How to Create a Successful Amazon Affiliate Marketing Strategy

You know, it’s possible to make money from Amazon without being a seller in the marketplace. That’s the whole point of Amazon Affiliate Marketing.

You may also know of it as Amazon Associates. This program is designed to help you generate passive income via Amazon links.

It’s a great chance for content creators to get a commission from Amazon. And all it takes is to share links that lead back to the marketplace!

Below, we’ll review what you need to know about Amazon Associates. Plus, we’ll also explore how to do affiliate marketing with Amazon.

Let’s dive right in.

What is Amazon Affiliate Marketing?

Affiliate marketing helps online creators monetize their own web traffic. It’s about creating and advertising product links in exchange for a commission. However, affiliates can only earn a fee once a user clicks on the link.

You can divide affiliate marketing into 3 categories:

1. Pay-per-sale. Seller pays affiliates for each sale coming from their links.
2. Pay-per-click. Affiliates earn a fee once a user clicks on the link.
3. Pay-per-lead. Earn commissions on every lead an affiliate generates for sellers.

Datanyze states that there are 55 businesses creating Affiliate technology. The most important of these is Amazon Associates.

Source: Amazon Associates

The program was launched in 1998 as a pay-per-sale model. Back then it was harder to make a profit from affiliate links. But Amazon’s come a long way since then.

Amazon Associates is now the largest affiliate network out there. According to Datanyze, the program holds 46% of the market share in its field.

Related content: How to Acquire an Affiliate Business

How Does Amazon Associates Work?

Associates build unique shopping links, which they then attach to their content. The goal is to use said links to lead users into Amazon.

In return, Amazon gives a fixed referral fee for each click on the affiliate link.

Once a user clicks on your link, they automatically store a cookie on their device. This is what helps Amazon track the clicks back to you, over a 24-hour period. 

Amazon will grant you referrals once customers click on the link and buy a product. So, as you get more clicks, you boost the chances to earn more on commissions

Note that your affiliate links will make a profit until the cookie expires. However, the 24-hour window gets refreshed each time the same user clicks on your affiliate link.

What is the Amazon Affiliate Commission Rate?

So how much do Amazon affiliates get paid? ZipRecruiter states that the US average salary for Amazon Associates is $55,434 per year.

As of May 2022, that sum amounts to $27 per hour, $1,066 per week, or $4,620 per month.

Affiliate marketing profits depend on a few factors. For example: audience size, engagement rate, or niche targeting.

You should also consider Amazon’s commissions for affiliate links. These rates vary greatly, depending on the product category.

Fixed Standard Commission Income Rates for Amazon Associates

Source: Amazon Associates

You can choose to receive commissions in one of three ways:

1. Deposit. Amazon will deposit commissions over $10 into your bank account.
2. Cheque. The marketplace can deliver a cheque for referrals over $100. Just make sure your mailing address is up to date.
3. Gift Cards. Once you have over $10 in referrals, Amazon may send gift cards to your email.

Make sure you consult the commission rates before setting up your links. This way, you’ll figure out an estimated profit, depending on your audience’s engagement.

Profits may start off on the low side. But in time, your Amazon affiliate marketing game will turn into a solid income source.

Related content: How to Make Money by Selling on Twitter

How to Do Affiliate Marketing with Amazon

The sign-up process for the Amazon Affiliate program is quite simple:  

1. Go to the Amazon Associates website.
2. Click on Sign Up and fill in your account data.

3. Submit your site’s URL, and the store ID you’ll sync up with Amazon Associates.
4. Explain what your website is about, and who your target audience is.

Source: Shopify

5. State your means to draw traffic in, how you generate revenue, and build links. Also state your monthly visitors.
6. Submit a payment option and your tax data.

Source: Shopify

That’s it! You’ll now access your very own Amazon Affiliate dashboard. Here, you can create affiliate links to share them with your followers.

Note: New affiliates have 180 days to help Amazon make a sale. If customers don’t use your affiliate links to buy within that period, Amazon will close your account.

Amazon Affiliate Link Generator

Now, let’s see how to create affiliate links on the Amazon Associates dashboard:

1. Go to Product Linking on the navigation bar, and click on Product Links.
2. Submit an ASIN or keyword to find the item you’ll promote. Then, click on Go.

