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Aug
06

Ten Tips for Monetizing Your Blogging Through Affiliate Sales

By AngEngland | Making Money

20 Comments

spacer This post was written as part of the Blog Hop Conference at Home and you can check out the other 2 dozen + conference sessions being offered at Blog Conference Newbie’s Blop Hop Conference Agenda!

Something that has been coming up a lot recently is whether affiliate sales is useful for bloggers, or is a waste of time. My answer would be – both! (So helpful, I know.) Affiliate sales via a single banner stuffed into a crowded sidebar is probably not going to do you any good at all. However, affiliate links as part of an overall blogging plan (you have one, right?) can be highly successful! Even for “mommy bloggers” or lifestyle bloggers or whomever the black-sheep of the blogging community is this week.

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Affiliate sales may seem small at first but can quickly grow.

Here are some tips for increasing your revenue using affiliate sales wisely, without spamming your readers or junking up your sidebars.

1. Link in the Sources or Recommended Reading Section of a Post

This is especially helpful when covering a health, technical or scientific type of topic. For example, this post about relieving back pain during pregnancy is something I felt the need to source my information on. Notice the links in the book titles at the bottom of the post? Anything where you would source your information or include additional resources for your readers to confirm or expand on what you’re telling them. Just add the affiliate link to the book title anytime you mention a book as a source or recommended reading. Quick, easy and can add up over time.

2. Find Affiliates for What You’re Already Talking About

Are you a foodie? Then look for affiliate programs from kitchenware companies, coupon sites and cookbooks. A pregnancy website will have affiliate links to maternity clothes, baby diapers and cord blood banking. This website has affiliate links to WordPress Themes, ebooks and educational stuff for bloggers. That’s what I’m already talking about so those are the links my readers are most likely to click and most likely to ultimately purchase.

3. Only Use Affiliate Programs That Represent Products You Can Talk About

I would never affiliate for basketball equipment. Why? Because I know nothing about basketball. My husband, a point guard in high school, is a basketball freak and even with that it took me 5 years and marriage before I realized there were plays in basketball. (True story.) If I started representing basketball equipment it would be the biggest sham in the world, for reals. And I’m just not willing to go there. Especially where there are so many other affiliate opportunities that ARE things I actually care about.

4. Use Affiliate Links Within the Text of Your Posts

I touched on this already but I will tell you – a banner ad for me has about a .8% conversion rate. That means 100 people have to click the ad before anyone buys. And my click through rates on banner ads are pretty high on this site, but still not THAT high. Not compared to posts with the link actually put right into it. For a good, recent sample you can see the post I wrote about the Savvy Blogging Summit Recordings Special. See how I put a link right on the words of the post? That converted so much better for me because people reading the post were more likely to click that link, and also more likely to buy. They were automatically interested in the topic because they took the time to read a post about that topic.

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Selecting the right affiliate program is like the selecting the right tool.

5. Choose Affiliate Programs Wisely – Get the Most For Your Link Value

I know I mentioned Amazon earlier and I just want to say – it’s one of the worst affiliate programs out there. There are no cookies attached to your affiliate code so your readers have to click your link and then purchase immediately in order for the order to “count” for you. In addition to that, the sales percentage you are given is minuscule, only 4% or so, compared to many of the other affiliate programs available.

Price and Revenue Share Considerations - Look for affiliate programs with either a high percentage of revenue share or higher priced item (or both). After all – 40% of an $11.99 ebook is much better than 40% of a $5 ebook. When comparing two similar products, price and percentage should be taken into account when making a final decision.

Cookies on the Affiliate Link – Look for a longer cookie on the affiliate link. This just means that if someone clicks your link, checks out the product, but then leaves, will you still get credit if they buy later? With cookies, the website will know that YOU sent the reader first so when the reader goes back a week later and finally purchases, you will still get credit. I like to set up my affiliate programs with a 30 day cookies because that gives a full month for a purchase to take place. Longer is better.

6. Share Affiliate Deals and Specials When They Have Good Value for Readers

Some affiliates spam you with weekly “deals” and coupons that never seem of high worth. But other times those specials are really of value and a timely savings for your readers. The Savvy Blogging Summit Specials I linked to in #4 is a really good example of that. Got the email, thought hey 50% off is a great deal, it was time sensitive, I checked it out, I bought the recordings myself and wrote the post while I was downloading my own learning lessons. It was a high value for my readers.

