10 Best Affiliate Marketing Strategies That Actually Work

You will agree with me when I say, “it is hard to pick the best affiliate marketing strategies that guarantee to make money off the bats.”

And, you might also agree with me when I say that all strategies for affiliate marketing are good and can make you so much money if used well.

As a matter of fact, I used some of the strategies in this list to bag over Ksh. 300K in January 2020 alone.

#1 – Content Marketing

How often do you come to this blog?

Have you ever come across any part that I said, start blogging – whether on our make money section, our business idea category or on our start a blog page?

Well, in other words, I’ve been asking you to start content marketing.

Content marketing is the strategy used by all online businesses to generate and drive targeted traffic to their websites to make sales.

Blog owners do this by writing and posting useful and insanely powerful content.

For example, when you see Joon posting about making money online or Forex trading, or when I post videos on my YouTube channel (subscribe), it’s all content marketing.

With all that, I am trying to generate traffic to my website.

When that traffic reaches here, I use automated affiliate systems to convert them into sales.

Why is content marketing an important tool in affiliate marketing?

Because content marketing helps to: – :

1. Build a brand reputation and trust with audiences

To build a name online as a blogger, you must create great content. You must understand your audience. And you must be there for them all the time.

The only way to understand them is through listening and research.

You must seek to learn about their pain points, and then use content to suggest possible solutions.

If you do it right, your readers will appreciate you and view you as someone who is looking after their interests – which should always be your drive when you want to create good content.

2. Great content helps you drive conversions

Conversions is when a reader turns into a paying customer. Great content inspires action.

In fact, studies have shown that content marketing drive conversion rates 6 times higher than any other digital marketing strategy.

3. Well written and optimized content will help improve your SEO efforts.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) plays an important role in determining the number of traffic your blog receives. According to experts, content marketing is the pillar of SEO and one of the best affiliate marketing strategies ever.

4. Content is a cost-effective way of generating leads.

Assuming you write all your content by yourself and they appear on the first page of google, what would you say is the cost of acquiring traffic on your website?

ZERO!

And that’s of course if we overlook little things like internet used to upload your content and/time spent to write.

On the flip side, you can hire someone to create great content for you.

If it appears on the first page of google and starts generating traffic on your blog, your cost of production would be equal to what you pay your writer. And that’s as far as it goes, no need to buy traffic.

5. Creating content maps your brand as a thought leader 

Good consistent content can also be applied strategically to build brand equity, generate demand, build customer relationships and create new opportunities for sales and partnerships.

Now that you know why you should be using content marketing to promote your affiliate marketing business, the next thing is, how?

How to use content marketing to boost affiliate marketing 

By now, you know what content marketing is and why you should be putting out more content as a freelancer.

To get an in depth understanding  of this strategy, I’ll further show you how to use content marketing on your affiliate marketing business.

5 Different Ways of Leveraging Content in Affiliate Marketing 

1. Write product reviews 

This is the process where you write an article or create a video reviewing a product. In the article or video, you can share the product’s features, benefits, do’s and don’t’s and finally, your recommendations with your affiliate link.

2. A case study

You can write an up-close, in-depth, and detailed examination of a particular case with case studies.

If necessary, share what you love about the topic/product/service you are promoting. It is even better when you share or show the results you’ve had using it.

Also try to record videos or audios of the same to give your audience more confidence.

Before and after effects work wonders in case studies.

3. Tutorials

This is where you show step by step processes of using particular products you are promoting.

Keep in mind that video tutorials work best.

4. Product comparison

Here, instead of creating content for each of the products you are promoting, why not create a single content comparing two or three products.

If you choose to compare two products, be sure to pick complementary products

Remember, 

Content can either be a blog post, audio recording or a video. Whichever format you choose, that’s content marketing.

#2 – Email Marketing Affiliate Marketing Strategies

Right off the bat:

Email marketing is one of the best Affiliate Marketing Strategies ever invented. With it, it doesn’t matter what niche or product you are promoting.

Anything goes

But what’s email marketing?

This the process where you send commercial messages to a group of people through email.

Basically, email marketing is using email to promote your products and services.

