9 Free Traffic Sources for Affiliate Marketers
How to Build Your Following without Breaking Your Wallet
Here's the Quick Answer
When marketing your message to the world, start by choosing accessible traffic sources where everyone has the same chance of getting clicks.
9 Free Traffic Sources for Affiliate Marketers
No matter how long you have been in the business of affiliate marketing, one thing remains constant- traffic is key to your success. Without driving people to click on your affiliate links, it will be impossible to make any profits from them.
For newbie affiliate marketers, inadequate website traffic is the number one issue they face, followed by its low conversion rates. However, this should not be seen as an unconquerable obstacle!
Following the tips outlined in this post can help you understand how to generate more traffic that is both high-quality and tailored perfectly for affiliate linking. To get you started, I also share 10 of the top sources of traffic that can be used for affiliate marketing!
1. TikTok
TikTok is one of the most popular social media platforms in the world. At the time of writing this article, they are over 700 million active users on this platform . Content marketers and affiliates have found success by creating what TikTok calls lists and stories. The nature of these videos make them more likely to be watched. Obviously, this means there is a greater likelihood of viewers engaing with your content and clicking on a link that you've provided.
However, TikTok doesn't allow you to add direct links into your posts. But you can ask your audience to click the link in your bio. From there, you can take them to the pace you want quickly and easily.
Using this resource, you can easily connect with like-minded folks and join in conversations that get feedback…or just create exposure for your brand. You might even connect with a potential partner or even a sponsor that could help you grow your channel even further. The more you can “bump into” people that are in the same interest, the more you have potential for being seen and learning more about your niche. Networking with others in the same topics that you talk about, gives you opportunity to grow your awareness and your audience exponentially.
2. Organic Search
SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
If you have used the Internet for more than ten minutes you know that Google is the main powerhouse when it comes to searching for answers, solutions, products, services and basically anything else in the world.
It processes around 100,000 searches every second, which adds up to trillions of searches over the course of a year. Crafting content which is SEO-friendly can greatly benefit your traffic and monetary gains. Thus, it is highly recommended to make use of SEO practices while creating content. Up to three quarters of consumers turn to Google when they want to make a purchase, showing the immense power of search engine optimization. What's even more fascinating is that an article that has been properly optimized can still bring in leads and revenue for years after it was initially published.
However, only about 25% of Google searchers bother to look at any search results past the first page of listings. So if you want to get real traffic to your websites and offers, you have to make sure the content on your website is search engine optimized to the highest possible standard. But good SEO practices (search engine optimization) usually takes awhile for your site to reache the top section or first page of any search engine results. Of course, there are a lot of variables - especially depending on the keywords and key phrases serachers are typing into Google. Which of those word combinations will result in finding your listing is dependant on good your SEO strategy is.
Link building can be a tricky task when it comes to monetizing your blog and its content. Thankfully, there are ways to acquire links that don't require you to spend money - you just have to know how.
Here's how you can get quality links that help your content make money without having to shell out cash:
Creating informational hubs that generate backlinks can improve the visibility of your monetized pages, leading to higher rankings.
Linking from pages with high PageRank can help elevate the rank of your "money pages". This is because when you link to other pages on your site, Google may pass some authority to those pages, increasing their visibility and ranking in search engine results.
3. Twitter
Twitter is the first place most people go to find out about a global event, a new movie, or a funny meme. Even though only 262 million people are using this platform, it is one of the busiest places on the internet.
Unfortunately, Twitter users don’t want to be sold to; they want to have conversations with other people. People like funny posts, memes, and “hot takes” on the platform. Just putting up your link won’t be enough.
Using the summary large image Twitter card makes a large image to help promote the content behind the link. This picture needs to be the right size so that it doesn’t get cut off and should be interesting.
Twitter threads are another way to get the word out about affiliate links. Tweets that are linked together are called “threads.” If you put your link at the end of a Twitter thread instead of in the first tweet, the algorithm is more likely to promote your tweets, and people are more likely to share your ideas.
You can add links to your pinned Tweet and your bio so that more people will click on your profile when they find it. This lets you focus on writing interesting Tweets instead of promoting your links in every single one.
This way, you’ll get more people to follow you and you will be sending more people to your website.
4. Instagram
We often joke that if you want something hard enough, the Instagram algorithm will show it to you as an ad. It is very good at showing people what they want to see, which makes it a great place to reach your ideal audience.
The biggest issue is that so many people are on the platform that it has become crowded and hard to stand out. To become successful in affiliate marketing on Instagram, you must build influence instead of just throwing links out into the void.
You can use the same idea in a feed post, a story, a reel, and IGTV. On average, users must interact with a brand 6–8 times before converting. When you repeat the same message in different types of content, users are more likely to remember your offer when they are ready.
5. Pinterest
Pinterest has 450 million users that go there to find ideas and information they can “pin” to their virtual vision boards. About 60% of Pinterest users are women, but the gap is getting smaller as more young men use it. Additionally, nearly half of American households making over $100,000 a year are on Pinterest, meaning the average buying power is over $75,000 yearly.
But just because someone pins one of your posts doesn’t mean they plan to buy something from you. Most people who use Pinterest are looking for ideas instead of making purchases at the start of the buyer’s journey. You can use Pinterest to bring people into your affiliate marketing funnel and help them go from being inspired to being customers.
