Are you intrigued by the idea of making money online through affiliate marketing, but don’t consider yourself an influencer?
Good news – you don’t have to be! Affiliate marketing is a great way to earn income from your online platforms, no matter your follower count or social media presence.
In this blog post, we will explore how you can dive into the world of affiliate marketing without being an influencer.
let’s get into it.
How to Start Affiliate Marketing Without Being an Influencer?
In order to do affiliate marketing without being an influencer, you need to understand how it all works.
Affiliate marketing is a type of performance-based marketing where businesses reward affiliates for leads and/or sales.
As an affiliate, you become a behind-the-scenes salesperson, earning commissions for every successful referral you make.
By strategically promoting products or services, you can earn some serious cash without having to build a massive following.
In the next few sections, I’ll give you the strategies and methods you can use to jump-start your affiliate journey without relying on social media.
Start a Niche Affiliate Blog
Now, starting and growing a niche affiliate blog may seem a little overwhelming from a distance.
But, when you know the process, it’s actually fun.
And super rewarding!
Especially if you’re working on a topic you like or enjoy talking about.
I have a complete blog post on how to start blogging here.
But, if you want a shorter version, here’s a step-by-step guide on starting a niche affiliate blog:
Pick a niche
What are you good at? What can you talk about with confidence? What’s your expertise or experience?
Questions like these will help you understand and narrow your affiliate niche.
Let’s say you’re an outdoor enthusiast and constantly find yourself in the mountains.
You can start a blog on hiking or camping.
Some niche site ideas:
- Laptops
- Beekeeping products
- Toys
- Digital products (E-books, guides, video courses, etc.)
- And more
Pick a Fast Web Host
Website speed is a Google ranking factor.
The type of web host you choose affects your site’s speed.
Your second step should be to pick a reliable host.
Hosting Recommendation:
Hostinger (Budget-Friendly, Reliable Option)
Start by visiting this page and exploring different plans.
With the “Premium” plan, you can save 75% and get 3 months extra.
Plus, you’ll get a free domain name for the next whole year.
Click on “Add to cart” and you’ll be redirected to the following page:
So, you’ll only be paying $71.76 for the next two years and host up to 100 websites.
After placing the order, you’ll be able to select a free domain name.
Make sure the domain name is short, relevant, and easy to pronounce, but don’t spend too much time on this step.
Once you have everything, install WordPress on your domain in your hosting dashboard.
Next, you can access your WordPress dashboard by putting “www.yourdomainname.com/wp-admin” in the search bar of your browser.
Here’s what your blog will look like:
The next steps would be:
- Keyword research
- Content creation
- On-page SEO
- Social media account creation
- Link-building
Refer to my in-depth blogging guide for all of these here.
You can learn all these as your blog grows, but picking your niche and getting your blog live are the first two steps you need to take ASAP.
Need help setting up your affiliate blog? Drop me a message here: zainulislam[at]gmail.com
Start a YouTube Affiliate Marketing Channel
With over 2.6 billion active users, YouTube is a perfect place to promote any type of affiliate product.
First, you’ll need to create a channel around a niche.
Which is super simple.
Two of the most popular YouTube affiliate marketing niches are:
- Make money online
- Health
On a make-money-online channel, you can help people make money online with your YouTube videos and earn by suggesting related digital products, courses, tools, and more.
The best part: You don’t have to create YouTube videos yourself…
…nor do you have to hire someone!
Use an AI video maker like Fliki to create the videos for you.
You’ll just have to invest $21 per month to create 180 minutes of AI videos (with voiceovers).
Super affordable when you compare the price with other AI tools on the market and the quality of the videos Fliki produces.
Before investing in the Standard plan, you can test the tool for free. They offer 5 minutes of free AI video audio content per month.
Once you get the plan, here’s what you should do:
- Create videos with Fliki around popular topics in your niche
- Join different affiliate programs and networks in your niche
- Add affiliate links to relevant products in your video descriptions
Amazon Associates, Impact, Warriorplus, and JVZoo, are some popular affiliate networks/programs you can join.
Related: Fliki AI Review (The Best AI Video Maker?)
