Want to generate additional income in your business?
Affiliate marketing can be a great way to generate additional income in your business - and leverage the audience you already have - without creating new products/services.
But what’s the best way to get started as an affiliate? How do you generate a decent income as an affiliate? And are there any downsides to being an affiliate?
Read on and find out.
PLUS find out how much you might expect to earn as an affiliate and you can become an affiliate for Janet Murray products/services.
Start by making a list of products/services you already use and love that - crucially - will also be relevant to your audience.
For example, I am an affiliate for the transcription service Rev, the landing page tool Lead pages and the video editing tool Kapwing - all tools I use regularly in my work. Which makes it easy to create content about these tools for my audience.
While you can be an affiliate for any product/service you’ll find it much easier (and quicker) to create content about products you know and love.
And yes you will need to create content as an affiliate.
When it comes to making buying decisions, social proof is huge.
So it’s not enough to say you love a particular product/service. If you want to make decent money as an affiliate, you’ll need to show them how brilliant the products/services you recommend are. And how they could make a difference to their business/life
This doesn’t mean you have to create highly-produced trailers or demo videos.
Pictures, screenshots and/or simple videos shot on your mobile phone can be enough to show people it’s worth investing in the products/services you recommend.
For example, this blog post I created on how to add closed captions to your social media videos using Rev and Kapwing.
Once you’ve made your list of products/services you’d love to be head over to their websites. Many will have a dedicated affiliate page where you can sign up. If they don’t, shoot them an email to ask if they have an affiliate programme and take it from there.
As with anything in business/life, the more you put in, the more you will get out. So putting aside some time to create affiliate content is vital.
Some affiliate scheme owners will have dedicated affiliate packs, which will include swipe copy (sample copy) and artwork you can use to create content.
If this is available, do use it. Not only will this help ensure you are sharing accurate information about the product/service you are promoting.
It will also save you tons of time.
If affiliate content is not available, you can create your own:
A good affiliate pack will include:
✔️ Email marketing copy
✔️ Social media posts (different word lengths for different platforms)
✔️ Images
If you want to increase your affiliate income, you can add:
✔️ Demo videos
✔️ Blog posts, podcast episodes, Youtube videos
While there is more effort involved in creating full-on blog posts, podcast episodes and Youtube videos
Consider adding bonus content you think might appeal to your audience. For example, I have seen affiliates for Marie Forleo’s B-School offering dedicated Facebook groups, training sessions and even a mastermind day in Paris. But do be careful with this one.
For example, last year I noticed someone was selling Power Hours teaching people how to use Janet Murray’s Social Media Diary & Planner. They weren’t even an affiliate. For me this was a big no no, as I don’t currently offer a licence for people to teach my content planning system. If people want to be taught my content planning system, they can purchase my 2021 Sorted Club.
So if you are going to offer a bonus, it’s better to offer a complimentary product/service i.e. a resource/class that might also be of interest.
If in doubt, run your idea past the business owner first.
One of the biggest mistakes I see people making with affiliate schemes is focusing on the features rather than how the product/service can help people.
So before you start to create your affiliate content, start by making a list of the problems your product/services solves.
Let’s use my 2021 Sorted Club as an example.
The 2021 Sorted Club is for busy business owners who need help with content planning and creation. Their biggest problems are lack of time, ideas and struggling to stay consistent with their content (which stems from the first two problems).
So if I was an affiliate for my 2021 Sorted Club, rather than talk about the features of the product, I would share content that showed how the diary and resources helped me - and others - save time and money.
So my content list might include:
✔️ Videos of me showing the inside of the diary
✔️ Photos of how I use the diary to plan (some including me planning with my diary)
✔️ Screenshots of posts I’ve created using the diary/resources - particularly ones that saved me time, made me money and/or got more engagement than usual
✔️ Screenshot of the copy from the weekly Content Inspo email
✔️ Posts about me taking part in the group coaching
✔️ Social media and blog post(s) about how I used the diary to create content (that saved me time and money)
✔️ Social media and blog post(s) about how I am getting ready for the 2021 Sorted event and what I’ve gained from attending previous events
✔️ Content that tackles peoples’ objections
Join my Build Your Online Audience programme Build Your Online Audience programme
Join my Janet Murray affiliate scheme
Rev
Kapwing
Buy a ticket for 2021 Sorted
Buy my 2021 Social Media Diary & Planner
Join my Build Your Online Audience Programme
[Bonus] Should you join my Build Your Online Audience Programme? (podcast)
[Bonus] Should you buy my 2021 Social media Diary & Planner (podcast)
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[346] How to look and feel more confident on live video with Ian Anderson Grey (podcast)
[347] How to create engaging social media videos (even if you hate being on camera) (podcast)
[372] How to build an engaged online audience (podcast)
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