Source: Sellbrite

3. Choose a specific product from the list. Now, press the Get Link button.
4. Now you can use the affiliate link as-is. But you can also customize it as a unique banner.

Source: Sellbrite

Affiliates can also use the SiteStripe to create links. This is a small bar that appears on Amazon product pages.

The SiteStripe allows you to create different affiliate link types. Once you’re done, you can embed or copy the link to your channels.

Source: Sellbrite

Amazon Affiliate Program Requirements

Amazon Associates is free to join for all interested creators. Also, there is no fixed quota to meet. You only need to keep in mind the policies governing the affiliate program. For example:

• State the purpose of your website, your niche audience, and how you attract users.
• Include a site disclosure, stating that you’ll earn Amazon referral for your links.
• Avoid using link shorteners, or making false product claims on your content. 
• Don’t state prices for the products that you’ll advertise.

Noncompliance could result in your suspension from Amazon Associates. You can review the complete program policies here. You should also review the Amazon Associates Program Operating Agreement here.

How to Create a Successful Amazon Affiliate Marketing Strategy

Now, let’s see how you can create an effective affiliate marketing strategy. The first thing you’ll need is a proper venue for your links.

Amazon Affiliate marketing is better suited for content-related sites. So, if you have a blog or video channel to compliment your shopping site, Amazon Associates might be for you. 

We recommend that your site has over 10 entries of unique content. Also, make sure your last entry is no older than 2 months.

You can also use affiliate links on social media, such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Once that’s taken care of, you can use the following tips to boost your Amazon affiliate marketing strategy.

Related content: Make the Most of Twitch Affiliate Links

Share with your niche audience

Niche traffic is key to Amazon affiliate marketing. Take the time to build trust with your followers. Then, share affiliate links in a creative way:

• Blog away. Create written content that promotes items specific to your market base. Some great examples are reviews, tutorials and comparison posts.
• Rely on visuals. Design infographics or comparison charts. The key is to compile the most important data, and share it with customers in a creative way.
• Promote accessories. Expand your content to item variations or accessories. You’ll increase your content and promote more links to boost conversions.
• Social Media. Drive visibility across all your channels. You can even share links on social media posts, as we said earlier.
• Video content.  Let users see the product at work. Create video tutorials that help you share your Amazon links.

Keep your content unique and original. And remember to always let followers know that you are sharing affiliate links.

Also, keep track of all clicks using the Associates dashboard. That way, you’ll know which links are generating more commissions.

Boost Your SEO Skills

Great Amazon Associates drive traffic using SEO strategies. Two of the most effective ones are backlinks and content hubs.

Backlinks

Backlinks are the key to Google’s algorithm. It’s what drives a site’s organic traffic up the search ranks.

The idea is to search for links directly related to your content. Then, you can include them in your posts to boost online traffic.

With such a strategy, you’ll increase online traffic. But you’ll also boost the chances of visitors using your affiliate links.

Content Hubs

These are collections of related content, which can web together to drive visibility. A content hub is made of three elements:

• The hub page, which is a general, but high-level guide about a specific topic.
• The subpages, composed of detailed content, related to the main subject.
• The hyperlinks that connect all the hubs and subpages.

Content hubs can boost the success of keywords. Plus, all pages within a content hub get some benefit from the shared backlinks.

Final Thoughts

What do you think? Amazon affiliate marketing can help you turn your blog into a source of passive income.

Thanks to this program, even non-sellers share some of Amazon’s revenue.  All it takes is a blog, website, or video channel.

Plus, there are millions of products to choose from. This means your chances to make a profit are quite good.

So, channel your SEO and marketing skills into Amazon Associates. Choose a product, design compelling content, and include your affiliate links.  

Amazon will deposit your profits directly into your account. Plus, you won’t deal with product-related issues.

That’s all you need to start monetizing your content, and to earn a commission from Amazon!

Author

Esteban Muñoz is an SEO copywriter at AMZ Advisers, with several years’ experience in digital marketing and e-commerce. Esteban and the AMZ Advisers team have been able to achieve incredible growth on the Amazon platform for their clients by optimizing and managing their accounts and creating in-depth content marketing strategies.

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