Technically, there’s no such thing as free traffic. You’re going to pay for it with time or cash. Even if you don’t shell out cash for ads, you’ll still be working (a lot) to grow your audience or email list.
You can decide if you want to work more hours or put up money to get started. There are pros and cons to each, but determining the best combination of ad spend and content optimization hours is your choice.
Each affiliate marketer is different and comes with different assets. Maybe you set aside some money before wanting to get started. Maybe you don’t have a lot of money, but you have a lot of time.
No matter the situation, remember to follow the guidelines.
How to monetize Web Traffic
If you already have followers, subscribers, or web traffic coming in through a blog or social media channel, you can use affiliate marketing as a way to monetize that traffic.
There are a few ways to do so.
Social Media
The most up and coming form of affiliate marketing is influencer marketing. If you pick up your phone right now and scroll through your feed, stop at the first time you see “Link in Bio.” There’s a significant chance that link is an affiliate link or that it links to an affiliate link.
Social media influencers make their living off of promotions. So if you have an active and engaged social media following promoting products this way may be right for you. Even if your following is moderate (5,000 or less), it is likely that there is a common thread through your followers. Whatever niche you represent, make sure you choose offers and products that won’t turn off you followers.
YouTube Reviews
If you have a current YouTube channel, you know that the best way to stay relevant on YouTube is to just keep posting content. Why not make one of those posts a review of a product you’re promoting? Make sure you are transparent about your promotion and be honest about how you really feel about the offer.
Blog
A blog is a great way to review products, produce content, grow subscribers, and promote products. With quality written content, you can reach niche audiences and specialize in what topics you write about.
Email Marketing
All of these facets set up a group foundation for email marketing, one of the best ways to harness the power of affiliate marketing. For example, if you have a blog, you likely have subscribers which means you have the potential to send out a weekly or monthly email. This email can contain information about your new posts and affiliate links to products you’re promoting.
If you have a social media following you can promote your website via posts and entice traffic to sign up for weekly updates. This same tactic can also be used with a YouTube following. All in all, email marketing is a great way to grow your brand and engage with your subscribers, and… make money online through affiliate marketing.
