When done properly, affiliate marketing can be a highly effective way of monetizing your blog while at the same time enhancing it for your readers. In fact, as a blogger, it’s extremely important to market products that will not only give you a good financial return but will also bring added value to your audience. When choosing the right affiliate partnerships, there are plenty of factors to consider that go far beyond money. To help you approach affiliate marketing in the best way possible—for both you and your audience—here are some crucial things to take into account.
1. Industry relevance
First and foremost, any commercial activity on your site should be highly industry-relevant. Anything that doesn’t tie in with the theme of your blog will stick out like a sore thumb, and most likely not be of interest to your audience. Of course, the financial success of your affiliate marketing depends on your readers – without their clicks, you won’t make any money – so it makes sense to offer things that they can relate to. Whilst this may be more difficult if your blog covers a very specific topic, companies like affilinet enable you to find partnerships with large and niche brands alike, as you can search affiliate programs by industry –making it easier that slot in with your theme.
This is also important for maintaining a good relationship with your readers; if you start to feature irrelevant products in place of useful content, your readership will quickly dwindle. Instead, finding affiliate programs that actually offer value to your readers will enhance their experience on your blog whilst giving you the opportunity to make some money.
2. User experience
As already mentioned, user experience should always be at the forefront of any decision you make regarding your blog. In addition to finding affiliate partnerships that are relevant to your readers, it is also necessary to consider their experience once they actually click on a promotional link. When linking to an affiliate product, you are directing your readers – who trust you – to another site, so it’s important to make sure that these sites are up to scratch. Before endorsing any third parties, check out their website from a consumer’s perspective: is it safe and easy to use? Do they offer secure checkout? In short, is it a website you are happy to refer your readers to? The user’s experience on any site endorsed by you will automatically impact how they view your blog, so be sure to work with affiliates who can provide a satisfactory user experience.
3. Blogger integrity
One reservation that many bloggers have when it comes to affiliate marketing is about maintaining their blog’s integrity, and this is certainly something that needs to be considered. To ensure that affiliate links enhance your site rather than interfere with it, it is important to think not only about the types of brands you work with, but how you tie them in with your blog’s message. When looking at some of the most common mistakes made by new affiliate marketers, many of them concern the way in which the links are presented. Focus on guiding the reader rather than pushing for a click, and never simply list affiliate links; weave them into the regular content that your readers enjoy. As long as the links are surrounded with quality content, your blog needn’t turn into an obvious sales pitch, and you can continue to serve your readers whilst generating an income.