How affiliate marketing works step by step

Affiliate marketing can be an extremely profitable way to earn extra income, but it’s often confusing to new marketers because they don’t understand how it works.

 

In this article, I’ll show you exactly how affiliate marketing works, how to get started with your first campaign, and how to earn big commissions by promoting high-ticket affiliate products (and even recurring commission products!).

 

You’ll also learn the importance of choosing an affiliate product that has the potential to earn recurring income so you can build passive income streams that will enable you to quit your day job and work from home if you want!

 

 

Choosing your niche

If you want to make money as an affiliate marketer, start by choosing a niche.

 

Don’t be a generalist:

narrow your focus to a specific area in which

you have experience and knowledge.

 

This can help you create targeted content for your audience, increasing conversions.

 

For example, if you sell bike accessories on your website in addition to blogging about cycling topics, consider writing reviews of other bike products on your site.

 

You could even write about biking safety or organizing biking events; just avoid pitching standard bike accessories like tires or chains (other cyclists will know what kind of tires or chains they need).

 

Make sure that anything else related to bikes is outside of your niche.

 

Once you pick a niche, make sure it’s easy to show off your authority in your particular field.

 

You do this through various channels including your About Us page and link directory entries, but also things like active participation at industry conferences.

 

Easier it is for people to find out who you are and learn more about what you do with affiliations or partnerships online and offline, such as running live presentations at offline conferences or speaking at others’ webinars or podcasts.

 

All of these help build trust with potential customers when they see something like Your search engine optimization specialist!

 

Next to your name when you pop up on their screen during research into companies online.

 

So choose a niche, build credibility, and use your authority to attract new clients. From there, all you need is traffic. We’ll talk about how best to get traffic below.

 

But first: Choose your platforms carefully…

 

You don’t want too many platforms from which to earn income because you’ll spread yourself too thin trying to keep up with everything.

 

 

 

Build an Email List

Why?

Because it’s crucial to building a long-term relationship with customers and earning repeat commissions. (Not all products are eligible for recurring commissions, but many are.)

 

It’s also an indication of your market credibility and professionalism.

 

If you want to be seen as a serious marketer, it’s time to build an email list! Read our guide to get started.

 

Then, choose one of Leadpages’s themes and set up your site in minutes.

These websites let you write engaging content that builds trust with potential customers.

They include features like opt-in forms on every page (to collect contact information) and auto-responders that send out emails when new content is published—helping you stay top of mind without any extra effort on your part. Click here to get 14 days free trial.

 

And don’t worry about people finding them annoying; research shows that subscribers actually enjoy getting them because they provide real value instead of pure sales pitches.

 

Ready to give ‘em a try?

 

Go here for more info and check out our popular picks: GetResponse, Activecampaign .

We recommend getting an autoresponder first and foremost, which will allow you to build a list of subscribers as you grow your business.

 

Some people choose email service providers (ESPs) that offer more advanced features, but building an email list is typically free with ESPs so we suggest signing up for one and focusing on your business before worrying about anything else.

 

If you’re ready to begin building your email list, check out our popular picks: GetResponse, Activecampaign .

Once you’ve got your autoresponder, it’s time to begin collecting email addresses.

 

Here are some ideas for how to do so:

 

•  Ask people to subscribe when they submit a form on your website or download something from it.

 

• Place a prominent signup box at the top of every page with a clear call-to-action (like Get my free report!) that encourages people to sign up.

 

• Write articles or offer tips that you publish on other websites, and ask readers to subscribe at the end of each one.
  Offer something for free—like a downloadable report or tip sheet—and collect email addresses on your autoresponder form as people sign up.

 

• Build an engaging Facebook page and make it clear that you’re happy to share your expertise with those who follow your page.
  
  

• Share valuable tips on relevant forums and include a link to your website in your signature line. This will help build trust with other members of the community, which may encourage them to sign up for more valuable content you offer.

 

As you can see, there are many ways to build an email list.

Choose whatever best fits with how you’re already marketing online, or experiment to find what makes the most sense for your business model!

If you don’t have time to put together your own opt-in form, we recommend Leadpages , an easy way to create landing pages that let you collect contact information from users. It also offers a WordPress plugin so you can set everything up quickly.

