How to Make Money with the Right Affiliate Marketing Programs

Wondering which affiliate marketing programs can help you make money? Here are the things you need to choose the best program for your affiliate business.

(SALEM, Ore.) - Starting an affiliate business isn’t as easy as just linking to a product or service that you think can help the people who read your blog.

The business that sells the product has to operate an affiliate marketing program in return – otherwise your link won’t generate revenue when clicked. If you’re wondering how how you can make money by choosing the right program, you’ve come to the right place.

Company vs. Network

There are two main types of affiliate marketing programs: you can work directly with the company that sells the product, or you can work with an affiliate business network.

If you only plan to promote specific brands or companies that you like, then you may find it easier to go directly to the company’s affiliate page and go from there.

However, if you want to have a variety of options and you want to set up an affiliate business fast, working with a network allows you to quickly apply for multiple affiliate marketing programs.

What is Your Site Suited for?

If you run a general news site that covers a variety of topics, then you may be able to cast a wide net and use many affiliate marketing programs to make money. However, if your site addresses a very specific audience – such as a blog written by and for fashion enthusiasts – then you’ll want to stick to endorsements for products that make sense to the audience.

Choose affiliate marketing programs for designer labels, or fashion outlets, rather than extending your affiliate business to include fitness equipment or home repair warehouses.

Do You Want to Control the Appearance of the Ads?

Some affiliate marketing programs require that affiliate business owners use pre-designed ads that the company has created. This may be fine for some; others may wish to have customizable options to fit their site design, message, or theme.

If, for example, you’ve chosen to make money by promoting an app designer who makes a great shopping app for your fashion readers – will the designer allow you to only display ads for their shopping app, or will they also require that you display ads for their gaming apps?

Technical Details

There are some technical details that need to be hashed out before you make money with a specific program.

Does the affiliate program have their own tracking software, or will you be responsible for tracking your clicks and leads with your own affiliate software? How does the program pay, and how do they handle refunds?

Does the program disallow certain types of marketing, or will they provide logos, images, slogans, and other materials for advertisements?

Program Requirements

Finally, you’ll need to be sure that you meet all the requirements of the affiliate program that you’re interested in. Most will require that you have a website that is at least functioning, if not well-designed.

Your site will also have to comply with certain terms and conditions for most affiliate programs, and you’ll also have to have the proper tax identification for your country (such as a Social Security Number).

Making money for a site you already run, using subtle marketing for products that you know your audience could truly find useful, is a great way to add value to your site for both you and your readers.

Taking the time to decide what you are looking for in an affiliate program, and doing a bit of research into the types of keywords that bring readers to your site, can help you find exactly the right program for your site.