Can Affiliate Marketing Be A Good Side Hustle To Make Extra Money?
Lately, more and more people are hustling to add revenue streams and create multiple sources of income. This is especially true in light of the recent global COVID-19 pandemic, which has left many people feeling uncertain about their financial future.
Affiliate marketing can be a great way to earn some extra cash on the side.
It can provide an additional source to make money without risking your health or savings by investing time into physical labor or starting brick and mortar businesses.
An affiliate marketer can work exclusively from home – it doesn’t even require any special skillset beyond being Internet savvy (which most adults already possess).
So, can affiliate marketing really be a viable side hustle? And if so, how can you get started?
Here’s a look at everything you need to know about affiliate marketing, and whether or not it could be a good fit for you as a side hustle.
Maybe you already know what affiliate marketing is, though before hitting the market, let’s make sure we are on the same page.
What Is Affiliate Marketing?
Affiliate marketing or performance advertising is the process of earning a commission by promoting other people’s products and services.
You find something you like, promote it to your audience (and make money – extra cash) when they buy through one of your affiliate links – no need for production, or customer service headaches!
Affiliates don’t need any overhead costs because all that matters in affiliate marketing – besides finding awesome content for yourself-is getting visitors onto your site so you can make commissions off their sales – easy peasy lemon squeezy!!
Why Affiliate Marketing Works
Affiliate marketing is a quick, easy, and low-risk way to promote products or services without having to buy inventory or set them up yourself. Most affiliate programs can be joined in minutes, and you can start sharing affiliate links immediately.
One of the best things about having your own affiliate marketing side hustle is that it provides a way to learn and experiment without impacting your main business. You can play around with social media ads, SEO (search engine optimization), and content marketing – all sorts of techniques that will help you grow as an entrepreneur or marketer for other companies!
Many promotion techniques are 100% free!
With such a low barrier to entry, affiliate marketing provides a great opportunity to learn new skills while making money online which you can develop into a thriving passive income source.
Can Affiliate Marketing Be More Than A Side Hustle?
Affiliate marketing is a dynamic and ever-evolving online business industry. It can be a great side hustle, but it has the potential to be much more. With the right approach, affiliate marketing can be a full-time business or even a passive income powerhouse.
Even Rome wasn’t built in a day, and the same goes for a successful affiliate marketing business. If you’re just getting started, it’s important to be patient and not expect overnight success.
The key to success in affiliate marketing is to treat it like a business. This means investing time, hard work, and dedication. It also means creating high-quality content that drives traffic and generates sales.
If you’re willing to put in the work, affiliate marketing can be a great way to earn a living or generate passive income. So don’t treat it like a hobby; treat it like a business, and you’ll be on your way to success.
See some of the best Gurus that are crushing it making full time income from affiliate marketing
How To Start An Affiliate Marketing Side Hustle
Now that you know a little bit more about affiliate marketing and why it’s such a great side hustle, let’s talk about how you can get started.
Becoming an affiliate marketer is actually pretty simple. In most cases, all you need to do is sign up for an affiliate program, choose products, get affiliate links, and start promoting and selling products.
And even if you don’t have a blog or website, you can still be an affiliate. There are a number of ways to do this, such as social media marketing or email marketing.
But if you do have a website or blog, there are a few things you can do to start monetizing your content.
To make things easier to understand, we will discuss this journey in 5 steps. These basic steps are all you need to take to start affiliate marketing as one of your side hustles.
But of course, there is a lot more to each step, and we will try to cover it here. So let’s get started!
1. Choosing A Platform
The first step is to choose a platform for your affiliate marketing business. There are a number of different platforms you can use, such as a blog, website, or even social media.
If you already have a blog or website, then you can start using that to promote a product with your affiliate link.
If you don’t have a blog or website, then you can start by creating one. This is actually pretty easy to do and there are a number of different platforms you can use, such as WordPress or Blogger.
See our step by step guide on how to make an affiliate marketing website.
With the recent rise in popularity of TikTok and Instagram, you could even start promoting products on those platforms.
The important thing is to choose a platform that you are comfortable with and that you can see yourself using long-term.
Once you have a platform, you can start to think about the niche you want to focus on.
2. Picking A Niche Of Your Interest
If you are into fashion then you may want to blog about the latest fashion trends or products. If you are into fitness, then you may want to start a website about health and fitness. The options are endless!
But it’s important to choose a niche that you are interested in. This will make it easier for you to create content and promote products.
It’s also important to choose a niche that is not too competitive. This will make it easier for you to rank in search engines and drive traffic to your site.
Also, the niche must have a good number of potential buyers. This is important because you want to make sure there are people who are actually interested in what you are promoting.
Once you have chosen a niche, you can start to look for products to promote.
3. Finding Products To Promote
There are two main ways to find products to promote.
The first way is to contact the brand or company directly and ask if they have an affiliate program from which you can directly get an affiliate link.
The second way is to join an affiliate program, such as Amazon Associates, ClickBank, ShareASale, etc.
