Learn More About Affiliate Marketing - PART 2

Welcome back, lovely readers in Wealthy Affiliate :)

This Blog is a continuity of my other Blog which titled:
Learn More About Affiliate Marketing - PART 1

Before you read this Blog, make sure that you have read the Introduction and PART 1
Here is the link . . .

https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/hansenlin/blog/int...
https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/hansenlin/blog/lea...

Back in PART 1
We have discussed some points about how to differentiate Affiliate Marketing, to help you remember what points we have discussed, here is the list:

To differentiate Affiliate Marketing, we can use several points of view which are :

• Attachment to Offers
• Source of Offers
• Verticals
• Traffic Sources
• Marketing Strategies

Without further ado, let's start the content ;)

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C. Verticals

If you are an active Affiliate Marketer or maybe just newbie that has registered to a place called as Affiliate Network, I'm sure you often find these 2 terms "niches" and "verticals". Many affiliates don't realize the difference and just use the terms interchangeably, this can cause a serious problem to your Affiliate Marketing business. In order to have a well plan marketing strategies, you as an affiliate have to understand the difference between vertical and niche.

Then, what is a vertical or niche? And why is it so important to understand it?

To understand this, you have to imagine a structural concept of an Industry/Company. We will take an example of SAMSUNG brand, which plays a big role in Technology or Electronics, SAMSUNG has created many products categories such as Smartphones, Laptops, Refrigerator, Washing Machine, etc. In Smartphone category, SAMSUNG has several types such as Galaxy Note, Tablet, Duos, etc. Now, take a look at this example:

SAMSUNG Brand = Industry = Affiliate Marketing business

Technology or Electronic = Main Topic = Verticals

Smartphones or Laptops = Categories = Niches

Galaxy Note/Tablet/Duos = Specific product = Sub-Niches

Sometimes you might find it quite confusing, but nevertheless you can also try to understand it using a Tree analogy. If you pay attention, a Tree will always have only 1 main trunk - this is Vertical, and then there will be branches coming out of the trunk - this is Niche, each branch will have several leafs - this is sub-Niche.

I hope that Wealthy Affiliate readers can understand this :)

Now, we get to the question why is it so important to understand this?
If you have read my Blog about the important factor for success in Affiliate Marketing, I did mention that the Key is FOCUS.

Read it here https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/hansenlin/blog/imp...

In order for you to Focus on what you are marketing and do it as optimal as possible, you have to know the boundary and the options that you have. And by understanding the difference between Vertical and Niche, you will be able to do that.

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D. Traffic Sources

One of the main components in Affiliate Marketing business, without this, all of us will be doomed and there will be no more Affiliate Marketing. Crazy huh? Well, that's the truth.

In internet, anything that can help others to go to someone websites or create link can be considered as traffic source.

In real world, traffic sources are roads with direction signs.

Google Adwords, Facebook Ads, Bit.ly, Search Engine, etc, are examples of traffic sources.

Basically, we can divide these gigantic traffic into two (2) main category:

1. Paid Traffic Source
2. Free Traffic Source

I'm sure you have realize what it means by looking at its name, right? Paid means you have to spend money to use it, while Free means you can use it without spending a penny. So if we take an example here, posting your website link in Facebook status is the same as using a Free traffic source. And posting a banner that link to your Website in Facebook Ads is the same as using a Paid traffic source.

Inside those two (2) categories, there are still lots of types of traffic source, such as

1. Search Traffic
2. Pay per Click
3. Pay per View
4. Email
5. Articles
6. Press release
7. Videos
8. Many other...

Very well, some of you might wonder how to access and use these traffic sources. But I'm not going to mention and explain everything here. It will be better to put each of that later in Training sections.

The main purpose of this Blog is to help you grasp the concept and understand it.

You can PM me for further assistance.

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E. Marketing Strategy

The last but not least, when you have understand about the concept of Affiliate Marketing, you have to be able to decide which kind of marketing is best suited you.

Before I start writing about the Marketing Strategy, let's summarize the concept of Affiliate Marketing which I have shared to you.

In order to run a campaign:

Pick Offer > Create Marketing Material > Do Marketing > Earn Revenue

That's a simple schematic of what we will do.

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Now, let me show how to create a marketing strategy

1. Decide What Kind of Affiliate / Marketer You Want to be?
(read attachments to offer)

2. Then Decide Where to Get Offers
If you pick unattached type - then you better go for Indirect Affiliate (find a Network)
If you pick related type - then use both Direct & Indirect Affiliate
If you pick involved type - then use only Direct Affiliate
(read source of offer)

3. Focus on a Vertical!
At this step, you have to realize whether you want to pick a HOT PROFITABLE vertical or go with your PASSION. You don't have to worry about which is better, since all veritcals can always make profit for you, in the end it still depends on your skill to market it.
Whatever the kind of vertical you pick, just make sure you STAY FOCUS!!!

You may add or change your niche, but make sure to stay in the same Vertical that you have picked since the beginning of time. Especially if you are a newbie.

#Trying new things in Affiliate Marketing won't help you to get success
#In Affiliate Marketing we CREATE success NOT TRY TO FIND success

4. Create Your Marketing Material
This is the most trickiest step of all, there are so many types of marketing material which I can't mentioned here. Just to make it clear, in Wealthy Affiliate, our main marketing material is a Website. However marketing material won't end just like that, there are many types of website, a review site, an offer site, forums, etc etc etc. And then there are also designs, procedurals, etc which all can give impact to your Affiliate Marketing business.

5. Make Use of Traffic Sources
Honestly, there are still so many things that I want to share with you all about Affiliate Marketing strategy. Unfortunately, I can't just give it all at a time since it will become a BIG MASS for your brain and eventually not being helpful anymore (overload infromation) LOL.. So, let's just stick to a simple explanation :D

To use the best of traffic source for optimal marketing activity, there are several points you have to check.

1. Your Budget
2. Your Skills
3. Your Knowledge
4. Type of Affiliate
5. Kind of Verticals
6. Offers avg conversion
7. Offers avg revenue
8. Offers geo
9. Marketing material
10. Angles
11. etc etc etc...

It seems complicated, but it is not if you have understand it later on.
(PS: those points are just information for you right now, no need to pay attention to that)

Back to the strategy, I have to tell you that each traffic source always have its advantage and disadvantage, some traffic sources may work much better in some specific offers but not even working at all for other offers.

Keep in mind that in Wealthy Affiliate, all of us have been taught to do SEO which mean FREE traffic source. This is all good if you want to stick with it, but just in case you want to boost your traffic, spend some money on paid traffic source such as Google Adwords is a great option.

THE END - Learn More About Affiliate Marketing

Thank you so much for reading my Blogs post, I hope it can be a helpful resource for all of you and eventually help you to create your own success story. I do realize there are so many lacking information in my Blogs, feel free to comment and I would really appreciate a "like" here . . .

Have a nice day!

Best regard,

Hanson