The challenge of affiliating…
It’s a natural. Right? While you’re striving to hit the Bestseller list, you still need to eat and pay the bills.
One way to fill the coffee coffer is by affiliating with companies like Amazon to earn commissions on sales made through your links.
To affiliate is to band together to promote their products throughout your posts by way of links. When the reader clicks and buys through your link, you get a portion of the sale. Sounds perfectly simple. But is it?
Here’s some challenges with affiliating I’ve faced:
- Most companies require you have a hefty minimum number of subscribers before you can join up. But not all.
- If you spirit off a reader of your blog through a link to another shop, you’ve lost them in your store. Did they buy something through your link while they were gadding about? Probably not. Here’s why…
- According to mycustomer.com, 90% of consumers shop around before buying online. Yet, according to Finder.com, 88.6% will impulse buy… if you hit their sweet spot.
- When the decision to buy is finally made, does your customer come back to your site and order the product through your link? Or do they go right to the website, bypassing you? Cookie (memory that your link brought them in) duration varies. What’s your own practice?
- Applying for; setting up; blogging about and keeping track of affiliate links is time consuming. What’s your priority? Writing and selling your own books or other people’s merchandise?
Is there a way to make money as an affiliate while writing?
Yes! But you may have to put your own work on the back burner while you’re focusing on applying for; setting up; blogging about and keeping track of your affiliate links. Why? Because you’ll have to put all your creativity into finding the listeners and writing the winning blogs.
On the plus side, it certainly never hurts to spread your name around as a credible, capable writer while you’re writing for others… Before your prose hit the market. Hint: Don’t write for others under another pseudonym. Post with the name your book will shout. It’s free advertising.
And while we’re on the subject, there’s a website (at least one) that touts the 30 best affiliate programs for writers. But ask your search engine for the link when we’re finished here. I don’t want to send you away before I refer you to my own latest book… It’s available now in eBook, print, and in audiobook.
It’s a cozy mysterious misadventure about 3 old ladies with 3 obnoxious husbands that die on the same day. Did the 3 old ladies murder them? Or what?
Is it foolish to affiliate to make money?
Not at all! I have read and heard of people making a very fine living partnering to promote other’s products. But while you’re promoting other’s products do include shouts for your own Bestseller in the making.
Think about it…
P.S. In case you missed it, click the link to glom onto your copy of my latest book. Then we’re almost done here. Just a couple of very important notices… Until next time…
Cheers!
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