How to make money off your website using Amazon Affiliate Marketing

When was the last time you physically went to a shop to buy clothes or a phone? Gone are the days you had to go to the shop. Products you imagined and beyond your imagination have been brought to your fingertips. From an Apple iPhone to Garam Masala – everything is on Amazon!

Amazon has made shopping comfortable and lazy. Every one of us has bought something on Amazon at some point. What if I tell you could now make money off it? Surprised? Whenever someone buys a product you recommend through your link, you get a hefty commission. Commissions for a single purchase can exceed Rs 10000 sometimes.

There is money to be made everywhere. 

Companies are looking for cost-effective ways to market. This way, they cut down advertisement costs and provide an opportunity for the general public to make money. Especially with COVID, more and more budget cuts are happening, the need for cost effective marketing is vital. 

Amazon started this way back in 1996, and it continues growing in size and is more successful than ever. Jeff Bezos even went on to say this affiliate marketing network is his second biggest asset.

I am sure you have heard of Amazon’s affiliate program before. Don’t know where to start? Do not worry. I am sharing with you the step by step guide to help you get started. 

 The Amazon Affiliate program is a favourite amongst the affiliate marketers due to its sheer volume.

 Here is why you should consider Amazon’s program.

Why Amazon?

(i) The biggest selling point is that it is Amazon. The single largest E-commerce company in the world. It truly has all products from A-Z.

(ii) Trusted customer base. As an affiliate marketer, you are not directly selling. You are just promoting. 

No matter how enticing it sounds if there is no trust between the user and company, it is pointless. Trust is the basis of all business. 

Trustability is where Amazons’ strength lies. According to a study by Bloomreach, 55% of shoppers start their shopping on Amazon.

On average, a single customer buys at least three products a year, and this means once you manage to get a customer, you are more likely to make more money from him. 

A user knows if he buys on Amazon:

1. The product will be genuine.
2. Can choose to return it if he does not like it.
3. Payment will be secure.
4. There will be hands-on support in case it is required.

(iii) It enjoys a staggering conversion rate. The average conversion rate for e-commerce is 4.31 %, but Amazon enjoys about 13%. The main reason being Amazon’s page is highly optimized to trigger buying using clear CTA and subtle buying triggers. 

Everything from the title to photos is enticing. Add reviews and suggested products it makes the perfect package.

(iv) Amazon pays you you a commission for purchases. This means for the suggested buys and add-ons bought you get a commission if it is in 24 hours.

For example, if you buy a DSLR camera on amazon at the bottom of the page, it will show frequently bought together. In this case, it shows batteries. If you purchased a camera it is obvious, you would need to buy a memory card, and you will get a commission if this item is bought even though you did not promote it.

Now that you have seen why Amazon India Affiliate marketing is the best option available let us get down to business. If you still want to explore, you can check out “how to find the best affiliate marketing websites to earn income”.

Also, read the quick guide to Flipkart affiliate marketing and Quick Tips to earn money online in India.

Before starting your program, you need to understand how the program works. 

How does Amazon Affiliate Marketing  Work?

It is essential to understand this if you want to be successful. Amazon always keeps upgrading and makes changes to its algorithm. It has specific rules and regulations. Breaking of rules could lead to fines and even a ban. 

Amazon has a pay per sale policy. For every customer that purchases from your link, you get a commission. If the customer just views the product, there is no incentive. Though if he adds it to his cart and buys before 90 days, you still get the commission. 

The customer has to buy the product from your direct link. If the customer goes back and searches on his own and buys the product, you get no commission. 

Thus, it is imperative to have a clear Call to Action (CTA) after your content. If the CTA is not compelling, the whole campaign falls apart. 

Also, it does not have to be the same product you promoted. For example, if you promote an SG cricket bat and the user purchases an MRF bat you will still get the commission if it is a related product. 

Though you get commission only if its within 24 hours. If the product is returned, your commission will be reversed. Return or refund of the product may lead to you having a negative account balance, so don’t worry.

How to get started

1. Sign up on Amazon affiliate program.
2. Choose a product that suits your niche.
3. Generate an affiliate link for the product.
4. Promote it in any way you like.

