Affiliate marketing is the most popular way for travel bloggers to monetize their blogs and bring in some additional income. However, affiliate marketing requires patience as well as knowledge if you want to truly reap its benefits. The following are some crucial affiliate marketing tips for travel bloggers.
Tip: Know the difference between affiliates
- Pay per click marketing allows you to make money every time someone clicks on the affiliate marketing link.
- Pay per performance allows you to make money every time someone clicks on the affiliate marketing link and makes a purchase; you will make a percentage of each sale.
- Pay per sale works the same way as pay per performance, except you make a fixed amount.
- Pay per lead allows you to make money for every lead, such as completing a form, signing up for a newsletter, and so on.
Tip: Keep an eye on your performance and negotiate accordingly
If your affiliate marketing performance is going strong, you may have room to negotiate better rates and commissions. Keep a sharp eye on your stats and if they go up enough, start the negotiations.
Tip: Check out merchant programs for better commission rates
PPC is the most common type of affiliate marketing, but commission rates are usually low. If you want better commission rates, look for merchant or affiliate programs that will offer higher commission rates than a standard affiliate.
Tip: Use contextual affiliate links for better performance
Readers are more likely to click on affiliate links or banners if they are provided with solid context rather than being presented as a flat advertisement. For example, if your affiliate is selling travel water bottles, you can create context for the affiliate link by bringing up a travel story where you were glad to have that brand’s water bottle on hand. Organic, context-friendly affiliate linking will be received more positively by your readers.
