I went into my notifications and switched the toggle from ‘On’ to ‘Off’. When I first started affiliate marketing I loved seeing the sale notifications come through but after getting to 50 or more notifications each day I could no longer keep up. A good problem to have considering each notification meant more money coming in but a problem nonetheless.

What Is Affiliate Marketing? 

Affiliate marketing is the process of earning a commission by promoting other people’s (or company’s) products. You find a product you like, promote it to others and earn a piece of the profit for each sale that you make. — from SmartPassiveIncome

Getting Started with Affiliate Marketing

Getting started with affiliate marketing is easy. Think of a product that you have had great experiences with and Google the company that makes it. For example, if your cats love the cat tower that you got them for Christmas, go to Google and enter ‘Petsmart affiliate program’. If they have an affiliate program it will pop up. 

Another way you can find out if a company has an affiliate program is to go to their website and check the bottom of their page. If they have an affiliate program it will often say ‘affiliate’ or ‘partner’ at the bottom. You can also search their page for the word ‘affiliate’ and read through their FAQ page. 

Once you have determined the company has an affiliate program you can apply. Applying is simple and depending on the company you may be approved instantly or have to wait about a week to be approved and given access to your affiliate page.

After you are approved you will have access to a link that is specific to you and when you promote the product people can click on the link to buy through you (yay!). 

The Details of Affiliate Marketing

Some companies will list their payout rate ahead of time but most won’t. If this is the case then make sure that after you apply you read through the details of the payouts for that merchant. 

A few specific points you want to look for are: 

• Advertising
  Most merchants are pretty lenient about this but some are very specific. For example- you can’t use affiliate links in emails for Amazon products because it’s not easily accessible to the general population. Most companies have no problems with this though.
  
• Time Frame of Payout
  Are payouts one week, two weeks, a month, per quarter (aka every three months)? I’m an affiliate for Siteground and they wait 30 days after someone purchases to make sure they use their hosting before payouts. 
  
• Commission Specifics
  This varies greatly and is part of the reason I’m not a big fan of Amazon. Everyone trusts them so you may make more sales but their payout percentage is generally 3-5% which is pennies on most products. 

In general you will want to promote products from businesses or merchants who offer 10% or more for their products. Digital products are often the most lucrative because their payouts are often between 30-100% for some vendors.

You may be wondering how a company can afford to pay 100% commission on a product but companies make up their loss on the back end. Having the customer on their email list means they can sell them other products over and over again. 

If the payout is less than 10% and the company only sells items that are $50 or less it probably won’t be worth your time to apply. However, that’s just a personal rule of thumb for me because if it’s a high ticket item (like furniture) and the payout is only 3% that means if someone buys a $2000 couch, you would get $60 so it would still be worth your time to promote them. 

Niching Down in Affiliate Marketing

When I first started in affiliate marketing, I promoted everything. If they had a product and I liked it- I promoted it. 

Don’t do this. In theory- it’s great but when you promote everything you’re not talking to your audience and you don’t position yourself as an expert in anything. In today’s world it’s better to be an expert in one thing than to promote everything. 

Whatever it is, if you become known for promoting great products in that area then you will be seen as an expert and more trusted and trust equals sales. You can read more about niching down and finding your target audience here.

Using Your Affiliate Links

Once you have decided on what to promote you can start including your products in your content. The trick is to not make it seem like an ad. You want to show how the product helped you and how it can help your audience. Same with sending emails. 

Share a funny or embarrassing story or a short story about how impressed you were with a product and people will want to try it out for themselves.

Stories sell more than ads ever will. Make sure to include your links when possible and to track them so you know where sales are coming from. 

Tracking Your Links

Some affiliate companies will have a way to generate your affiliate link with a tracking code. However, if this isn’t possible I highly recommend that you use a tracking company like Clickmagick.

Clickmagick will let you see where people are clicking from. At the beginning people will only view the products you suggest from your email but, as time goes on, you will have people clicking your links from multiple different avenues. Tiktoks, emails, Instagrams- the clicks can come from anywhere.

The best way to grow and optimize in affiliate marketing is to know where your audience is coming from. This allows you to see what your audience likes and to create more of that content. If one link is being clicked 2% of the time but another link is being clicked 3% of the time you want to know why one link is outperforming the other by 33%.

Finding Higher Paying Companies and Merchants 

Another way to look for affiliates is to sign up through an affiliate network and look for companies that sell the products you plan to promote. This comes with pros and cons though.

The pro is that they may pay more. The con is that they’re not as trusted. This means you need to verify with them by buying from them first. Use their website, make sure your product comes in a timely fashion, even contact their customer service to make sure they’re responsive.

I tend to look for products made in the US right now only because with COVID you never know what kind of restrictions may come our way from with shipping and other countries. 