7. Resources Page or What You Need Page

EricaSays has a great example of this on her Resources for Bloggers page. It’s a great place to link up many of the most common tools or books or items that you use personally, or that you often recommend to clients and friends. I love that on this page she lists not only what the item is, but what she loves about it, who it will help, when you should get it, etc. The page looks nice and her readers consider it HELPFUL…a useful tool to bookmark and come back to, not a hard-sell-car-salesman feeling thing.

8. Don’t Duplicate Your Affiliate Programs Within Topics

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You can't color with every pencil at once - and you can't sell every affiliate program at the same time either.

I have two WordPress Themes I do affiliate programs with, Genesis and Headway. Those are the two themes I use all the time. Those are the two themes I love. Those are the two themes I can answer questions about when readers ask me questions. Why would I promote other themes I’ve never used, can’t help my readers with, don’t know anything about. Besides that there is the trust factor.

When I tell my readers, try Genesis or Headway, they can trust that I’m familiar with those two themes and have used them. If I say try Genesis, Headway, Thesis, Woo Theme, Elegant Themes, ……..etc, etc they will lose trust in me and my affiliate sales will be lower overall. It might feel that giving more options will lead to more sales but that simply isn’t true.

9. Don’t Be Afraid to Talk About Your Affiliate Programs

None of you thought I was “out to make a buck” when I mentioned Genesis and Headway Themes. You understood that it was part of the discussion to illustrate a point. It provided value to you as a reader, and a link on the title of the theme didn’t seem out of place (everyone who wants more info can click the link and if a reader doesn’t care for more info they simply don’t click the link.) It’s all very low-key, however you HAVE to actually mention an affiliate product and include an affiliate link in order to make money with affiliate sales.

I was so afraid of this at first but once you start getting the hang of it you learn your audience. For example, I had two very affiliate-oriented posts this month because two of the programs I’ve been with for awhile had time-sensitive specials. I was a little afraid at mentioning both in the same month. But you know what happened? My readers thanked me. Why? Because I’ve been here a long time and they know I’m going to give them value. And I did – even with two affiliate posts….both of those posts provided items of value that I myself invested in.

10. Affiliate Sales Will Build up Slowly but Continue Over Time

The best time to start generating revenue through affiliate sales is 2 years ago. But since you missed that deadline already, the next best time is today. There are some large affiliate networks that make it easy to sign up with big-box stores or large companies. These include LinkShare, Share-A-Sale, EJunkie, Commission Junction, Pepperjam and others.

What you’ll also find is that many small business owners, ebook authors and bloggers have affiliate programs as well. I have affiliate programs for my ebooks. Don’t like my ebook? There’s an entire ebook library you can become an affiliate for. I know bloggers who offer affiliate programs for menu planning services or blog design referrals. Check around your local circle of influence and see what is available!

Comments

  1. spacer Jodifur says:
    August 6, 2011 at 8:48 am

    Great tips, thank you!!!!!!

    Reply
  2. spacer Sami Cone says:
    August 6, 2011 at 9:55 am

    Thanks for putting this in one concise list! You rock!
    Sami Cone recently posted..August Bank of America Free Museum Weekend

    Reply
  3. spacer Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen says:
    August 6, 2011 at 10:58 am

    Great tips, Angela!

    Regarding Amazon – I really like featuring a book at the top of my articles because I’m a writer, but it is NOT a money maker. Maybe I’m wasting valuable real estate there….I hate to abandon Amazon because I love promoting books, but if I want to make money as a blogger, I think it has to go. spacer I realized this earlier today, and think this is my fleece.

    I notice you don’t use Google Adsense. Have you tried it? I’m weeding out Adsense on some of my blogs…time for a change!

    Laurie
    Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen recently posted..How to Improve Your Blog – A Quick Website Review

    Reply
    • spacer AngEngland says:
      August 6, 2011 at 11:21 am

      Amazon pays very little it’s true. I would stick with your books if that’s your thing, but examine other book possibilities. Look at Ejunkie or clickbank or private affiliate programs like my ebooks, problogger, etc where the payout is a bit higher percentage.