All you have to do is build a list of emails from your customers, then send them daily, weekly or monthly emails promoting affiliate products.

Why is email marketing an important part of affiliate marketing strategies?

Do you remember me mentioning that in affiliate marketing, building reputation and trust is vital?

Well, that statement is particularly true when it comes to email marketing.

Using Emails to keep in touch: –

1. Helps you build a relationship with your customers.
2. Having a database of your customers’ emails (email list) is an asset. Let me explain. You don’t own your Facebook fans, Facebook does. You don’t own your organic traffic, Google does. This means, these companies can make a small change and your business will suffer; not with email marketing.
3. Email marketing saves you a ton of advertising budget. Instead of paying people to reach your potential customers, you just send one email to your list and that’s it. No costs incurred. Especially when you are just beginning

• Sign up for an email marketing service – since you will be managing hundreds or even thousands of email addresses, you will need a software to help you manage them.

Your email software will also ease your work.

Among other advantages, you can easily send one email to your entire list with just one click.

• Once you have signed up for a mailing service, create an autoresponder.

This is the email that your subscribers will receive automatically when they join your list. Having that in mind, this initial email can be a welcome message, welcoming them to your email list, telling them who you are and what to expect.

• Get list building tools

These are tools you will need to create opt-in forms, leads flows as well as subscription forms. These forms will be displayed on your website.

• Start your collecting emails.

To do this, you will need something to offer (freebie) to your readers for free in exchange for their email address.

This ‘something’ should be valuable and relevant to your target audience. For instance, if you are seeking to collect email addresses from working moms, your freebie can be something like a coupon code to a kids’ shopping website

• Distribute your opt-in forms strategically on your websites.

By this I mean, put email-collection forms where you readers are most likely to see them. You should know that not all areas on your website are the best place to collect emails.

To help you out, these are some of the best places; about page, the home page, footer area, between your posts, and below content.

• Once you’ve collected email addresses, start sending them useful content and once in a while, sneak in an affiliate link.

Rule of thumb:

If you send a few emails to your email list, they will easily forget about you. If you send too many emails, you will annoy them and they will run away (unsubscribe).

Therefore, find a middle ground.

Also, remember the 80/20 rule:

[click_to_tweet tweet=”20% of the emails you are sending should be promotional. The rest should be emails walking you towards building a relationship with your list.” quote=”20% of the emails you are sending should be promotional. The rest should be emails walking you towards building a relationship with your list.”]

#3 – Using Sales Funnel Affiliate Marketing Strategies

What’s a sales funnel, you ask.

A sales funnel is a step by step journey that takes your potential customer (reader) one step closer to your affiliate offer through the use of series of actions such as landing pages, email message series, videos, and blog posts.

It is a system of strategically placed steps that do the selling for you automatically – moving a potential customer to taking action in 4 steps (AIDA) – Awareness.Interest.Demand. Action: –

The first step in a sales funnel is: –

To create awareness

At  this stage your client doesn’t know about you, your product or service. So you have to create awareness.

It’s like when a lady is eyeing a man. What do they do? They dress up to be seen.

In the blogging perspective, create awareness by sharing your content with relevant people. For instance, sharing links to your blog in Facebook groups that contain members who might be interested in your content

The interest stage.

When prospects click and read your articles, they have shown interest and this means, they might actually be interested in learning more about what you offer. Give as much information as you possibly can.

Assuming you are a confident person, treat this stage as the stage you ask someone out. Could be a man asking or a woman asking, it’s a free world.

Remember to capture their (contacts) names and emails so you can engage further.

You don’t want to go out with someone you don’t know their first name. And you also don’t want to tell them how your grandpa fought in the second world war at this stage. It is irrelevant.

The Demand Stage 

Assuming you’ve gone to your first date which in this case would be a first email sent successfully with a freebie download link. And everything worked out well, you’ll obviously want to go to a second date.

To create demand for that second date, make sure the first email is so good that your date’s actually looking forward to a second one.

Action Stage 

After the second date you obviously want to test the engine, ask for a kiss, a peck or just to cuddle.

It is acceptable. In the sales funnel strategy this is like the step you actually close a sale.

