Amazon Affiliate Program is a fast-rising affiliate program that enables site and blog owners to monetize their blogs. With Amazon Associates Program, online marketers can also earn a commission by promoting Amazon products.
NOTE Be Sure When Working With The Amazon Affiliate Program:
- Have A Amazon Affiliate Disclosure / Disclaimer
- Never Cloak Your Links / Always Use Raw Links
- Always Use A Direct To Product Link
According to Business Insider, Amazon has a valuation of $365 billion; the valuation is higher than that of Wal-Mart, Macy’s, Best Buy, JCPenney, Macy’s, Kohl’s and Sears combined. In 2017, Amazon generated a revenue of $177.9 billion, which makes its affiliate program attractive to many small businesses. It also experienced a growth of 27.8%, making it one of the top growing companies globally.
Getting started with Amazon Affiliate Program is easier as you only need to amazon affiliate link sign up and receive approval from the corporation. After getting approval, you’ll be able to create Amazon affiliate links for your site. Now, if a customer purchases a product via your link, you’ll get a commission- it’s effortless.
But how do I get started with the Amazon Affiliate Program?
It’s the question in the minds of many blog and site owners and online marketers who want to earn income online by advertising Amazon products. Our guide gives you a step by step on becoming an Amazon affiliate?
What is the Amazon Affiliate Program?
The Amazon Affiliate Program, also known as Amazon associates, is an affiliate marketing concept that lets bloggers and business owners earn from marketing Amazon products. It is free and requires only one to create links to Amazon products on their sites. When a customer clicks the link and buys a product from Amazon, the blogger will earn some commission from the sale. The commission is known as referral fees, and Amazon pays these bloggers.
Amazon Affiliate Program is global, and any blogger or site owner can join. Besides, it grants access to a myriad of useful tools such as analytics and marketing that enables you to increase the chances of earning higher.
Becoming an Amazon Affiliate
1. Create a blog or website
Before joining the Amazon affiliate program, you must have a functional blog, site, app, or YouTube channel. If your site is active with huge loads of traffic, then you’ll have an easier time marketing Amazon products. It’s also good to have a website that is pre-populated with content as Amazon and other users will see it easier and authentic.
If you have a website, you’re good to proceed to the next step, but if you don’t have one, then you’ll easily create a free one from WordPress or get a third-party website builder. Also, remember to have a purpose, niche, and audience as Amazon requires you to fill it during the application. You should also have a plan of getting followers in your site as well as any other advertisements and affiliate listings in your website.
2. Visit Amazon’s Affiliate Program Site to Create Your Affiliate Account
Visit Amazon’s affiliate program site to get started. Click the “Join Free” tab that is on the upper right of your screen. After clicking the key, Amazon will prompt you to log in to your Amazon account. If you have an existing Amazon account, proceed to log in, but if you don’t have one, then continue to create before proceeding.
With Amazon login, you can use an existing Amazon account or create one. Especially if you are going to use the Amazon account primarily for the associate’s program, then create a new account.
If you don’t have an Amazon account or want to create one, then click the “am a new customer,” then enter your details to proceed. These include your name, email address, and password that are prerequisites for creating an Amazon account. After indicating your details, click the “sign in using our secure server” and proceed to Amazon.
3. Proceed to the Amazon associates profile
After signing up for your account, click the “New customer” tab and begin to build your account portfolio.
i. Enter your account information
Enter your account information that includes the name, phone number, and address of the payee.
ii. Enter your website address
Enter the address of your website or YouTube channel
iii. Enter your store ID
Your store ID is primarily the same as the website name. Choose your preferred ID. Next, explain in detail to Amazon the mission and vision of your site (what your site hopes to achieve). Also, select the Amazon topics or niches that your website will likely cover.
While describing your site, its best that you fill as much information as possible for your site; much-detailed and accurate information increases your chances of being accepted to the Amazon affiliate program. Also, remember that Amazon will reject your application if your site doesn’t have at least 50% original content. So you should have a unique aspect that you are offering to your readers. Finally, indicate the products that you want to advertise on your site. It’s best to go for the expensive items in product categories that easily fits your site. For instance, if you are running a health and fitness blog, then it’s best to go for the workout equipment such as cable rows, rowing machines, and treadmills.
iv. Enter Your Contact Information
After filling in the details, your next task is to input your phone number and press “Call Me Now.” Amazon will call you immediately and ask you to put a four-digit code to a code bar on your screen. Once you input the right code, you’ll complete the steps, and Amazon will approve your account.
v. Select A Payment Method
After verifying your phone number, the screen will redirect you to a newer page where you’ll select a payment method, choose between a bank transfer, gift cards, or checks. You can enter your credit card information and tax ID on the page right there or later.
vi. Start creating Amazon Affiliate Links
Once you create an Amazon associates account, you’ll be redirected to your Associate homepage account. In the account, there is a myriad of tools such as the dashboard tab (where you can view your earnings, overview, monthly summary, and number of clicks).
