As affiliates trying to make a living, it’s hard to not put your time and energy into those products and services that stand to convert the best and make the most money. This is especially true when we’re talking about products and services that do not necessarily meet your own standards, whether environmental standards or just straight up morals.
So then, how does one earn revenue from affiliate marketing while staying true to one’s ideals and ethics?
The short answer is to learn affiliate marketing – the tools of the trade. While there are some differences in affiliate marketing, depending on the products you are promoting, the essential tools are the same.
The longer answer to this question is putting these tools to use – the workload.
There is no denying that earning affiliate income takes work and patience. We all should know by now that “get rich quick” schemes are precisely what they say they are….schemes. If you want to make it at affiliate marketing without selling out to promote easy products with unethical promotion techniques, you need to get educated the right way.
Certainly, there is a lot of information online to help you get started. Another option are affiliate conventions, such as the Affiliate Summit that took place in early January. One of the great things about affiliate conventions is that 1) they offer great educational seminars, covering everything from search engine optimization tips to monetizing social media; and 2) Provide a great forum for networking and making business connections.
One of the discussions at Affiliate Summit (West) was geo-targeted SEO, i.e., making the most out of localized search results. For an eco-minded affiliate marketer, this could be a way of drawing less competitive, niche traffic and converting potential local sales into online sales.
As an eco affiliate, there’s more than just affiliate marketing summits to broaden your reach. I remember my first convention was the Washington DC Green Fest, which had nothing to do with affiliate marketing. However, using the little affiliate marketing knowledge I had at the time, I was able to find some merchants in attendance with affiliate programs in place. I also made good connections with several non-profits, which I later did some link exchanges with (good SEO).
Little did I know that less than one year later when I attended the New York City Green Expo and ran into a merchant I first made contact with at the DC Green Fest, that it would result in a $150 commission!
You just don’t know unless you go! If you make the effort, do the work (which yes, includes follow-ups), stay positive and patient, you will earn some cash from eco affiliate marketing. You won’t be able to quit your day job overnight, but if you stick at it and look for ways to grow and expand, you will be headed in that direction.
