The One Affiliate Program You Should Look Into Right Now
Affiliate marketing can prove to be a very lucrative income stream for mompreneurs regardless of where you are in your business journey. In fact, around here, it pays a good share of the bills. If you own an online business you can easily make extra money in the form of commissions for selling other people's products. All you have to do is select and join relevant affiliate programs, then set up dedicated links to different products and services on the web. When someone signs up through your affiliate link, you get a small cut of their revenue. That can add up quickly. Sounds easy, right? It is once you know what you're doing. One of the things that hold so many people back from making some side cash is the downright overwhelming number of affiliate marketing programs out there. With so many to choose from it can get confusing in a hurry - and that leads to inaction. To help you get started, here's the straight skinny on how to make real money using one of our favorite affiliate programs:
What is affiliate marketing?
Affiliate marketing is a way to earn passive income; that is earnings from sources other than your active (work) and your portfolio (investment) income. This strategy is designed to bring additional income in the back door as you're out there earning a living, managing your home, and living the good life. And who doesn't need more of that?
Why Sell Someone Else's Stuff?
It's simple, really...
It's a great sales tactic, even if (especially if!) you've already got your own digital products for sale. Adding a handful of relevant programs that complement your stash serves to further serve your audience as you offer them exactly what they've come to you looking for.
What to look for in an affiliate marketing program:
Notoriety - Make sure the company is reputable, trusted, and familiar to others. Quality offerings - Their products should offer lots of benefits and value to your buyers. An Easy Sell - Choose something niche specific that meets the needs of your right people and the items will virtually sell themselves. Reliability - Look for companies with a track record. Longevity makes it more likely that you'll be paid on time and can rely on the company for help in the event anything comes up before or after a sale.
Our favorite affiliate program (and why)
As far as I'm concerned, Ultimate Bundles is hands down the best affiliate program out there. It hits all the marks and is always a huge hit with buyers. Plus it's insanely thorough training program will help you with all of your affiliate sales programs. This well-known platform was hatched in 2013 by two brilliant mompreneurs, Stephanie Langford and Erin Odom. The idea is pretty ingenious. (Not gonna lie, I really wish I had thought of it!)
THE CONCEPT
The team hand selects courses, programs, ebooks, tools, and bonuses relating to a particular topic. They bundle them all together for one low price and offer them all to buyers at a deep discount, usually 90-98% less than what it would cost to buy them individually. For affiliates, it's an unbelievably easy sell and a great way to make money just for recommending something you believe in that you know will help your right people.
THE CATCH
These bundles are always done in the form of a flash sale. In other words, they're offered at a deep discount for a very limited time (usually a week), and then they're retired. This small buying window creates a sense of urgency for buyers to grab the deal while it's available, or risk losing out forever.
THE RESOURCES
UB offers a premier training program by providing you with absolutely everything you need to know to get started and succeed. From sample swipe copy to ready-made graphics, it's a marketer's dream. Promotional banners and buttons are located in a compact Dashboard. You’ll also find covers and product images for each of the products in the bundle, logos and product images for the bonus offers, along with logos, icons and other brand materials. Every approved affiliate has full and instant access to all training tools, including:
The Tools
1. Bundle WebinarsEach time a new bundle launches, so too does an informational webinar to help train affiliates on the products included and on how to best position themselves for success. Join in at the end and ask any questions you may have. If you can't make the live webinar, you'll be able to access the replay time and again. 2. Bundle PlannerA series of planning and tracking worksheets including: √ Bundle Prep Checklist√ Bundle Marketing Resources√ 3-Week Planning Calendar√ Post Schedule√ Email Schedule√ Expense Tracking Sheet√ Income Tracking Sheet 3. SMART Goal and Action PlannerUse this worksheet to set goals for your bundle participation—whether it’s clicks, earnings, social media growth, etc.—and a plan for achieving them. 4. Bundle Marketing 101This detailed 34-page guide walks you through everything you need to know to plan and promote your campaign. 5. Increasing Sales by Increasing Conversions & ClicksAnother comprehensive guide. Inside it shares how to: √ Optimize for Conversions√ Establish Trust√ Cast a Compelling Vision√ Identify and Remove Perceived Barriers√ Guide Your Tribe to Take Action√ Optimize for Clicks√ Increase Overall Traffic to Your Site√ Increase Visibility to the Bundle Sale 6. + More WebinarsTopics include:
- Email Marketing
- Blogging Strategy
- Social Media Marketing
- How To Use Advanced Affiliate Links
- Advanced Affiliate Links provide you with a more detailed way to see what's working (and what isn't) by allowing you to track the individual performance of specific posts, emails, and social media posts. Just use a separate link in each of your promotions, then track their performance on your Infusionsoft dashboard to help you maximize your efforts on those that are the most effective.
- Top Affiliate Interviews
- Gain insights and affiliate strategy from some of the company's top sellers to see how they made it big selling Ultimate Bundles. 7. A Dedicated Facebook group for authors and affiliatesJoin other affiliates and authors to ask questions, get inspiration, sales and marketing ideas, and network. 8. A DiscountAffiliates are able to purchase the bundle at 40% off, or earn a free bundle based on their sales total. Purchase under your own link to get the discount. So that's it. Our favorite affiliate program. We make hundreds of dollars promoting Ultimate Bundles each and every time they're released. We only choose those that we think will really help our fans and followers. Because when it comes right down to it, the best businesses are the ones who offer the most VALUE. And what could be more valuable that 95%+ off top rated programs in your marketplace? We're hard-pressed to come up with an answer. I want to make it clear that this article is not a paid endorsement, but rather an honest review of a program we love to the moon and back because of it's insanely fantastic training program, its ease of use, and its return potential. Click here to learn more and sign up to become an Ultimate Bundles affiliate and start learning AND earning. You can thank me later. ;)