 

The last thing anyone wants is to receive one sales pitch after another (even if they like what they’re offered).

 

That’s why it’s important to focus on building long-term relationships with customers instead of taking shortcuts. You should never send out unsolicited sales messages or SPAM.

One of our favourite ways to build an email list is through guest posting on relevant blogs and websites.

 

This involves writing an insightful, informative piece of content and submitting it to a high-authority website that can drive lots of traffic back to your site.

 

Because you’re helping add value to other people’s websites, it’s much more likely that they’ll share your post with their audience (which could include thousands or even millions of readers), giving you access to a huge new audience. (We have more ideas for building an email list in our guide: click here)

Earn Commissions

Affiliate marketing is an internet advertising strategy where you earn commissions by promoting someone else’s products. The products can be digital (eBooks, software, etc.) or physical (clothing, shoes, jewellery, etc.).

 

The great thing about affiliate marketing is that you don’t have to create anything yourself.

Click here to Learn Affiliate Marketing The Right Way!

You simply need to find someone with a product and sign up for a merchant account through them. They handle your transactions and pay you a commission on each sale.

 

Easy as that!

As an affiliate marketer, you have a lot of options. You can promote digital products like eBooks and software to name a few.

 

There are also niche markets with very specific needs, such as pet supplies or wedding planning.

To increase your chances of earning big commissions, go for high ticket items.

For example, instead of selling an eBook that costs $10-$20, why not promote a product that costs $500 or more?

People don’t buy eBooks very often so you can afford to wait longer before they purchase your products.

The bigger ticket an item is, the greater the percentage of each sale will be yours.

 

This means you can earn substantially more in affiliate commissions if you are promoting high-ticket items as opposed to low-ticket items.

 

However, if it takes a long time to convince someone to buy your product, then maybe a lower ticket item is right for you.

Some online marketplaces give you a recurring commission each time your customer purchases your product.

 

This means you earn a percentage of their sale every month without doing anything.

 

This is much easier than having to do more promotion and sales work each month. Just make sure that your customers continue to buy from your marketplace so that you keep earning commissions month after month!

 

Promote Recurring Commissions Products

There’s a reason why most of those who have achieved a high level of success in affiliate marketing have done so by promoting recurring commission products.

 

It’s because such products are worth it for both you and your audience.

Since customers who purchase such products need to use them on a regular basis, you will be able to generate revenue from each customer for as long as they remain active with your service or product.

Consider your audience when looking for recurring commission products to promote.

If you’re a fitness coach, for example, a good idea is to promote fitness supplements like protein powder or green tea.

If you sell WordPress themes, a good option would be to promote premium themes that users will need to keep using for extended periods of time.

The bottom line here is that if it’s not a product people would keep using over and over again then don’t bother promoting it.

Instead, focus on things people may only buy once but still need consistently in order to use their service or product effectively.

Existing Email List – You can also use your email list as part of your overall strategy with recurring commissions products.

For example, you can use your audience to create a special list of customers who are interested in receiving updates about certain new products or services.

You can then promote those new services and products to that group of subscribers, generating revenue while engaging with your existing customers on a regular basis.

You may also want to consider creating a dedicated special email list for any newsletters or emails you send related to recurring commission products and/or other similar topics.

That way, if someone wants to stop receiving emails from you about these topics but is still interested in your other content, they can easily subscribe or unsubscribe without having their name added automatically to any lists associated with recurring commission products and other subscriptions.

High Ticket Affiliate Products –  Your choice of products is just as important as your choice of audience. Click here to know more

 

If you’re a coach, then there’s little sense in promoting products related to bike repair or knife sharpening.

 

Instead, you should focus on high-ticket affiliate products that appeal to your audience but have a sufficient level of value to make people want to purchase them on a recurring basis. Such high ticket items can include multiple training courses, live workshops and more.

 

Because they are worth so much more than single purchases, there’s less risk involved with promoting them. Customers feel like they are getting something useful and will therefore be more likely to consider purchasing it as an ongoing investment instead of simply an impulse buy.

