How to make your first affiliate sale? That’s the most frequent question I get when it comes to beginners starting making money with affiliate marketing. Anyone that starts going into digital marketing as an affiliate is there to make a buck, so this is the question that probably millions of people want to know the answer to. So, let’s dive into this article and see how to make your first affiliate sale.
The lure of Affiliate Marketing is undeniable… who can resist passive income?
But to succeed in Affiliate Marketing, there are fundamental steps to take before earning your first affiliate money. And these steps are by no means… passive.
The good news is that if you are determined to make things work if it means replacing or simply supplementing your income as an employee, and you are willing to invest the time and effort, you are well on your way to success in Affiliate Marketing.
Below are seven steps that, if followed, will point you out the right direction and you’ll earn your first commission in no time.
I must say that I have always criticized Affiliate Marketing. My emotions ranged from considering it a scam to thinking of it as a “side” business, an extra source of income, but this does not mean that you cannot be successful with it.
As a matter of fact, I was wrong. In the last couple of years, I have met people who make a living (and an awesome one too) only with affiliate marketing.
7 Steps how to make your first affiliate sale
Let’s see together what are the steps to generate profit with affiliate marketing.
1. Choose a niche
Before you even start building your first site, you’ll need to decide which niche to target. If you already have it in mind, you are on the right track! This is undoubtedly one of the most difficult and vast steps.
Some key questions to ask yourself when choosing your niche:
- What topics am I already passionate about?
- What topics can I easily write 25, 50 or 100 posts on?
- Is there room in this niche for a new affiliate?
- Is there enough interest/demand for products in this niche?
- Are there any affiliate programs available in this niche?
2. Build a site
Assuming you haven’t already built a site, this will be the next step. Fortunately, building a site isn’t as complicated and doesn’t require as much effort as it used to.
The easiest way to get your affiliate site up and running is with WordPress. It is fully customizable and made especially for marketers like you.
3. Look for affiliate programs
Now that you’ve chosen a niche, and your site is up and running, it’s time to find products to promote (although you’ve already done some simple research in Step 1).
Choosing an affiliate program will take some work, but don’t be afraid to invest the time. It will be worth choosing the right program!
When choosing an affiliate program, keep these aspects in mind:
- If you use ClickBank, the products should have more than 50% commission (preferably 60%) and have a high ranking (which means they are in demand).
- For CPA (cost per action) programs, the fees are around $1, and not overly restrictive on how you can promote them.
- For physical products, look for commissions over $40.
Once you have decided which programs to use, sign up and move on to step number 4.
4. Create excellent content
Now that your site is ready and you are part of an affiliate program, you are ready to begin the most time-consuming (but potentially the most profitable) part of producing the affiliate content.
This is where the overused but truer than ever phrase comes into play: ” Content is king “.
And, here’s where my FREE Traffic Wildfire comes in handy:
IMPORTANT: The Content PLR is meant to be used as a guide. DO NOT COPY/PASTE the material – it will harm your traffic!
Your goal will be to turn the site into an authority in your niche and the most effective way to do that is to create fresh, unique, and high-quality content.
This probably consists of:
- Product Reviews
- Posts that talk about common issues, questions, or issues relevant to the market
- Timeless contents
- Free e-books and videos
- A professional autoresponder for email marketing
If you’re tempted to stuff your site with content built by cheap columnists, you’ll see that in the long run, it won’t help you present yourself as an expert in your niche (and it will mean less traffic and fewer sales).
5. Build your audience
Gaining an audience for your site is a step that will naturally happen once you have produced great content.
There are a few ways to do this faster, including:
- Promote your content on Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc.)
- Write guest posts on popular blogs
- Build a mailing list (where you can promote your content)
- Use simple SEO techniques to increase traffic to your site through search engines
You can also consider requesting inexpensive banner ads on small niche sites or try your hand at Google AdWords to drive some traffic to your site.
6. Promote affiliate offers – That’s How to Make Your First Affiliate Sale!
And finally, the part we’ve all been waiting for!
Here comes the tricky part. Some untrustworthy affiliates will go straight to this point by skipping steps 1 through 5. And that’s what sets you apart.
Once you’ve proven that you deliver quality content in your niche, it’s time to continue adding quality by promoting products that will be useful and helpful to your audience.
You can do this by providing detailed product reviews, promoting banner ads or pop-ups on your site, working with affiliate programs by offering giveaways or contests, or giving your readers discounts on affiliate products.
It is only a matter of time before you can complete your first sale.
7. Rinse and repeat
Your ongoing work as an affiliate marketer involves repeating points 4 to 6 on an ongoing basis (with the number 3 having to be repeated occasionally).
How to Make Your First Affiliate Sale – Key Points
It can seem like an immense job to do whatever it takes to bring your site to life and build a reputation. But once you have made your first sale, I guarantee, is an emotion that you will want to repeat every day forever.
The key points we have addressed are:
- Choose your niche
- Build a site
- Look for affiliate programs and products
- Produce excellent content
- Form an audience
- Promote your affiliate products
- Repeat steps 4-7 continuously
As you can see, there is a real and proven strategy for Affiliate Marketing beginners. Get to work, and you will soon reap successes.
Also keep in mind that, one day, if you want to further increase your profits, you can start building your own online business.
How to Make Your First Affiliate Sale – Conclusion
Making your first sale as an affiliate will start the avalanche that will bring success, and make real the dream every affiliate marketer has dreamt of – financial independence and security.
Being an affiliate marketer is a proactive job, that demands a lot of time in the beginning but gets easier later.
You need consistency, diligence, and belief in yourself.
I hope this article has been helpful.
Please share your thoughts in the comment section, and share this article with your friends – that way you’re helping my blog grow, and helping me create more useful content.
To your success!
S
