Step3: Find Affiliate Programs/ Networks
Step 3, and the last step of the first part of our How to Start an Affiliate Marketing guide, is to find the best (profitable and affiliate friendly) affiliate programs and/or affiliate networks in your niche.
After choosing what products you want to promote in your blog, you need to confirm if it has an affiliate program. If there is none, then cross the product off your list unless you want to promote it without monetary compensation.
Know that most affiliate programs and networks will not allow you to apply to the program if you don’t have a blog. So, for now, just make a list then apply to those once you created your website.
Alright. Without further ado, here are some of the questions that would guide your decision on which affiliate programs/networks you should join.
Questions to Ask When Finding Affiliate Programs/Networks
1. Who uses the affiliate program/ network?
Researching your competition is part of your job if you want to become a successful affiliate marketer. You need to research what kind of contents they are using, the layout of their site, the marketing strategies they use, and of course the affiliate programs or network they are affiliate with.
One easy way to see who uses an affiliate program/network is to type the name of the program/network + review. The search result will then show the top blogs and from there you can determine who is the top promoter of the affiliate program/network. From there, decide if the affiliate program or network you wish to join is being used by top affiliate marketers. If it is then it is very likely that the program/network is reliable, therefore; feel free to join.
2. Do the affiliate programs/networks provide you useful tools to help you promote?
Tools that will help you promote an affiliate product are very important especially if you are a new affiliate marketer. A reliable tool will help you and guide you to successfully promote and affiliate product.
Reputable affiliate programs and networks would usually give its new affiliate marketer a crash course to help them get their first sale. Be sure to find these programs/networks, apply, and use the resources provided.
3. How much commission does the affiliate program give?
Considering how much commission you will get for successfully promoting an affiliate product is important because you want to get the most out of your effort. You also need to consider how much you will spend on paid advertising then look at the commission rate to determine if you will make money at the end of the day.
Another benefit of knowing the commission rate is it will help you plan what kind of content marketing you will do. For example, Amazon only gives a 5-8% commission for every successful sale, so I typically create a list of articles promoting a lot of product in one blog. On the other hand, digital products found in Clickbank usually give 70% commission so I dedicate an entire blog promoting just one product.
4. What kind of support do they provide?
You will probably not gonna need this when you are a newbie affiliate marketer, but support from the affiliate program/network will definitely going to be helpful as your business grows.
You would want the program/network to help you when you or your audience have a question about the affiliate product. You would want their assistance when you are not getting your commissions. You would want them to provide additional resources to help you better promote their product.