Choosing a High Ticket Affiliate Product

 

Find an affiliate product that you can promote for $1000 or more, and then build a list around it. If you’re looking to earn $1,000 per sale with your own product, look for an affiliate offer in a similar market that offers over a 50% commission rate.

 

By promoting someone else’s high-ticket items, your subscriber list will get valuable content they want while supporting their favorite blogger.

You can often spot a high-ticket product in its sales page, which will contain phrases like $1000 value or 95% commission.

Many high-ticket affiliate products come from people and companies that have had great success with content marketing, so you can trust that their information is good quality.

 

For example, Legendary Marketer is an online course for teaching people how to build a business online, and they charge $1000 per month for access to its premium course.

By promoting Legendary Marketer through your own website or social media profiles, you could earn upwards of $1000 per sale—or more if you direct traffic to higher-level packages at 40% commissions.

Another great way to determine if a product is high-ticket is to see if it has recurring commissions.

One example of a high-ticket product with recurring commissions is Wildtree, an online catalog for ordering spices and other food items.

When you sign up as an affiliate, you earn $100 per sale on week one, $40 per sale on week two and so on down from there. If you’re able to turn a single sale into multiple repeat sales over time, your earnings potential can add up quickly—especially with higher-priced products like spices or gourmet oils that people love to buy in bulk!

Once you’ve found a high-ticket product that’s right for your audience, it’s time to build an email list.

Before you promote any products, you should have at least 1000 subscribers on your list.

 

When people like what they see and hear, they will sign up to receive more information.

If a lot of your subscribers are actively interested in purchasing a $500 product—instead of signing up just for updates or discounts—you can earn commissions each month without doing much selling at all!

You could even offer additional content through your newsletter that positions you as an expert in your field.

After you’ve added an email list to your high-ticket business model, it’s time to promote your product.

Make sure that you are posting on your website first, then share posts via social media and email newsletters.

If people like what they see, they will click through to your sales page and make a purchase. In some cases, such as Legendary Marketer or Clickfunnels, a sale may result in multiple months of recurring commissions!

Either way, your subscribers are receiving valuable information from you—and hopefully enjoying it enough to tell their friends about what they’re reading!

Over time you can build a large audience that keeps coming back for more content while paying more per sale than ever before.

It’s easy to see why so many people are attracted to affiliate marketing: it’s an effective way to earn more commissions while promoting others peoples products!

 

However, there are a few things you should know before you start building your email list.

The first is that not all high-ticket products are created equal.

The ones with recurring commissions tend to be much more lucrative than one-off payments, and they also help build loyalty among customers.

Many also require a subscription or an initial fee, which means people don’t have access until they pay up!

Most importantly, though, you should remember that anyone can promote anything online—even if its something you wouldn’t feel comfortable selling yourself!

To succeed in affiliate marketing, you need to be passionate about your subject matter.

When people see your website or social media posts and feel excited about a product, they’re much more likely to click through and purchase—even if you don’t think it’s such a great deal!

It’s also a good idea to only promote things that you use yourself so that you can provide accurate recommendations to others.

If you sell things online with regularity, then it should be easy for you to add an email list to any sales pages as well.

 

No matter what type of product you plan on promoting in your new business model, remember that success is all about choosing wisely and building a community around your brand!

 

Over time, a carefully-chosen high-ticket product and an email list of loyal customers can earn you recurring commissions that are just as valuable as your initial sale!

Even better, these commissions keep coming in over time—which means more money in your pocket without any additional effort on your part. And even if you’re promoting a non-recurring product now, you should still focus on building an email list for all of your business efforts!

 

Without it, there’s no way to build a relationship with people who are interested in what you have to say.

Your content will be read only once or twice before it’s lost among other ads and messages—and then its gone forever.

 

To be successful in affiliate marketing, you need to find products that make your audience excited.

Every time they see one of your social media posts or read an email newsletter, they should feel like they can’t wait to check out what you have to say.

You can build a following with just one high-ticket product—but it’s easier if you choose several products that your customers will want to talk about!

Do some research on competitor sites, and follow along with popular bloggers who focus on particular niches.

That way, you’ll know which kinds of products are most likely to connect with others like them!