For example, a food blogger can make a list of affiliate links to Air Fryer tools that any reader might want. Then direct them to a landing page where these airfryers are being sold at a discount.
Pinterest Tip:
Use big, legible font and catchy headlines on your pins to get people to click on them and go to your offer’s landing page. From there, you can help them go from being inspired to taking action by sending them a series of emails that introduces them to your affiliate offer.
6. Quora, Forums and Q&A Sites
Quora is a busy question-and-answer site, and like Facebook, has numerous groups people can start, join and interact with. People in these topic groups often want help and/or offer suggestions, so it’s a great place for you to join in and provide your own solutions and suggestions - while including the occasional link within your content.
Of course, you will nee to ensure your links are related to the questions being asked and answered. You will want to play nice and follow the group’s rules in order to maintain your credibility. Remember that the purpose of Quora is to help other users, not to post random, self-serving links. Members are more likely to click on something that gives them some insight, background or answers their questions.
Forums and similar sites like Reddit and Facebook are excellent examples of level playing fields for sharing ideas and content because everyone has an equal opportunity to impress each other. Often these sites (like forums, for example) are designed so that the best content rises to the top.
Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Google Search are NOT level playing fields. Some people have tens of thousands of followers and high domain authority ratings, while youmay be just beginning to build your audience. If you only focus your outreach on larger mainstream channels, it will be hard to gain momentum.
7. YouTube
Youtube is the second most-used search engine. I don’t need to tell you who number one is, do I?…Here’s a hint: They OWN YouTube!
In order for you to make some noise on YouTube, you don’t need to be funny, talented, a genius or even highly skilled at producing video. Millions of simple videos by everyday folks that offer product reviews and basic tutorials are working well for gaining huge followings. The whole world loves watching videos, and that is not going to change anytime soon.
Unlike some other platforms, YouTube won’t punish your ranking or visibility if you are pasting your links into your video description. Of course you will want to keep in mind that many people are looking for useful videos and information that actually helps them. They’ll need a pretty solid reason to click your link and leave YouTube. The good news is that many viewers are often at the end of their buying journey since they are actively looking for a solution to a problem. This can often mean that they want a direct link to a product or service if it seems to answer their concern. This makes YouTube an amazing platform for finding and reaching your target audience.
YouTube Tips:
Obviously, Clickthrough rates on YouTube videos can vary based on content, niche, audience and other factors, but many marketers try to get between 4-5%. You can improve click-through rates and conversions by doing things like:
Use call-to-actions (CTAs) in your video to remind people to click on the links in your bio.
Add visual cards and end screens with calls to action like “Link in description” to your video.
Link to a special offer or lead magnet to get email addresses for your email list.
8. Reddit
If you’re not familiar with Reddit, it is basically a social media platform that’s made up of multiple forums where people can talk about their interests in real-time. Unlike other platforms, discussions on Reddit don’t get lost very often. All of the posts are saved and easy to find with search engines (sometimes Reddit threads even appear on the first search results page).
It’s a great place to get people to visit your website, but you should be careful. Reddit users are very skeptical. Everyone can see what you’ve posted, so if you keep posting the same link, you might be kicked out of some threads.
Most of your value should be in the post itself, and relevant links should be put at the end as a citation. Before you talk about your offer, try to be a great community member.
9. Email Marketing
I've saved the best for last.
Email is probably the most powerful marketing tool you can have in your arsenal.
But there is a catch: you have to actually HAVE an email list to send to.
Once you have a following of subscribers - people who want to receive information from you - it can be your most imprtant business asset.
I once sent a single email broadcast to a portion of my list. It was sent to around 25,000 subsribers. That single email returned over $4,000 in affiliate commissions over the next 48 hours. The email was simply about a product I was recommedning that I thought my readers would like to look at. And they did.
But that was only possible because I had been building that list over months or years and gaining trust and building a relationship with those subscribers.
Once you have such an asset, email marketing can be a breath of fresh air if you’re tired of keeping up with algorithm changes. Your email list is something that you own and can use almost whenever your want.
Also, readers are open to hearing from a brand or person they have already done business with or received good information from - someone they trust - through email.
But how do you get started building that kind of following? This usually means getting people to follow you on a different platform (like social media or a blog) first and then getting them into your community by offereing a lot of great content, help and information that solves their problems.
It’s pretty simple to create landing pages and capture forms that grab their contact details in exchange for access to a download, ebook, software or video. Once people are on your email list, you can promote links to other content or even include links and access within the free content itself.
Email Marketing Tips:
Once you have set up a landing page with a free offer to entice subscribers, spend time making a value-packed welcome series of emails. Give them reason to trust you to want more form you.
Do more giving away of valuable information long before you try to “sell” them anything. You can point them to relevant links - whether or not those links provide you with revenue.
Your initial welcome series of email messages should be like a mini-course that shows them solutions, answers, help and how to use your recommendations, products or services to reach their goals.
Conclusion
When marketing your message to the world, start by choosing accessible traffic sources where everyone has the same chance of getting clicks.
One of the great things about Internet Marketing is that you don’t need much money to get noticed. Even if you’re new to creating content, you can get your foot in the door by using the tips and suggestions in this article above. When it comes to building an audience and, eventually, making money, patience and persistence go a long way. No matter what platform you use, spend time getting to know your audience so you can give them what they want .
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