If you want to be successful at making money online as an affiliate marketer, there are certain things that will help your efforts greatly. One of them is having good quality content that people will find interesting enough to share with their friends and family members.
There’s nothing wrong with creating blog posts or articles about the topic you plan to promote, but if you really want to make it work, then you should consider using other types of media such as videos. Videos have been proven time after time to increase traffic to any website because they tend to get shared much faster than text-based material.
In this article, we’ll look into some ways on how you can incorporate videos within your content when promoting affiliate products. We’re going to cover topics like how to create an affiliate marketing channel on YouTube (or anywhere else), how to start an affiliate account on YouTube, what kind of videos you can upload onto various platforms, whether or not you actually need a YouTube channel for affiliate marketing purposes, and finally, whether or not you can include affiliate links in your YouTube videos. Let’s take a closer look!
YouTube has over 1 billion users around the world who watch billions of hours of video every month. That means there’s definitely a huge audience just waiting to see your stuff – even if you don’t yet know exactly what you’re doing.
It doesn't matter which niche you choose to go down, either -- whether it's fitness, cooking, cars, pets... anything. The fact remains that there are millions upon millions of potential customers who could benefit from your product. If you're able to craft compelling videos that showcase your brand, you'll stand a better chance of getting those viewers to click through to your site where they might buy something. And hey, maybe one of them will turn into a customer too!
To give you an idea of what kinds of videos you ought to post, here are three examples of well-produced affiliate marketing videos that show off both the benefits and features of a given product. Notice how each includes a brief description of the featured item along with a few screenshots of its user interface so viewers can easily understand what the heck they're looking at.
The first example shows a quick tutorial of how to install an app called QuickBooks Online via Amazon Alexa. It explains step by step how to open up the app once it’s downloaded and installed. You also learn why you would want to use it instead of going directly to the company’s official web page to access the same information.
This second video does a similar job of explaining how to set up a virtual private server (VPS) on Windows 10. This particular instance uses Vultr, but you can change all the details to match whatever hosting solution you decide to utilize. In addition to showing you how to check your current IP address and port number settings, the narrator goes on to explain why you'd want to switch your host provider rather than keeping everything running under Microsoft Azure.
Finally, let's talk about the third video mentioned above. This one focuses primarily on how to make the most out of Apple TV Plus, specifically in regards to watching live sports events. Once again, you’ve got a simple overview of the service itself followed by a thorough explanation of how to set it up so you won’t miss out on any games during the next NBA season.
You may notice that these videos aren’t quite as long as ones created for traditional blogs. But remember that YouTube lets you add annotations to your videos, giving you the ability to provide additional context that helps viewers understand what you’re talking about even further. Also, keep in mind that the shorter the length of your video the less likely it will draw views -- so while longer videos have higher conversion rates, they require more effort and time to produce.
Since you’re probably already familiar with how to sign up for a free Google AdSense account, you shouldn’t encounter any problems setting yourself up as a YouTube Partner. Simply follow the steps outlined below:
1. Go to "My ads" and log in with your AdSense credentials.
2. Click “Create ad unit” near the bottom right corner of the screen.
3. Select the type of unit you wish to deploy from the list of available options.
4. Choose the category and keyword combinations that best fit your campaign. Be sure to select the correct location(s).
5. Give your campaign a name and enter a valid email address.
6. Scroll down the left side until you reach the section titled “Manage my campaigns.” From here, simply click “Add new campaign.”
7. Enter your desired title, keywords, URL, and description. Make sure to fill in the URL properly before clicking “Save changes.”
8. A pop-up window will appear asking you to confirm the changes made to your campaign. Click OK.
9. Your new video ad will now begin appearing throughout YouTube. To preview it before proceeding, click the thumbnail image located underneath the ad code.
