This article
is a guest post by Marian Ashley, just read the guidelines if you want to be My Guest
Blogger
So your blog is becoming extremely popular? Starting to
get some decent income through AdSense,
and think you can make more through Amazon Associates? The good
news is the Associates program is very easy to use, and you can implement it
into your blog in a variety of ways. The not so great news is that it won't
make every blog rich. But since it's free to use, why not at least try it,
right?
What Are Affiliate Programs?
For those
unfamiliar with the affiliate programming business, affiliate programs are a
marketing practice in which a business (in this case Amazon) rewards affiliates
(that would be you and other bloggers and webmasters) for each customer brought
in through the affiliate's marketing efforts.
How Do They Work?
Try looking at it
this way: Amazon wants your traffic. Particularly if your blog covers a product
or line of products that Amazon offers, they have a lot to gain from even the
mere mention that Amazon sells a certain product. So when you link a customer
to Amazon, and they buy a product there, Amazon rewards you with a commission.
The commission varies depending on the product.
Because you are not
only marketing but directly increasing their sales, Amazon offers their
affiliate program to bloggers and webmasters at no charge. Amazon's affiliate
program offers a variety of ways to market their products and allows you to
customize links and banners to fit the design of your site.
What Are the Different Marketing Tools Amazon Provides?
Amazon give you
quite a few options, so it can be a little confusing at first to decide what
marketing tool to use.
Links & Banners
These are the most
common marketing tools used by Amazon affiliates. These are also both extremely
easy to implement on your site. Simply decide what product you want to link or
what product category you'd like a banner for, customize the look of the link
or banner to your liking, and copy and paste the HTML code Amazon gives you
into your own blog, wherever you'd like (though probably somewhere people will
see it and click).
Widgets
Amazon Widgets
operate on the same concept as links and banners, but provide more options for
people to explore Amazon without leaving your site. For instance, the Search
Widget allows your readers to find and explore Amazon products while still on
your site. Some widgets are catered to certain types of content. For instance,
the MP3 Clips Widget, which allows users to listen to MP3 clips from your site,
would be great if you run a music blog or are a musician yourself, trying to
promote your music on Amazon. If you're not sure which widget is right for you
or whether you even need one, just experiment around. You can always track how
many purchases are made through which widget.
Tips for Affiliate First-Timers
Having a highly
popular site definitely helps with affiliate programs, but what really get you
income is people clicking your affiliate links and buying stuff. The following tips will help establish consistent
revenue through an affiliate program, provided your site covers a topic
involving products that Amazon sells:
·
Traffic is important
·
Loyal readers and trust is more important
·
Consider the intent of your readers (would
they be looking to purchase the products you're linking? Or is your site more
aimed at readers who already have the product?)
·
Link to products relevant to your readers
·
Readers don't have to buy your linked
product for you to get paid. You just need to send them to Amazon.
·
Make genuine product recommendations and
reviews.
·
Reader reviews can make huge sells.
Author Bio:
Mariana Ashley is a freelance writer who particularly enjoys
writing about online schools. She
loves receiving reader feedback, which can be directed to mariana.ashley031
@gmail.com.
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