Did you understand the sales funnel strategies, leave a comment below.

Why is this strategy called a funnel?

I guess it because it narrows as you go near that point where you ask clients to buy.

It is OK to lose some people as you go down the funnel. That’s just how it is.

A point to note: –

1. Sales funnels work best when paired with email marketing.

And to bring this point home, here’s how you can set up an affiliate marketing sales funnel:

Step #1:

You share links to one of your blog posts on social media or even better, you generate targeted traffic from search engines.

Step #2:

Once these leads get to your website, you ask for their names and email addresses in exchange for a relevant and valuable freebie. For instance, coupon codes, gift cards, e-book guides, etc.

Step #3

When they join your list, they receive the first automated message welcoming them to your funnel. You introduce yourself and tell them what to expect.

This first email doesn’t include any sales messages. It is meant to create a great first impression. So make sure it is personalized as much as possible (mention their name within the email).

Step #4

With the second email, try to connect with your subscribers. Ask questions about their opinions and interests. The best strategy here is to include Q&A which is aimed at acquiring you a list of problems your subscribers are facing.

Step #5

Since you now know more about your subscribers, you can now promote an affiliate offer on your third email.

Just to be sure, the product or service you are promoting should fit perfectly with their needs. And to top it, include your personal experience with it.

A point to note though,

You will lose some of your subscribers as you progress. Sometimes it’s your fault, other times it isn’t; they might just realize that you are not what they were looking for.

Keep in mind though that those who will remain are truly your ideal customers.

Over time, try to build a relationship with them at the same time warming them up for your offer.

Despite that, sales funnels use the same principle which is: moving customers’ one step closer to making that buying decision.

#4 – Only promote established products or services

I think you will agree when I say this:

The number one factor determining your affiliate marketing earnings is the product or service you are promoting.

Without the product or service, you wouldn’t be in business in the first place.

And this is why it matters most what you choose to promote than how you promote it.

As a result, most marketers out there are missing out because of the criteria used when choosing the affiliate product.

For instance, if you choose a brand new product that no one knows about, it will be very hard to generate a sale.

And as affiliate marketing goes, you only make money when you make a sale.

Due to that, you as the marketer, have to be wise and strategic on products or services you will be promoting.

[click_to_tweet tweet=”Competition is your good friend in this scenario.” quote=”Competition is your good friend in this scenario.”]

If no one is promoting it, there is a good chance it is because it doesn’t sell. So don’t waste your time, look at what your competitors and doing and learn.

Here are a couple of points to consider when picking an offer to promote:

• Only promote affiliate offers that are relevant to your blog audience.

As I have mentioned in the past, you do not promote products or services just for the sake of getting paid. Try to only promote what resonates with your readers. Here at JOON, I blog about finance and that’s why I promote financial services, etc

• Consider the reputation of the product, service or manufacturer.

As mentioned earlier, what you promote directly or indirectly reflects on who you are as a brand. For this reason, research the product and its producer before you get them affiliated to your brand.

• Before you promote an affiliate offer, buy it.

Take a few days to experience the ins and outs of the product. Learn first-hand about its pros and cons. By doing so, you will be in a better position to ethically recommend the product to your audience.

Pay attention to what you promote and your readers and business will thank you for it.

#Strategy Number 5 – Go for high ticket products

There are two categories of affiliate products or services:

1. Low tickets products – cost less which means you make less commission when you make a sale
2. High ticket products – have high prices which means, you make a sizable amount of commission whenever someone buys through your link.

Since you are looking to make money online that will enable you to sustain your current lifestyle and be able to live by your terms, I recommend you promote the second category of products: high ticket products.

This doesn’t mean that you ditch small-paying offers.

Remember, with high prices, comes the high need for convincing. Customers need to be sure that their investments will actually help solve their problems, hence the need to prove that.

To help you navigate this, ask the merchant or the owner of the product or service to provide you with testimonials.

Then use the testimonials in your landing pages.

What are landing pages?

Glad you asked.

Once we look at the next affiliate marketing strategy, it will be clear.