The associate account is also where you’ll create Amazon links. To create an Amazon affiliate link:
1. Navigate to “Quick Links” in your homepage. Select either “Search for Product” or “Browse for a product.”
2. The “Search for product” option allows you to search for a product by using a product keyword
3. The “Browse for product” option allows you to look for a product using the product categories such as “Health and fitness,” “Books,” and “Health and beauty.”
4. After getting a relevant product, click the “Get Link” tab to generate its link
5. You can customize your link with texts, images, and widgets.
6. Depending on the link you can customize the image size, title color, and background color
7. Preview the link to ensure it’s flawless and attractive before posting to your site
8. Copy the link and place it on your site.
vii. Share Your Links On Your Website and Social Media
Once you generate your Amazon referral links, share it on your site posts on social media. Look for products that you know your friends and family may be interested in then share their links in the platforms. Ensure your affiliate link is in every post so that you’ll earn a referral bonus for every purchase via your link.
viii. Improve Your Application Plan and Re-Submit
Study your notification to read and understand why Amazon rejected your application. You can then make improvements to your website so that your request to join Amazon’s associated program will be approved.
After completing the steps, Amazon will activate your account for 180 days in which you’ll be required to at least make one sale. If you fail to make a single sale during the 180 days, then Amazon will close your account.
Pros and Cons of the Amazon Associates Program
Pros
1. Amazon is the most popular and highly-visited marketplace that people shop every day
2. It’s free to join the program
3. There are thousands of products you can market in your site
4. The program has no traffic thresholds that are prerequisites for joining
5. The program has an excellent reporting system that tracks the number of clicks and sells you make per link
6. Even if your visitors do not buy the item that linked them to Amazon, you’ll still earn a commission if they purchase something from the visit
7. The program also facilitates direct bank deposits
8. Amazon has a good and reliable customer care service, so you don’t have to worry about losing your customers when they get low-quality damaged items
9. Amazon has a myriad of useful tools that enable you to market products from a certain category
Cons
1. Amazon Affiliate Program offers low commission rates when compared to a bounty of other affiliate programs. It offers a 6-10% commission compared to other sites that offer up to 15% commission.
2. Their cookies last for 24 hours. Therefore, if your referral doesn’t buy the product within 24 hours, you’ll not get the commission. However, if a customer adds the item to the cart then the cookies last for 90 days, so if the customer buys within 90 days, then you’ll get a referral.
3. The affiliate link does not allow you to send email messages with Amazon referral links. Emails are a great way to interact with your readers, and therefore, the restriction is a great disappointment to many.
4. It supports only three payment methods; Direct deposits, checks, and Amazon Gift cards. It does not support PayPal
5. In case you own a US site that promotes Amazon products, then if your referrals buy the item via Amazon UK, you’ll not receive a commission.
6. Its minimum withdrawal amount is $100 which is a huge milestone for sites making a few dollars each month
How to Promote your Amazon Links?
There are numerous ways in which you can promote your affiliate links to earn more commissions. These include:
1. Blogging
Blogging is the most popular way in which Amazon’s affiliates attract potential customers. Some bloggers write about general topics, while others have a specific niche they cover.
To start with blogging, you’ll need to have a topic and write about a topic. Whether its providing advice for your readers on how to get some products or directly reviewing products, blogging remains effective in the Amazon affiliate program. For instance, if you are a food blogger, then you’ll link your readers to the best cooking tools. On the other hand, if you are a photography blogger, then you’ll link your readers to the best cameras and their accessories. You can also write product reviews directly and link them to Amazon.
2. Social Media
Social media is one of the most important tools for promoting your Amazon affiliate links. With social media networks, you can reach a larger audience. Besides, most social media platforms are free, and a simple tweet or post could earn you the next referral. But when you post in these platforms, ensure you tell your readers they are affiliate links as they can be annoyed when you are not transparent.
3. YouTube Videos
With YouTube, you can offer the same content as on blogs. The advantage of YouTube videos is you can give your viewers tours, tutorials, and interesting visual content that will make your video promotions more effective.
4. Lead Magnet and Email
The majority of the successful affiliate marketers have an email marketing system and a site that works as a pair. They send promotional emails to their potential customers with links that redirect them to the sites that contain Amazon links. The promotional technique is quite effective. The emails, in this case, act as the lead magnet, contains a series of useful tips and guides that attract the customers.
5. Integrating Amazon with Your Existing Business
You can also integrate Amazon with your business to attract more customers to click your referral links. For instance, if you are a healthcare expert, you can recommend your customers to Amazon products that have beneficial effects. You’ll only need to give them the affiliate links, and you’ll be good to go.
Amazon’s affiliate program is one of the great ways to make money with your site or YouTube channel. It’s a great platform and also gives you many advantages including being able to offer real solutions to your readers. It takes time to establish yourself in the niche, but as long as you offer valid solutions, then earning big from the program will not take long.
Amazon Affiliate Disclosure / Disclaimer