To look for different merchants, sign up for an affiliate network then simply search. There are several affiliate networks to choose from including: 

This is an example using Shareasale and searching for the term ‘pet’.

Over 700 merchants come up and the most popular come up first. I tend to stick with merchants with high ratings because that means they have more sales and tend to be more established. You can also see how their payout amounts.

Once you’re more comfortable with affiliate marketing you can research the other companies. There’s nothing wrong with promoting products from different companies in a compare-contrast email or content with your followers. 

As you can see, affiliate marketing can be a great way to increase your income- just be genuine.

If you’re ready to get started or want to learn more head over to my resource library and download my FREE Affiliate Marketing Workbook!

If you have any questions or comments feel free to drop a question below.

When I first got into internet marketing I initially started a blog. I used to love how professional, sleek, and consistent other blogs looked. I didn’t know it at the time but what I admired about those blogs was their branding.

I tried to recreate the looks of those blogs but failed. Somehow my blog looked childish and screamed ‘AMATEUR!’ but I couldn’t figure out the problem. Thankfully, I was able to research the issue and discovered the steps I needed to take to improve my branding with a few simple changes and they are things you can apply to any business (and yes, even if you are just trying to monetize your social media you are now under the umbrella term of ‘online business’).

If you are struggling with branding check out these simple tips to help you create the blog and look you’ve always desired.

What is Branding?

Before we go into how to brand your business, let’s go through what branding is. Branding is the process of creating a unique name, message, and image in a consumerís mind.

The goal of branding is to differentiate yourself from others in your niche to attract and retain customers.

There are actually many elements that go into branding including:

•  Your Logo
• The Personality or voice you use in your content and marketing pieces
• Website colors, header, and layout
• Mission Statement
• Tagline and Message
• Images used in content and marketing materials

Your brand is communicated through every piece of content you put out. It’s communicated in your content, in marketing materials, in social media posts, and with any interactions you have with your followers. Your brand is an essential element of your marketing success.

How to Create Brand Consistency

The only way to ensure your readers will remember you is by repeated exposure through multiple channels used during your marketing efforts and social media.

Your brand should provide your readers with the same message and experience each time they see your content. If your brand is different on social media than it is in your email messages, the end result is confusion which can drive people away.

Tips for Creating Brand Consistency

• PROJECT A CONSISTENT LOOK
  Make sure that your logo is used on social media, in your autoresponder messages, on your blog, and on your marketing materials. The colors you use, the style of your images and the look/feel of your marketing materials should all help your reader immediately identify you.
  
  
• USE A CONSISTENT TONE AND VOICE
  You have a voice and a personality. Make sure to express it in every single marketing piece and communication you share. For example, if you’re witty on your blog then you want to make sure that your social media communications share the same style.
  
  
•  USE A CONSISTENT MESSAGE ON SOCIAL MEDIA
  If your brand is about exceptional customer service then that message needs to be integrated into your content and marketing.

Consistency is about making sure your prospects and customers never doubt who you are. Each time they come across your blog or business your readers receive a branding experience that further solidifies you in their mind. It’s about creating expectations and then meeting them every time you make contact with your reader.

As you create your marketing strategy and plan, make sure that your branding is consistent across all of your tactics and channels. Branding is comprised of words, actions, and visuals.

How Your Reader Perceives Your Brand

A brand is more than colors, fonts, images, and a tagline. Your brand is a unique, voice and a consistent style which both play a role in how your readers perceive you.

Humans are visual beings. We create impressions in our minds of a blog or company based on their visuals. Before your prospect reads a single word, they’ve created a definition of who you are and what you’re about.

This means the visual elements of your brand not only need to be aligned with your brand definition, they also need to be strong enough to speak on their own. So what goes into a brand? What are the visual elements to consider?

• Logo– A logo should be simple and memorable
  

• Colors– Colors evoke emotions so make sure the colors you choose reflect how you want your audience to feel.
  

• Font– The font you choose is important. If no one can read your font, then they can’t read your blog but it should also convey the right image. For example, a tax accountant shouldn’t use the font Comic Sans because it’s more whimsical than professional.
  
  
• Photos/images– There are different photographic and image styles to consider. Some businesses use a cartoon or drawing style for their images, while others are more stylish or traditional. The images you use also need to support your brand definition and relate to the topic you are writing about in some way.

Words and visuals work together to create a consistent and cohesive brand message. As you create your blog and marketing materials, keep your brand definition in mind.

What Is a Tagline?

A tagline is a sentence or phrase that shares your brand message and identity. It’s designed to communicate who you are and what you do in just a few words and is sometimes referred to as a slogan.