#Affiliate Marketing Strategies -Strategy Number 6 – build own landing pages

A landing page is a page on your website designed to convert visitors into leads.

That’s why some marketers refer to it as a ‘lead capture page.’

Since it a page on your website, don’t confuse it, it is different from other pages.

Why? The landing page has a form that asks visitors to input their names and emails in exchange for a valuable and relevant offer.

Moving on, some affiliate offers come with their landing pages. here, the owner of the product or services provides you with pre-built landing pages, and your job is to just drive traffic to it.

In most cases, this is a good thing. But here is where it gets ugly: you cannot make changes to it.

That’s it. You will use it as is.

What happens if you want to customize the landing page?

Simple, build your own.

Designing landing pages is part of what we do at Joon. Contact us 

Having your own landing pages gives you the freedom to do what you want with it. And since this is the determinant whether you convert that visitor into a lead, you can tweak it whenever or however you see fit.

Tips on how to build high converting landing pages for affiliate marketing

1. Have a killer headline that compels any visitor to stay, pay attention, and arouses interest on what you are offering

2. Accompany it with persuasive subheadings. If the headline stops the visitor, the subheading should make them stay

3. Include visually appealing pictures. Use large and relevant images that capture the attention of readers

4. Use a straightforward explanation of what exactly the product or service is all about

5. Don’t try selling on this page. You have one job, and that is to get the visitor to give you his name and email. Period.

After you’ve built your landing page, how do you know it is working well?

Well, if your landing page conversion rate is something between 2.35% and 5.31%, you’ve got yourself a winner.

Don’t worry though, these rates are not written on a stone. In fact, there are landing pages that convert at over 10%. If you follow the tips I have provided above, you are set to go.

Here are some tools to help you build impressive landing pages

• LeadPages
• Elementor

Remember, the goal of a landing page is to convert a visitor to a lead. Thus everything you include in your landing page should be in service of this single goal and other things are just clutter.

This is where testimonials come in.

Testimonials are statements from people who’ve purchased the product or service you are promoting. They could be written or video testimonials.

What this does is that they provide proof that the product or service does what you are saying.

It provides social proof, which brings us to the next affiliate marketing strategy:

#Strategy Number 7 – Use Social Proof Affiliate Marketing Strategies

Social proof is a psychological phenomenon where people are attracted to people, products, or services that other people have shown interest in as well.

As an affiliate marketer, you can use this technique to boost your affiliate offers conversion rates.

How?

By including details showing that other people have bought and appreciated the product or services you are promoting.

When a potential customer comes across your affiliate offer, their minds go crazy wondering whether it is a good idea to buy it and whether it will actually solve their pain points.

By using social proof, you are putting their minds at ease and making them confident about the purchase.

Here are some of the ideas on how to use social proof with your affiliate marketing business:

• Use real-time stats of the number of people currently viewing the page, or better yet, the current number of purchases.
• 92% of people will trust a recommendation from a friend, and a whopping 70% will trust a recommendation from someone they don’t even know. Use this to your advantage by adding customer testimonials on the product page
• Celebrity endorsements. Here, you can get a celebrity to publicly endorse your brand or products then feature that on your product pages
• Use case studies. These are articles or videos highlighting the results someone got after using the product or service you are promoting.

Thus bringing us to the next affiliate marketing strategy.

#Affiliate Marketing Strategy 8 – leverage scarcity when marketing affiliate offers

This is a very effective affiliate marketing strategy since it converts like crazy.

Here, you only promote one-time deals and one-time offers.

As human beings, we hate missing out on deals and things that could potentially make our lives better.

Affiliate marketers incorporate this flaw in human DNA to make more sales by highlighting scarcity.

Have you seen some products mentioning that ‘only limited stock’ available?

Your first thought is to rush and make a purchase so you ‘don’t miss out.’

That is scarcity marketing in play.

Here’s how to do it for your affiliate marketing business:

• Use limited time scale countdown on product pages. for instance, flash sales, deals of the day
• Next day shipping guaranteed count down
• Show the number of people who’ve bought the product. For instance, join other 37,453 mothers like you in this list.
• When products are sold-out, indicate ‘sold-out’ or ‘unavailable’ message beneath it and don’t remove it till you restock. Ask customers to input their emails so they will be notified once restocked.