Contacting The Brand or Company
If you come across a product that interests you and believe you could do a good job promoting it, don’t hesitate to reach out to the seller or brand.
Check out their website to see if they have an affiliate program and sign up for it.
If they don’t have an affiliate program, you can send them an email and pitch yourself as an affiliate.
Joining an Affiliate Network
Another way to find products to promote is to join an affiliate network. And this is the best way to find products for side hustles. (Aside from checking the top recommended programs on kobabox of course)
The reason is, with an affiliate program, you can promote any product from that company without having to contact them first.
For example, if you join the Amazon Associates program, you can start promoting any product from Amazon without having to contact them first.
This is a great way to get started because it’s easy and you don’t have to worry about building relationships with brands.
There are a number of different affiliate networks you can join, such as:
- Amazon Associates
- ClickBank
- ShareASale
- CJ
- eBay Partner Network
- Rakuten Advertising
- FlexOffers
- Impact
- Awin
While choosing an affiliate program, make sure to consider the commission rates, competition, brand alignment, and reputation.
4. Creating Strategic Content
This stage makes a huge difference in the success of your affiliate marketing business.
The content you create will be what drives traffic to your site and helps you make sales.
So it’s important to create content that is high quality, keyword-rich, and informative.
Here are a few tips to help you create content that converts:
Write long and detailed blog posts. In-depth content ranks higher in search engines and helps you build trust with your audience.
Conduct keyword research to find the right keywords to target. You can use tools like Google Keyword Planner and SEMrush to find keywords. (1, 2)
Optimize your content for search engines by using the right keyword density, title tags, and meta descriptions.
Promote your content on social media and other channels. This will help you generate traffic and build an audience.
As you advance, you can start working on marketing funnels and creating email marketing campaigns to further increase your sales.
5. Analyzing and Optimizing
The final stage of affiliate marketing is analyzing and optimizing your campaigns.
This is important because it will help you see what’s working and what’s not. And it will allow you to make changes to improve your results.
Here are a few things you should track:
Traffic sources: Which traffic sources are sending you the most traffic?
Keywords: Which keywords are driving the most traffic to your site?
Landing pages: Which landing pages are converting the most visitors into leads?
Sales: How many sales are you making?
You can track this data using Google Analytics and other tools.
Once you have this data, you can start making changes to improve your results.
For example, if you’re not getting much traffic from a certain traffic source, you can stop investing in that source and invest more in another one.
Or if you’re not getting many sales, you can change your approach and try something new.
The important thing is to constantly analyze and optimize your campaigns so that you can improve your results.
Remember that a cycle of testing, analyzing, and optimizing is essential to success in affiliate marketing. By following these stages, you can build a successful business and earn a solid income.
FAQs – About
How can I start affiliate marketing as a beginner?
To start with affiliate marketing, the best way is, to begin with choosing a niche and a group of products to market as an affiliate. You can join different affiliate programs and start promoting the products on your website, blog, or social media.
Can you start affiliate marketing on your own?
Yes! You can start affiliate marketing on your own by signing up for different affiliate programs and promoting the products on your blog or website.
Is affiliate marketing hard to learn?
Affiliate marketing is a skilled practice and it might take some time to learn all the ropes. However, with a little dedication, you can quickly catch on and start generating income from your affiliate marketing efforts.
How much money do you need for affiliate marketing?
You don’t need a lot of money to start affiliate marketing. You can begin promoting products on your website or blog with just a few dollars. However, as your business grows, you may want to reinvest some of your profits into paid advertising to scale your business even further.
How many followers do you need to do affiliate marketing?
There’s no specific number of followers you need to start affiliate marketing. However, the more followers you have, the more potential customers you have for promoting your affiliate products. 5,000 – 15,000 is a good range to aim for so you can start generating sales.
How much do beginner affiliate marketers make a month?
The revenue generated from affiliate marketing can vary greatly depending on the niche, products promoted, and the level of traffic and conversions you generate. Beginner affiliate marketers could make a few hundred dollars per month, whereas more experienced affiliate marketers could make a few thousand dollars or more.
Is affiliate marketing an easy job?
Yes, affiliate marketing is an easy job. But it requires dedication, hard work, and perseverance. However, it can be very rewarding, both financially and emotionally.
What are the best affiliate marketing programs for beginners?
There are a number of different affiliate marketing programs available. Some of the best include Amazon Associates, ClickBank, and ShareASale.
Start Your Side Hustle
Now that you know a little bit more about affiliate marketing, it’s time to take the next step and start your own side hustles. Remember, affiliate marketing is a business, so treat it like one. Invest time and effort into creating high-quality content, and you’ll be well on your way to success.
Nothing happens in a single day, so don’t expect to start earning overnight. Be patient, and soon you’ll be reaping the rewards of your hard work.
If you’re keen to learn more about specific strategies and tactics you can use to make money online
I invite you to a free training webinar hosted by multi million dollar affiliate legend John Crestani.
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