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How To Start Affiliate Marketing With No Money Step By Step
Hossam jamjama
- May 31, 2023
Affiliate marketing has become a lucrative source of income for many people around the world.
If you are looking to start your affiliate marketing career, but have limited funds, you are not alone.
Fortunately, it is possible to enter this industry without breaking the bank. In this guide, we will show you how to start affiliate marketing with no money.
Understanding Affiliate Marketing
Before we dive into the details of starting affiliate marketing with no money, it is essential to understand what affiliate marketing really is.
What Affiliate Marketing Really Is?
Affiliate marketing is a performance-based marketing method where individuals or businesses promote other people’s or companies’ products or services and earn a commission for each sale.
Essentially, affiliates promote a product and get paid when someone purchases the product through their unique links.
Types of Affiliate Marketing
Now that you know what affiliate marketing is let us look at different types of affiliate marketing that exist.
1. Pay Per Click (PPC)
Pay per click is an affiliate program where affiliates are paid based on the number of clicks generated through their unique links without necessarily making sales.
This type of affiliate program is more suitable for websites that generate lots of traffic.
2. Pay Per Sale (PPS)
Pay per sale is one of the most popular types of affiliate programs where affiliates are paid a certain percentage for every sale made from their unique links.
3. Pay Per Lead (PPL)
Pay per lead is an excellent way for marketers who have niche specializations in specific fields to benefit from the traffic on their website.
Affiliates are paid when visitors sign up for free trials or fill out forms provided by the companies they promote.
4. Pay Per Call
This type of program works well if you have traffic that uses mobile devices more than desktops.
Affiliates send traffic to the vendor through the call tracking number provided.
Affiliates are then paid after a predefined amount of time on the phone with a customer.
The Benefits and Is It Right For You?
Affiliate marketing has several benefits, including low-risk investment, cost-effective, easy to set up, and passive income potential.
However, before you start affiliate marketing with no money, it is essential to discover if it’s the right choice for you.
Being an affiliate marketer requires having a unique set of skills like research, strategic thinking, goal setting, and both written and verbal communication skills.
If your passion involves blogging or making recommendations in any industry or niche, affiliate marketing might be suitable for you.
Steps to Start Affiliate Marketing with No Money
Let us look at some actionable steps you can use to start your affiliate marketing career with little or no money.
1. Niche Selection
Before getting started with affiliate marketing, it’s essential to select your niche. Here are the steps you need to follow:
Identifying Your Passion and Expertise
One of the first things you need to consider when selecting your niche is identifying your passion and expertise.
By selecting a niche that you are passionate about, it will be easier for you to create content that resonates with your audience.
Conducting Market Research
Once you’ve identified your passions and areas of expertise, conduct market research to identify gaps in the market.
Determine if there is sufficient demand for your chosen niche by conducting keyword research using platforms such as Keyword Planner, KeywordTool.io, or Ahrefs free SEO tools.
Evaluating Profitability and Competition
Lastly, evaluate the profitability and competition of your chosen niche by analyzing statistics such as search volume, level of competition, the average cost per click (CPC), and potential affiliate commissions.
2. Creating a Website or Blog
This is the most important step, even if you don’t have money. Certainly, with some website builders, you can create a website for free just to get started. But I highly recommend purchasing a web hosting plan and building your WordPress website.
Most web hosting providers will charge you just $40 or less for the first year, and they will give you access to WordPress with a free domain name. And trust me, in one year, you will earn it back and more if you follow the exact steps.
So, creating a website or blog is an essential step in starting affiliate marketing. Here are the foundational elements:
Choosing the Right Domain Name
When selecting the domain name for your website or blog, choose one that reflects your niche or brand image while being catchy, short, memorable, unique, and easy to spell.
Selecting a Reliable Web Hosting Provider
Selecting the right web hosting provider is crucial in ensuring that your website enjoys maximum uptime while offering lightning-fast speeds. Some of the most reliable web hosting providers to consider include:
Here is our list of the best web hosting providers to help you pick the right affordable provider for you.
Designing a User Friendly Website or Blog
Creating a user friendly website or blog is essential for attracting and retaining visitors.
Ensure that your site is:
- Optimized for mobile devices
- Has an intuitive navigation menu
- Visually appealing
- Offers easy to understand content.
- Developing an Engaging Content Strategy
If you want to create your website completely for free, check out our list of the best website builders and pick the right free option for you.
Developing an Engaging Content Strategy
Invest in creating engaging high-quality content relevant to your niche.
Ensure that the content provides value to your target audience while using multimedia such as images, infographics, videos, and podcasts to supplement the text.
Incorporating Search Engine Optimization Techniques
Implementing SEO techniques can help improve your website’s visibility on search engines such as Google by targeting high-volume keywords that are relevant to your niche.
Optimize each page of your site by using long-tail keywords in the titles, meta descriptions, H1 tags, and content.
Here is our list of the best SEO tools to help you choose the right free SEO tools for you.
If you need help building your website, discover our complete guide to How to Create a Website for Affiliate Marketing.