Using scarcity marketing as your affiliate marketing strategy is better than using none.

#Affiliate Marketing Strategy 9 – using banners to promote your affiliate products

Promotional banners are a form of visual advertising put on a website.

When you click on these banners, they takes you directly to the product page or a landing page where you can learn more about the advertised product or service.

What are banner ads and why use them as an affiliate marketing strategy?

• They help increase traffic to your affiliate offer
• Can increase sales since it stands out
• Allows you to advertise sales and promotions such as discounts, clearance sales, etc
• Help you promote events such as special releases events, black Friday events, etc
• Help you showcase your content or blog by linking back to it

Effective promotional banners should make it clear what you are promoting.

There’s no room to play around since you are trying to convince the viewer that you have a solution they are seeking, hence they should click through.

Tips for creating effective banner ads.

• Create a banner that links back to an article containing affiliate links and promote it on other blogs
• Create a banner ad promoting limited time only affiliate offers. For instance, a banner offering a discount rate.
• A re-targeting banner that a person sees after they visited the product page but didn’t take action.

#10 – Use pay per click advertising (PPC) Affiliate Marketing Strategies

PPC is a form of paid advertising where you pay every time someone clicks on your advert.

Among the other PPC sites, search engines rank the highest, and for a reason.

And that’s because it’s through search engines that people look for answers to their questions and solutions to their problems.

Once you input your queries on google, the search engine comes up with an organized list of possible answers in what is known as a search engine results page (SERPs).

Now, these search engines are free to use but companies running them have to make money somehow.

Studies have shown that people are more likely to click on the first results when searching on a Google (popular search engine)

So what do they do?

They ask businesses or owners of websites to pay to appear at the top of SERPs.

Here, you only pay when someone clicks on your ad.

And that’s how PPC came about.

PPC as an affiliate marketing strategy

As an affiliate marketer, you can leverage this strategy by paying to appear at the top whenever a query related to your offer is searched on Google.

And since your ad only appears whenever a certain query is searched, you are sure to get high-quality traffic to your offer.

This is How PPC Affiliate Marketing Strategies work:

You tell Google that whenever someone types this keyword (s) into the search bar, show them my ad.

That’s not the end.

Your ad should lead them back to your offer, a landing page, or your blog post.

This entirely depends on your offer.

For instance, if you are promoting a weight loss offer using PPC strategy, you might first want to direct the traffic to review blog posts you wrote instead of directly to the product page.

Or better yet, direct them to a landing page where you ask for a name and email in exchange for a weight loss guide.

The following are some of the places where your ads can be shown on SERP

• Top of the results pages
• The right side of the search results pages
• Bottom of the results pages

Most of the affiliate marketers get hooked with PPC affiliate marketing strategy.

And this is for a reason.

• You make sales almost immediately because of the quality leads coming from search engines
• It is cheap since you only pay whenever a user clicks on your ad
• You can monitor the performance of your live ads. Meaning, you can make tweaks depending on what’s working for you
• It is beginner-friendly. Google offers a wealth of training resources. You can go from a complete beginner to launching your first ad in a matter of hours
• You can choose who should and shouldn’t see your ads. Using metrics such as location, gender, language, and device, you can target specific people who are your ideal customers

Despite all these, PPC needs an investment of both your time and money. You need time to train and learn all you can about it and cash for your ads to run.

Lucky for you, I can help with that. I will help you set up, monitor and tweak your ads. Contact US

Final thoughts on affiliate marketing strategies 

There you have it, #10 best affiliate marketing strategies that will help you make money almost immediately.

But wait, not so fast.

There’s no doubt that all the Affiliate Marketing Strategies work. Almost every marketer who knows what he doing is using them.

But there’s one big problem:

If you do not put in the work and do exactly what I have laid out here, there’s a high chance you won’t see any results. These strategies need aggressive research, implementation, and learning. Learn what works and what doesn’t.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that TAKE ACTION.

The question is, which combination of Affiliate Marketing Strategies will you use? Tell me in the comments.