If you’re new to the concept of affiliate marketing you might be aware of the potential for generating income afforded by this form of e-commerce. To paint an overview, what affiliate programs do is offer the astute entrepreneur an entry route into the sales stream of retail companies. These schemes are usually free to join. So in the right hands, affiliate network marketing certainly does present opportunities. The key to making the most of these is understanding how to build an effective strategy around your web presence. There are tried and tested methods that will help you create a profitable affiliate marketing strategy for your blog.

Introducing affiliate programs that will make you money

One of the main reasons why affiliate marketing has really taken off is down to its simplicity. As a marketing model it is often referred to as a win-win situation, because it is mutually beneficial to both the retailer and the affiliate.

For the former, it offers free advertising. Any number of sole traders can sign-up to become affiliate marketers, each one presenting a forum where products will be highlighted, reviewed and discussed in detail; and then, hopefully, purchased. For the latter, these schemes allow a small business to latch onto what could be a lucrative income stream by encouraging their customer base to access click-through links on their blog. Because affiliate marketing is commission-based as opposed to the previous ‘pay-per-click’ model, the onus is on the marketer to put as much time and energy into engaging with potential customers as possible. Basically, the more enthisiastic the entrepreneur is about the product, the more the likelihood that site visitors will feel encouraged to navigate through to the purchase page.

Harness social media

So taking this point about the affiliate’s ability to actively promote their market, what is the optimum strategy that should be considered? Again, this is relatively straightforward, and relies on one of the key developments that have evolved from the Internet in recent years. Social media.

For both affiliate and retailer, the advent of social media has presented a marketing forum that would have been any advertising department’s fantasy a while back. Where else can an advert or product review be uploaded to a web platform, and then shared right across the globe within a few clicks? And at zero cost?

If you are already an astute blogger then you are already on the right track to developing you affiliate strategy because the crucial aspect is to harness you social media network to transform you existing customer base into purchasers. Although - and this must be emphasized - you must never lose sight of your reasons for interacting with your social media base in the first instance.

Assuming you draw in regular visitors to your blog, undoubtedly cross-referenced to a Facebook, Instagram and Twitter presence, you will already be interacting with a diverse range of visitors. But don’t suddenly begin seeing them as potential customers simply because you are now offering affiliate links to product(s). Merely attempting to entice people towards click-throughs to a sales page is a strategy that is not going to have long-term traction.

A far better recommendation would be to think as a blogger rather than an affiliate. Use your trustworthiness and web presence to boost your product, not by inviting sales directly, but by generating a buzz about it. Become an authority on the subject, sharing your experiences.

Selling your product

Here’s a worthwhile tip. Why not purchase a copy of the product yourself? Once you have the item in your hands, write a glowing review. Take photographs, or better still, video footage. Now enthuse about the product and post the results onto your blog. Being able to demonstrate the benefits to potential customers is an excellent method of engaging with them and encouraging them to invest in it than highlighting a series of links.