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Are you tired of not being successful with affiliate marketing? Wouldn’t it be nice if you could make a few extra hundred dollars this month on autopilot? You see others do it, but it just hasn’t quite worked out for you yet. But that does not mean that it can’t or won’t! You can create passive income with or without a large following that brings in a few hundred or even a few thousand dollars per month. This is truly one of my favorite ways to make money. But becoming successful with affiliate marketing did not happen overnight for me.

In this episode, I am going to teach you my strategy for making an income as an affiliate for brands, and also you will learn whether or not this strategy is right for your business. We will go beyond just what Affiliate marketing is, you will know how to get started with it and start making money this week!

 

What Makes Affiliate Marketing So Awesome?

 

One of my favorite things about being an affiliate is the fact that it’s almost 100% passive income. You need to put in some work up front. But once you create funnels and resources, just sit back and watch them work. With affiliate marketing, there is no deliverable for you to send. It is all about promoting someone else’s products and services. Which means you get paid when someone buys something from them using your link. And that’s it. You do not have to do anything else once they choose to purchase.

 

What Not To Do If You Want To Be Successful With Affiliate Marketing

 

You need to understand that it’s unlikely you will become rich with affiliate marketing. Don’t expect to turn it into your full time business. Typically, brands are paying a small percentage in commissions which can come out to only a few dollars per sale. Don’t get me wrong… this does add up. And $20 per month can still be game changing if it covers the cost of a subscription you pay for.

But with that being said, don’t go out and become an affiliate for every company under the sun. Only use companies that align with your brand and that you actually use and love. It’s sleezy to promote a brand you don’t actually use or love. And if you think your audience won’t notice, you are wrong. Beware the random inquiries in your DMs of companies asking you to be an ambassador. These are usually spam or mass generated. I think I get 20 DMs a day from companies asking me to be a ambassador for their jewelry company. And they are usually totally not my style, definitely not on brand for me, and I would never take something like that because it doesn’t feel authentic to my audience.

 

The Strategy I Use For Affiliate Marketing

 

I try to incorporate my affiliate links into every aspect of my business where they can be applied. That includes running ads in my podcast episodes, youtube videos, in the blog show notes, making helping social media posts, putting links in my bio, on highlights, creating pins on pinterest, and so on.

 

Break Up Affiliate Content In 2 Ways

 

The content I produce for companies I affiliate with are broken up into 2 categories. Direct ads and indirect. Meaning instead of just saying “hey I love this product, you should buy it” I will make valuable content around the product or service and then include my affiliate link. I also make pages on my website that have my affiliate link embedded in it. Links are not so straightforward and if you are embedding them into a blog post it’s not a big deal but if you include them in a podcast episode or something more verbal you cant say hey use my link www.Http.solgxyzmnop.com No one would ever do that.

Instead I make links on my website so I can say “hey if you want to try Honeybook, go to SarahElrod.com/Honeybook” and then on that page on my website I will include a button that has the link.

The beauty of this page is you can include links to other content you have made about the product or service. If it was for a clothing company, you could have the link at the top but then below include blog posts and videos where you do try on hauls or your top clothing picks from the brand. Just a little extra way or offering more value.

 

Can You Find Success With Affiliate Marketing For Your Business?

 

I believe affiliate marketing can be an added income stream to MOST businesses. But it will only work for you if you are consistent with it, put in some work on the back end and also only choose to be an affiliate for companies that really resonate with your brand and audience.

 

In Conclusion

 

Affiliate marketing has been a game changer for my business on a month to month basis. In the beginning I didn’t see a huge ROI but now that I have pushed it more, I get daily emails of the commissions I have earned for promoting products automatically through my other content, emails, and anywhere else it makes sense to include them. I would love to hear your thoughts on this and any questions you might have about affiliate marketing. So head over to Instagram @brandedcowgirlpodcast and start the conversation. That’s all I have for you today, until next time, keep your heels down and eyes on the road ahead. See ya!

 

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Resources

 

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