How to create a profitable affiliate strategy for your blog

In business terms the internet has certainly encouraged the creation of a level playing field. There are many opportunities for bloggers and webmasters to monetize their web platforms, and none more so than through affiliate marketing. By harnessing your social media audience to promote affiliate products you can generate considerable income.

There are many ways to set about doing this, such as choosing products with potentially high yields, or joining an affiliate network where you will receive advice about markets to look into, as well as access to tools. But the first thing you need to focus on is a plan. No affiliate marketer ever made money overnight so you need to consider what your overall strategy will be, keeping in mind your ultimate aim of making your blog as profitable as possible.

Self-promotion

One of the key aspects of affiiate marketing you always have to remember is how different it is to the way third party advertising previously operated. You are no longer pasting links into strategic location on your blog, backed-up with gaudy banner advertisements, then coaxing customers towards these areas so you will get a miniscule amount each time a link is clicked.

Your affiliate strategy should put you at its centre. Once you sign-up to an affiliate program the onus to build a buzz around the product shifts directly onto your shoulders. The amount of interest you can build about these items or services is dependent on how enthusiastically you engage with potential customers. In this way affiliate marketing is about so much more than you becoming a surrogate salesperson for the retail company. It’s important to make this distinction from the more traditional but now outmoded pay-per-click e-commerce model. Think of the products you are selling via your blog as your items. Then you can be as creative as you wish in dreaming up ways to promote them.

Social media

The most effective weapon you can have in this self-promotion arsenal is your social media presence. Here is a pool of potential customers waiting to be tapped into. Just because you have now monetized your blog is no reason to treat your audience any differently. Absolutely not. Continue engaging with them, encouraging them to share in your positive vision of your product range. As before, keep on publishing compelling articles and ensure your blog posts are written in a way that invites two-way conversation. Always factor into your strategy how crucial it is that your social media messages are dynamic. So rather than simply composing informative texts for the reader to digest, make it a prerequisite to include share buttons and comments fields. Your strategy had to be all about keeping the conversation bubbling over.

Content

It’s worth repeating your content should be strong enough that your followers are encouraged to keep returning to your blog. Your ultimate aim should be to develop a real air of authority on your subject, so your blog is seen as the ‘go to’ site for information about your subject.

With this in mind, your strategy should focus on ways of making your descriptions as electrifying as possible. One surfire method of maintaining interest would be to purchase a copy of the item yourself and film a video review. Post this onto your social media platform and watch the hits increase.

If you are promoting multiple products, keep the information succinct. When customers have provided positive feedback, publish the 5-star reviews. But always remember the worst thing would be for you to come across as a salesperson: first and foremost you are a trusted blogger.