Next to your business name, the most important element of your branding is your tagline. Unfortunately, many blogs and businesses fall short of creating a tagline that truly defines their brand.

Tips for Writing a Good Tagline

• BE MEMORABLE
  Use power words that evoke emotion.
  
  
• KEEP IT SHORT
  Try to keep your tagline shorter than eight words.
  
  
• SPECIFY HOW YOU’RE UNIQUE
  Your tagline should explain what makes you different and how your readers will benefit from you.
  
  
• BE APPEALING
  A good tagline grabs a reader’s attention.

The best way to start formulating a tagline is to write down a list of words, phrases, and sentiments that you want others to associate with your business. Then work with your list of words, phrases, and sentiments and start drafting potential taglines.

Draft as many taglines as you can think of- aim for about twenty.  Then set them aside for a couple of days.

The next time you read over your list, identify a few that resonate with you and feel powerful. Then start asking others for their input and advice on potential taglines. You can even poll your audience and see which tagline they feel best represents your blog or business. Your tagline is important, so take your time with this step.

IDENTIFYING GOALS FOR YOUR BRANDING

In your branding and marketing strategy, youíll want to both identify and prioritize your goals. Decide exactly what you want to achieve with your branding. There are many things branding can achieve including:

Tips for Writing a Good Tagline

1. CREATING CREDIBILITY & TRUST
   Your brand can be used to create and sustain your reputation. Keeping your brand strong helps to set and maintain customer expectations. This is a challenging metric to track and measure but setting a goal of establishing your brand as a trusted resource can take your business far. It’s a good priority for coaching businesses and service-based organizations.
   
   
2. CREATING AN EMOTIONAL CONNECTION
   Brands can tell a story and connect with your audience on an emotional level. Again, this is a difficult metric to track and measure but you can look at engagement on social media as one way to evaluate branding and emotional connection. This is a good priority for blogs or businesses that have customers who buy based on how they feel about the products or services you sell.
   
   
3. BUILDING BRAND AWARENESS
   Your brand is an opportunity to increase recognition and this goal requires that you invest heavily in marketing channels frequently. You want to reach your audience often wherever they hang out most.
   
   
4. MOTIVATING PURCHASES
   People buy from people they know, like, and trust and your brand is you. You can set a goal to brand and market your blog or business in such a way that you measure and track sales based on branding.

BRAND RECOGNITION & AWARENESS

Once you have a defined brand, one of your goals may be to increase brand recognition. Brand recognition is when someone sees your logo, hears your tagline, or thinks about your products or services and immediately connects that concept with you.

Brand recognition is defined as ‘the extent to which a consumer can correctly identify a particular product or service just by viewing the product or service’s logo, tagline, packaging or advertising campaign.’

Brand recognition is a lofty goal because it actually takes several impressions for someone to begin associating your brand with your company. There are different marketing and advertising models that say it can take anywhere from seven to twenty impressions before a prospect develops brand recognition.

So how do you ensure you get your brand in front of your prospect often and consistently? How do you create brand recognition?

1. CONSISTENCY
   The first step is to ensure your brand message is consistent across all of your marketing channels, from email to social media.
   
   
2. BEING PRESENT ON MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS
   The more marketing channels you utilize, the better chance you have of reaching your prospect repeatedly. You might reach some of your readers on your blog, via social media, and as a guest blogger.
   
   
3. FREQUENCY MATTERS
   Whatever marketing channels you use, use them often. For example, don’t send one email a month; send one a week.

Consider how you can engage your existing customers in the conversation. Encourage your readers to share their story and leverage their positive feedback. Word of mouth makes a strong and memorable impression on your audience. Let your readers market and build your brand for you.

BRANDING MISTAKES TO AVOID

1. NOT STAYING TRUE TO BRAND
   Your brand should permeate everything that you do. It should be part of your email marketing, customer service, blog or business layout and design, social media interactions, and all communication you have with your readers or prospective customers. Keep your brand in mind when creating marketing materials, content, and customer service feedback.
   
   
2. NOT KEEPING YOUR BRANDING STREAMLINED
   It’s easy to get carried away with your brand. However, the simpler the message, the easier it will be for your audience to recognize it, trust it, and engage. If your branding is complicated, it may confuse your audience. Clean and simple elements tend to be the most memorable.
   
   
3. NOT BEING SPECIFIC
   Simple doesn’t mean vague and you want your branding to be specific and clear. Why? Because generic branding isn’t memorable. Strive to make your branding clear including your logo, tagline, and imagery.

YOUR BRAND

Building a brand doesn’t have to be hard. Take things one step at a time and you will have your brand set in no time and, more than anything, consistency is key.

Need help getting started branding (or rebranding) your blog? Head over to my resource library and download my Brand Your Blog Checklist and start working through the steps to create your brand now!