the fun part!

If you’d like to begin with affiliate marketing here are a few of the companies I’m partnered with. You can click through my affiliate links below and apply to become an affiliate, too. I only work with companies I like and use myself.

Stan Store – Build your online store
The Social Studio – Done-for-you content, templates, Instagram rebranding, and training
The Mentorship Community – Ongoing education, high caliber weekly training for ANY entrepreneur READY to grow!
The PLR Project – Done-for-you digital products you can use as lead magnets, freebies, or resell

Incorporating affiliate links into your content doesn’t have to be salesy or spammy. Be authentic and work it into a natural conversation you’re having with your reader. If you were having coffee with your best friend, what would you be talking about? What would you be recommending to them? Affiliate marketing can be a great way to supplement your income and provide product recommendations to your community they’ll find helpful.

What do you find are the best ways to add affiliate links to your content? Let’s collaborate and discuss this in the comments!

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