      I don’t use Adsense on this blog because the readers of this blog are mostly internet savvy users who aren’t clicking on Adsense AND I would rather them buy my $25 ebook or my $12 ebook or buy a WordPress theme I recommend. spacer

      However my gardening website, my Untrained Housewife website, etc all use Adsense and I make payout every month almost (during UTH redesign things were wonky for awhile so that obviously effected click throughs.

      I think someone like you are I has to look at each blog uniquely. The audiences are often unique, the habits of the readers are often unique, etc. So on angengland.com my audience wants education – they want additional skills. And will pay good money for an ebook or program that will offer those skills. On Untrained Housewife my readers want to SAVE money, live more responsilbly, etc. They will click an ad for a $1 coupon to a household item they use.

      You and I have domain-itis. spacer There are great benefits to having multiple websites as you and I do – the downside is that you have to look at each website as stand-alone in some regards. Affiliate and ad partnerships being one of those, imo.

      Angela <><

      Reply
      • spacer Living the Balanced Life says:
        August 12, 2011 at 9:52 am

        This post was very insightful overall Angela. I always learn something listening to you! This response above, however, is genius, because it takes profiling your reader/customer to the next level. Great stuff!
        Bernice
        Living the Balanced Life recently posted..Taking care of unfinished business

        Reply
  4. spacer julia says:
    August 7, 2011 at 6:43 am

    awesome tips!!
    julia recently posted..Can lifting weights make you manly?

    Reply
  5. spacer Lorie Huston says:
    August 7, 2011 at 9:23 am

    Great posts/great tips, Angela. As always.

    I didn’t realize about the cookies and the low commissions on Amazon. That’s good to know.

    I haven’t done much with affiliate links but I’m thinking I should start looking into them. It seems I’m probably missing out on a good way to monetize my blog spacer
    Lorie Huston recently posted..How to Become an Expert in Your Field Using Your Blog and Social Media

    Reply
  6. spacer Jason says:
    August 8, 2011 at 2:11 am

    I good example for what you’re talking is pat @ smartpassiveincome.com

    Reply
  7. spacer Mary says:
    August 8, 2011 at 5:34 pm

    Thanks for the great tips! They’re really helpful! Now I have an idea of what to do now~
    Mary recently posted..Loft Bed Ideas for a Teenager’s Room

    Reply
  8. spacer Dagmar ~ Dagmar's momsense says:
    August 11, 2011 at 8:41 pm

    Angela, thanks for these great tips I’m going to consider, but I haven’t had any luck with affiliates.

    The second I decided to get rid of all those ads and put up my own prices, people started contacting me about wanting to advertise on Dagmar’s momsense.

    Best decision ever – for now spacer This way I get to promote small businesses, which I’m passionate about as an entrepreneur myself, and I’m in control of putting up ads that also look good on my blog.
    Dagmar ~ Dagmar’s momsense recently posted..BlogHer Checklist Done, San Diego Here I Come!

    Reply
    • spacer AngEngland says:
      August 11, 2011 at 9:24 pm

      I have ten times the response rate from text links built into my posts than from any banner ad. Definitely sell ads on your site because that will be more profitable, but don’t turn away from potential affiliates thinking you HAVE to use the banners…you don’t. Not at all! Let the content guide you.

      What do you blog about? If you mention a product or service in a blog post, and that product or service has an affiliate program, you should link that mention with the affiliate link. You have nothing to lose and lots of potential gain. spacer

      Reply
  9. spacer Tom From Gardenia Care says:
    September 1, 2011 at 7:16 am

    Thanks for posting these tips – I’ve definitely taken on board some of the points and I’ll be reassessing my approach to affiliate marketing – starting from the theme up. Why do you say that the best time to start with affiliate marketing was two years ago? Is this because of the sheer number of sites chasing the keywords and its now harder to achieve the PR?
    Tom From Gardenia Care recently posted..Gardenia Care Video – Potted Gardenias

    Reply
    • spacer AngEngland says:
      September 1, 2011 at 8:14 am

      Because traffic on ANY blog can take time to build up. Two years seems to be the turning point for a lot of bloggers where they start making very real, much more steady income. spacer

      Reply
  10. spacer Anish says:
    September 4, 2011 at 7:02 am

    Hm, nice tips. One question though: Which affiliate networks do you recommend? I suppose it mainly varies for niche to niche, but overall, I’d love to know if you have a specific preference. I used to use Clickbank, but these days, C

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