3. Researching Affiliate Networks
Affiliate networks form the basis of affiliate marketing. Choosing the right one involves the following key steps:
Popular Affiliate Networks to Consider
Some popular affiliate networks include:
- Amazon Associates
- ClickBank
- CJ Affiliate
- ShareASale
- Rakuten Advertising
- Awin
- eBay Partner Network Inc
- eBay
- Flexoffers.Com, LLC
- Skimlinks
- Rakuten
- Shopify
- AvantLink
Analyzing Commission Structures and Payouts
Analyze commission rates offered by different networks against potential profits for each product. Look for products that offer high commissions in comparison to their price.
Evaluating Product Relevance and Quality
Select products that are relevant to your audience’s interests while making sure they offer value, quality and have positive reviews from other affiliates.
Reviewing Affiliate Program Terms and Conditions
Read through affiliate program terms & conditions including any restrictions or policies to avoid unnecessary conflicts down the line.
4. Content Creation Strategies
Crafting compelling content is critical in promoting affiliate products successfully. Here’s how best you can create engaging content:
Writing Engaging Product Reviews
Write honest reviews, pros and cons of the products you promote while focusing on the features that resonate with your audience’s needs.
Crafting Informative Blog Posts and Articles
Create blog posts or articles that offer practical tips and insights that readers can use to solve their problems. Ensure that each piece of content aligns well with your niche, independent and adds value to the reader.
Producing Attention-Grabbing Videos
Produce videos highlighting product features or how-to tutorials to engage your audience and transfer knowledge of the product.
Leveraging Social Media Platforms
Harnessing social media platforms like Pinterest, TikTok Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or YouTube can help increase brand visibility while promoting affiliate products on these platforms.
5. Organic Traffic Generation
Keeping a constant eye on traffic generation strategies is important to ensure that your website gets more visits resulting in higher sales. Here’s what you can do:
Implementing Effective SEO Strategies
Incorporate effective white hat SEO techniques such as keyword research, on-page optimizations, backlink creation, image optimization among others to increase organic traffic to your website.
Check out our list of the best SEO tools and choose the right free SEO tools for you.
If you need help in SEO, read our Ultimate SEO Tutorial for Beginners.
Harnessing the Power of Social Media Marketing
Utilize popular social media platforms to get traffic back to your site while creating pre-promotion buzz related content.
Building an Email List for Repeat Traffic
Email marketing enables repeat traffic by reaching out to your subscribers with informative content thereby increasing chances for making more sales repeatedly.
6. Optimizing Affiliate Links and Banners
Craft a great call-to-action that will lead customers to click on the link provided in promotional posts.
Creating Call-to-Actions that Convert
Call-to-action links are vital in generating conversions. Be creative when writing compelling language that entices customers to click.
Leveraging Social Proof and Testimonials
Adding endorsements from satisfied customers can significantly impact conversion rates, particularly if the product boasts many positive reviews.
Implementing A/B Testing and Conversion Tracking
A/B testing allows you to test alternative headlines or call-to-actions and determine which is more likely to generate better conversions.
Conversion tracking helps analyze clicks on promotional links effectively.
7. Diversifying Your Affiliate Income
As you progress in affiliate marketing, diversifying income sources through expansion into different niches, exploring additional affiliate programs, or outsourcing your work can be crucial.
Exploring Additional Affiliate Programs
There is no limit to how many affiliate programs one can join. Joining various affiliate programs improves the chances of earning more money.
Expanding into Different Niches
Consider expanding into multiple niches using the same methods used earlier in your career.
Outsourcing and Automation
Once an affiliate marketer reaches a certain level of success, outsourcing some time-consuming tasks like content creation or web design and employing automation can save time and increase efficiency.
8. Advanced Monetization Strategies
Explore different methods of promoting your brand, including developing and selling information products, building a personal brand and authority, or exploring joint ventures or partnerships.
Building a Personal Brand and Authority
Becoming an authority in your chosen niche can attract more followers resulting in increased sales.
Creating and Selling Information Products
Creating informational products such as ebooks is one way affiliates can earn money and establish credibility over time.
Exploring Joint Ventures and Partnerships
Teaming up with other affiliates to promote each other’s products can be beneficial while increasing your exposure to more significant audiences.
9. Staying Up to Date with Industry Trends
Continuous learning is necessary to keep up with current trends in the industry.
Continuous Learning and Skill Development
Stay current by reading blogs and forums focused on your chosen niche. Following relevant communities on social media platforms is also important for staying informed on events that might affect affiliate marketing strategies.
Building Relationships with Affiliate Managers
Amicable relationships with affiliate managers are essential to stay updated on products’ pricing, changes in commissions, news, updates, etc.
Embracing Persistence and Adaptability
It is vital to stay committed despite temporary setbacks or disappointments that may come along the way. Persistence and adaptability are crucial for successful affiliate marketing careers.
Conclusion
Starting affiliate marketing with no money is possible. It requires patience, hard work, creativity, dedication, persistence, being adaptable to changes in the industry, and researching opportunities available within the marketplace thoroughly.
Take action now by implementing these tips into your existing strategy or as you kick-starting your affiliate marketing journey!
- Last Update OnMay 31, 2023
Hossam Jamjama
Hey, it’s Hossam. I am a full time digital marketer & an online business owner. I write guides and in-depth reviews of the best SaaS products available. To help businesses make informed decisions about picking the right one for them.
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