10. After reviewing the final version of your ad, click “Continue.”
11. Fill in the relevant fields and click “Submit.”
12. Check back periodically as your video begins receiving clicks shortly thereafter.
13. When you receive positive feedback regarding your initial test run, proceed to Step 14.
14. Head over to your newly established AdWords account and head to the “Ad group management” tab. There, scroll down until you locate the section labeled “Audiences & segments.” Create a new segment based on the specific interests of your target audience. Next, create another segment based on country/region where your main focus lies.
15. Once done, return to your YouTube account and navigate to the “Targeting” tab. Here, you can create two separate targeting lists. First, add subscribers to the list named “People interested in [insert niche].” Then, add visitors to the list named “Visitors coming from outside US.” Finally, apply your custom audiences to the appropriate sections of the list.
16. Save your edits and wait for the results to roll in.
What should you expect to happen once you've uploaded several videos showcasing your chosen product or services? Well, according to statistics compiled by Shareaholic, approximately 40% of people who view your videos will end up buying something after viewing your clips. That percentage increases dramatically depending on the size of your subscriber base. However, the key takeaway here is that you must continue producing high quality content regularly if you hope to experience success as a beginner affiliate marketer.
No. While YouTube certainly provides a lot of value to affiliates, it isn't necessary to maintain a presence on the platform in order to succeed. Many big brands have built thriving businesses without ever owning a single YouTube channel. So unless you intend to sell items related to your favorite celebrities, it’s perfectly acceptable to stay away from the platform altogether.
However, if you feel compelled to have your own YouTube channel, you'll still be able to generate sales through your existing accounts. Just make sure to keep all of your videos consistent across channels, otherwise you risk losing credibility among followers who prefer to stick with what they know. Furthermore, you can always opt to delete your old channels later in case you move forward with an alternative strategy.
Yes, absolutely. As long as you abide by the rules listed above, you should never face any issues whatsoever. Affiliates often rely heavily on social proof to convince others to purchase their wares. Therefore, sharing links to sites selling said goods tends to boost engagement levels considerably.
Of course, you’d want to avoid posting links to shady destinations whenever possible. Instead, try utilizing reputable sources such as ClickBank. With thousands of merchants offering hundreds of thousands of products worldwide, chances are pretty good that someone carries a comparable selection of merchandise from your preferred vendor.
Remember that YouTube is merely one of the largest online destinations for generating leads and building trust. Use it wisely, though, and you'll soon discover that it's easier to build lasting relationships with prospects thanks to the platform's unique capabilities.
Content is king when it comes to building a successful online business or even making sales offline. The same applies for affiliate marketing too where the quality of your content matters more than anything else.
If your website has great content but doesn't look good, people won’t be drawn into reading what you have written because they will skip right over it. If the design looks unprofessional, visitors might feel that you lack professionalism as well. And if there are no visuals, readers may not understand exactly what your site offers.
So, you need high-quality content plus a professional looking website and then you'll be able to generate leads from your audience and make sales. But how does one go about creating this kind of content? How do you take something like a blog post and turn it into a downloadable ebook or audio file which affiliates will want to share? This article aims to answer these questions by showing you some examples of how other marketers are using affiliate marketing videos to drive traffic to their sites and boost conversion rates.
For example, let's say you're working on a new eBook called "The Top 10 Ways To Make $10K In 12 Months". You've got tons of ideas and information inside so you decide to write up a lengthy blog post about each point covered. Then you spend hours editing your work until everything flows nicely and makes sense. You upload it to your blog and publish it.
You could give away copies of your book (with links back to your own site) to bloggers who would promote them through social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter. Or perhaps you'd send out free ebooks via email to those who subscribed to your newsletter list. However, both solutions don't really allow you to target a specific niche group.
What if instead you created a 3 minute YouTube video explaining all the points covered in your blog post? That way anyone who was interested in learning more would watch the video and find themselves compelled to click on the link at the end of the clip to learn more. It also gives you the opportunity to include voiceover narration while you talk directly to viewers about the topics covered in your eBook.