Promote Affiliate Products With Email Marketing
Email marketing can be very effective in getting people to buy your affiliate products.
To get started with email marketing for affiliate promotions, you’ll need reliable email marketing software.
One option worth considering is Systeme.io, a powerful email marketing and funnel-building platform with a generous free plan.
Systeme.io offers everything you need to manage your campaigns seamlessly.
Here are some steps to promote affiliate products using email marketing:
Build an Engaged Email List
Offer value to potential subscribers by providing lead magnets- free incentives or resources in exchange for their contact information.
These can be e-books, checklists, webinars, or exclusive content that caters to your target audience’s interests and needs.
Want a Headstart?
Make a Full-Time Income with this Plug-and-Play Affiliate Marketing System >>
Craft Compelling Emails
Write persuasive emails that highlight the benefits and features of the affiliate products you’re promoting. Use storytelling techniques, catchy subject lines, and clear call-to-action buttons to grab attention and encourage clicks.
Personalize Your Messages
Segment your email list into different groups based on their interests or previous interactions with your emails. This allows you to send targeted messages that resonate with specific segments of your audience.
Provide Value First
Before bombarding your subscribers with sales pitches, make sure to provide valuable content consistently. Share tips, advice, or resources related to the niche or industry you’re promoting affiliate products in. Building trust and credibility will increase the chances of successful conversions.
Insert Affiliate Links Strategically
Embed your unique affiliate links within relevant sections of your emails naturally. Be transparent about your intent and inform readers that these are affiliate products but also emphasize why they would find them useful.
Monitor Results and Optimize
Keep track of key metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversions to measure the effectiveness of your email campaigns. Analyze the data and make necessary adjustments in your approach to improve results over time.
Related: How to Make Money Sending Emails
Post on Forums
So, how do you do affiliate marketing on online forums?
First, research forums that are related to your products.
To find a forum in which you can sell affiliate products, search for forums that relate to your chosen niche.
For example, if you’re interested in selling software, search for software forums.
You can also use forums to find out about the latest affiliate marketing scams on the Internet, as well as what types of products people are currently buying.
When you find forums related to your products, you’ll be able to: Determine what the forum’s rules are. You don’t want to violate any rules, it could get your account banned.
Use Paid Ads
Google Ads is one of the most popular paid advertising platforms and it’s easy to use.
You can create an ad in minutes and start driving traffic to your affiliate link.
The key to success with Google Ads is to create an effective ad that catches the attention of your target audience.
Your ad should be eye-catching and persuasive, and it should also be relevant to what people are searching for online.
Affiliate Marketing Without Being an Influencer: FAQs
How Do Brands Benefit from an Affiliate Program?
Affiliate marketing is one of the most efficient and profitable ways for businesses to reach new customers. There are various benefits of affiliate marketing that businesses can take advantage of, including:
Affiliate marketing allows businesses to tap into a pre-existing audience of customers. Affiliates have already built trust with their audience and are more likely to recommend products and services that they have a positive experience with.
Affiliate marketing is an effective way to generate leads and sales. Affiliates have a vested interest in promoting your products or services since they receive a commission for every sale that they make.
This means that they are more likely to generate leads and sales than traditional advertising methods such as cold calling or email spamming.
Affiliate marketing is cost-effective. The cost of affiliate marketing is significantly lower than traditional advertising methods such as cold calling or email spamming. Affiliates often use a cost-per-lead commission model, which means that affiliates only make money when they successfully generate leads and sales for you.
Can I start affiliate marketing without an audience?
Yes, you can start affiliate marketing without an audience. However, most affiliate marketing programs require that you have a website or blog with a certain amount of traffic before you can join. So, you might need to create some in-demand content and generate some traffic before applying to affiliate programs.
What is the Difference Between an Influencer and an Affiliate?
An influencer is someone who has the ability to sway the opinion of their followers. They are often respected for their knowledge or expertise in a certain area. An affiliate is someone who promotes a product or service in exchange for a commission on sales. They typically have a website or social media account where they promote the product or service. So, an influencer can be an affiliate marketer and vice versa.