This tactic works best for products that aren't very complicated. A beginner's guide to starting an affiliate marketing business probably isn't going to attract much attention unless it's accompanied by a few screenshots. On the other hand, a detailed step-by-step tutorial on how to get started as a WordPress web designer might be worth watching just to see how someone else did things before deciding whether it's something you'd like to try yourself.
There are several ways to produce video content suitable for sharing across various platforms including Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, LinkedIn, Snapchat, etc. All you need is a camera, microphone, laptop/desktop computer, software capable of recording and uploading files onto the internet, along with a reliable Wi-Fi connection. Software programs to help edit your footage include iMovie, Adobe Premiere Pro CC, Windows Movie Maker, Final Cut Express, Camtasia Studio, Adobe After Effects, Audacity, Camstudio, HitFilm, Pinnacle Studio, Vegas Video, Sony Vegas, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, Avid Media Composer, Microsoft Office Suite, Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, GoAnimate, Animoto, Vimeo, Blender, Kdenlive, OpenShot, DaVinci Resolve, and others.
Once you've gathered enough material together, you'll want to convert it into a format that allows you to easily embed it into your website or blog posts. For instance, you can export your video clips from your chosen editing software package and save them as.MP4 files. Alternatively, you can use services such as Vidyard, TubeBuddy & VidtoTube to convert your files into Flash (.SWF), HTML5 (.webm/.mp4), MP3 (.aac/.ra /.wav), Ogg (.ogv), QuickTime (.MOV), Mpeg2 (.avi), MPEG1 (.mpeg), RealMedia (.rm), Rtmp (.rtmp), WMV (.wmv), Wma (.wma), Flv (.flv), WebM (.webm), FLAC (.FLAC), AAC (.aac), MPC (.mpc), OGG (.ogg), OGX (.ogx), MOV (.mov), SRT (.srt), TTA (.tta), TS (.ts), MKA (.mkv), WEBM (.webm), WAV (.wav), AMR (.amr), AU (.au), APE (.ape), CELP (.celp), GSM (.gsm), MIDI (.midi), QCP (.qcp), RA (.ram), REQ (.req), SHN (.shn), SPE (.spe), and UPSTREAM (.upstream).
All you need now is a place to host your files. There are lots of options available depending on your budget and requirements. Some popular choices include hosting services such as Bluehost, HostGator, DreamHost, SiteGround, WP Engine, Pagely, Uptime, Hostinger, JustHost, Voxility, FatCow, 1&1 Internet, Host9, 123-reg, and LiquidWeb. Depending on the type of content you plan to distribute, you should choose a service provider based on cost per gigabyte, bandwidth speed, customer support, uptime guarantees, and security features.
Finally, there are plenty of free tools you can use for video creation. These range from simple screen capture utilities such as Snagit to more sophisticated ones such as ScreenFlow ($100+), Wirecast ($29.99), Jing ($49.95), FuseCam ($79.99), Camtasia ($299), ElCapitan ($199), and CamStudios ($149).
While you'll always need original content to keep your audience engaged, you don't necessarily need to invest large amounts of time writing articles yourself. Instead, consider outsourcing the job to freelancers who specialize in producing copywriting for blogs and websites. Freelance writers typically charge anywhere between $0.01 - $20 per word depending on experience and expertise. They usually offer full English translations, grammar corrections, proofreading, and formatting assistance. It pays to shop around and compare quotes first though.
Then again, if you already have an existing body of content ready to be posted, why bother hiring freelance writers to fix it? Simply add captions to photos taken on mobile devices and upload them to a photo gallery on your website. Add titles and descriptions to selected pictures that relate to certain subjects and keywords relevant to your brand name. Include tags and hashtags related to your niche topic where possible. Finally, sprinkle in a variety of links pointing to pages within your own website. Your aim here is to build authority and credibility among potential customers without having to pay hefty fees to hire a writer.
Amazon's Marketplace Partner Program lets businesses sell their goods and services through third party sellers on the platform. Affiliates earn commissions by promoting these items via their own website. As long as you comply with Amazon Seller Terms and Conditions, you can use any of its product videos on your page provided that you provide the appropriate attribution.
In addition, Amazon provides a number of resources designed specifically for affiliate marketers. Among these are the following:
- Product Listing Ads
- Sponsored Products
- Advertising Management Services
- Associate Certification Programs
- Customer Service Training
- Sales Performance Optimization Tools
- Special Offers Promotions
- Associates Central
- Associates Blog
- Associates FAQ
- Associates Help Center
- Associates Portal
- Associates Store
As mentioned above, you cannot simply paste product videos onto a webpage and expect them to perform well. So, it's important to know how to optimize your videos for search engines. Here are some tips:
· Use keyword phrases consistently throughout the text of your description.
· Create compelling title tags that highlight the main benefit of whatever item you're selling.
· Keep your description short yet informative. Don't forget to mention special deals and discounts!
· Embed your videos either on your homepage or sidebars.
· Link back to your landing page whenever possible.
Of course, the most effective method for driving traffic to your site is to create engaging content that appeals to your ideal clientele. Once it generates interest, ask them to check out your offer(s) or sign up for updates. By doing so, you increase your chances of being seen by the next prospect.
Do you think it's worth investing time and effort into creating videos for your affiliate marketing campaigns? Have you tried it? What worked well and didn't? Let us know in the comments section below.
It is important that the first impression be positive when someone visits your website or blog. One of the best ways to increase this initial impact is by creating compelling content. The type of content we are talking about here includes text articles, infographics, eBooks, webinars, podcasts, videos and so forth. These types of content require effort on your part but they pay off handsomely in terms of increased traffic and sales.
The problem arises when it comes time to promote these types of content. How does one go about promoting such content without having any technical knowledge about computers and software? That's where affiliates come into play. Affiliates help others promote their own product by making them a commission from every sale made through their link. This process is called affiliate marketing.
In simple words, affiliates are people who work on behalf of companies selling products online. They have access to various tools like banners, links, buttons, etc., which allow them to place ads across the internet. When visitors click on those ads and buy the related product, the company pays its affiliate a certain percentage of what was paid by the customer.
To learn more about affiliate marketing and how to get started with it, check out our article titled “5 Ways To Start An Online Business Using Your Computer”. In today’s post, we will discuss how to create videos using free stock footage available on YouTube. We will also look at some other tips on how to improve your affiliate marketing videos.
Before you begin working on affiliate marketing videos, there has to be something for you to promote. If not, then why would anyone else want to advertise your product? For example, if you don't know anything about photography, how will you convince potential customers to purchase expensive photo editing software? You'll need to take up photography lessons before you can start building a successful business around it.
If you already know how to write well, you could try writing an eBook on digital photography or blogging. Or maybe you're good with graphic design and you'd rather focus on designing a logo. Whatever niche you choose, just ensure that you have enough information about it to share with prospective buyers.
Once you've found your niche, all you have to do now is find a way to monetize it. There are plenty of options to consider including Google AdSense, Amazon Associates Program, Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising, banner advertisements, sponsored posts, social media marketing, and much more. But whatever method you decide upon, make sure that you stick to it religiously because once you launch your campaign, you won't be able to change course easily.
When starting an affiliate marketing business, it is important to keep things simple. It will be easier for you to build credibility and trust among viewers if you limit yourself to only recommending products within your niche. Don't worry though, even experts recommend diversifying your portfolio occasionally. Once you have decided on the niche, it is time to think about content.
There are several methods to choose from depending on your preference. Some common ones include:
- Blogging - Write informative blogs on topics relevant to your chosen niche. Readers love reading blogs and since most bloggers are regular readers themselves, they tend to respond better than ordinary email messages.
- Podcasting - Another great option to share valuable insights on your topic of choice. Just remember to avoid being too promotional while recording your podcast episodes. Keep the conversations light and easygoing instead.
- Videos - Video is another popular form of content creation because it requires less commitment compared to written articles. You can either produce short videos or longer productions. Short videos are usually used to introduce a new concept whereas long videos provide detailed explanations on complex concepts. Both kinds are equally effective in conveying ideas to audiences.
- Infographics - Infographic presentations are visually appealing documents that tell stories with charts and graphs. They may contain data or statistics relating to a particular subject matter. Infographics are perfect examples of visual storytelling and they can be shared via social networks and other platforms.
- Slide decks - Presentations that consist of slideshows are still very popular with audiences. While PowerPoint presentations are generally preferred over PDF files due to ease of viewing, both are suitable alternatives. A slide deck presentation allows you to highlight key points quickly and conveniently. With a slide deck, you can add animations and multimedia clips to create engaging visuals.
Now that you have learned how to create content for your affiliate marketing campaigns, let us talk about how to optimize it further. Optimization refers to the steps taken to enhance visibility of your content through search engines. This kind of optimization focuses mainly on improving user experience. Here are few quick tips:
1. Use keywords sparingly. Too many keywords dilute each keyword's value and make it difficult for users to locate what they are looking for. Instead, use 2-3 targeted keywords per page.
2. Highlight benefits of buying your product above advantages offered by competitors' products. Make it clear that the price difference between two similar items is negligible.
3. Include call-to-action buttons on your pages. Visitors should always feel encouraged to act immediately after visiting your site. Call-to-actions prompt prospects to visit your landing page, signup forms, offer special discounts, submit reviews, or contact you directly.
4. Ensure that your content loads fast. Slow loading times lead to higher bounce rates meaning fewer chances for conversion. People often leave sites that load slowly because they expect instant results. So speed up your website and ensure that everything works smoothly.
5. Create a custom 404 error message that directs users back to your homepage. Having a customized 404 message means that you have designed your site specifically for the purpose of search engine optimization. This makes it easier for Google bots to crawl your site and index it properly, thus increasing organic rankings.
6. Always test your landing page layouts thoroughly before launching it live. Testimonials, graphics, color schemes, copywriting styles, button designs, and image sizes are some essential elements that must be optimized carefully.
7. Avoid unnecessary adverts and popups. These annoyances distract audiences and prevent them from focusing on your main content.
8. Offer useful resources alongside your primary offers. Provide additional guides, cheat sheets, cheat codes, FAQs, and tutorials. Doing so helps boost your SEO scores by offering quality content that is unique to your brand.
9. Add alt tags whenever possible. Alt tags describe the contents of pictures displayed on your webpage. This tag helps screen reader programs read captions aloud to blind individuals. Therefore, adding alt tags improves accessibility of your website.
10. Incorporate tracking code snippets into your HTML header. Tracking code snippets enable you to monitor visitor behavior across multiple channels like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and so on. This feature lets you see exactly how many clicks came from each source and which sources drove the highest number of purchases.
11. Use responsive templates that adjust automatically based on device size. Mobile browsing accounts for nearly 70% of total internet activity worldwide, so it is crucial to develop an attractive mobile version of your website. Responsive templates adapt well to smartphones and tablets which increases usability significantly.
12. Create a sitemap outlining all major sections of your website. Sitemaps are helpful especially during redesign efforts. They outline all pages on your website and show crawlers precisely where to look for specific content.
13. Place your CTA buttons strategically throughout your site. Users should never encounter difficulties locating your call-to-action buttons. Placing them near the top of a page encourages visitors to engage with your content right away.
14. Focus on keeping your content fresh. Regular updates to old material may cause audiences to lose interest quickly unless you update regularly. However, updating rarely doesn't mean giving up completely. Rather, incorporate occasional changes into your content.
15. Be consistent with your messaging. Customers appreciate consistency and reliability. Maintain a steady stream of high-quality content and deliver it consistently.
Just follow our battle-tested guidelines and rake in the profits.