Amazon has no limit to the number of products or your commission. Though it does not mean you market every product out there. Doing so would make you lose credibility, and that is dangerous. 

Some websites are solely built just to provide reviews that generate income through affiliate marketing. Snap Patrol is a good example. They started from scratch and built an empire using the Amazon affiliate program. It makes upwards of 10 lakh a year recommending crafts material for young teens.

Now that you know how the process works lets see how can you start. 

How to register on Amazon

Creating a mobile website or a blog

Have a buzzing marketing arena is crucial in the application process. Amazon requires some relevant content and a certain amount of traffic to verify your application.

It is vital to have a pre-populated website, so it looks authentic to Amazon and its users. 

What amazon looks for in your application

• Why and what is the purpose of your site.
• The audience you are planning to target.
• Methods you are planning to use to attract an audience.

Amazon will verify and authenticate your website before giving you the position. What is the point of having you as an associate marketer if you don’t have any traffic to direct towards the site? Note that not only traffic it checks if you have relevant content as well.

Register on the Amazon webpage

• Join the program, and then it will ask you to build a profile. You will need to enter the basic info about yourself.

• Enter your website address and any other sites you plan to use. Make sure to include your Youtube and Blog id as well. Youtube generates 38 % of all commissions from affiliate marketing.

• Enter your preferred ID. Ideally, this should be the same as your website name. Include details about your site as well. Select the categories and products you are likely to target. These choices can be changed later on as well so pick as many as you can. 

• In this step, you will have to answer questions on your traffic and monetization policy. You will have to answer questions on the number of users per month and how you plan to generate income.

There will be a few technical questions like how will you build links. Do not worry too much if your answer is not perfect. 

• Here you would have to enter your personal information. It will ask for your mobile number. You will get an OTP. Enter that to verify your mobile. Make sure all other info is accurate and up to date and is this is the number one reason applications get declined.

• Choose your payment preference. You will have to enter your Tax details. Make sure you have a PAN account and maintain a balance sheet.

Amazon gives you various options when it comes to collecting your paycheque. They pay monthly. It usually takes 60 days to credit a month’s earning. 

How to get your payment on Amazon

1. You can collect via cheque. You need to provide your bank details for this method. A minimum of 2500 INR is required to receive a cheque. It will be delivered to your address.
2. You may also opt for NEFT. The minimum amount required is 1000 INR.

This verification is valid for 180 days. You are required to do at least three conversions in this time to remain active. Now that you are Amazon India Associate let us get down to business.

How  to market

Now that you are rearing to start making content let us look at what are the types of content you can use. When it comes to creating, there is no set formula to success. Many YouTubers built their success by being unique. 

Amazon is very ethical when it comes to marketing. It does not tolerate spamming and third-party ads. These rules mean you are not allowed to directly promote your link through Email lists. You are not allowed to run third-party ads like Facebook ads. 

These restrictions help Amazon market ethically and build a reputation. We must think out of the box to find a solution. Here are a few ways you can use it.

SEO and content marketing

This method is tried and tested and has stood the test of time. This step consists of three phases. 

• Try finding and defining your target audience.

• Understanding their pain points
• Come up with a solution for their problem
• Create content that solves their problems and subtly markets your product.

For example, many people in India suffer a lack of deep sleep. You could survey and find their reasons like mattress and anxiety. Now you could create an article that gives tips to sleep well like Meditation and also include a list of good pillows. This way, you gain credibility and market well. Writing to solve problems means people will come back for more.

You could use surveys to get to know their pain points. You could simply talk with people to understand their issues. Do not make your website just a marketing tool. You can see how I have used my site to create content that solves problems and gives useful info. 

See how I am looking to address their issues and encourage engagement. I also offer and list my services. By trying to create content to help them, I have gained their confidence that I am not just here to market.

Here the research and what problem you are trying to solve makes all the difference. You want to create content to solve problems faced by the majority. Find issues that the majority are facing by doing some keyword research. Click if you are looking for tips to keyword research.

This way, you do have a broad target base and do not come across as desperate to market.

Types of articles you use to grow at a 10x rate

Top 10 lists

These are very popular as they are easy to create. They are also highly effective. For example, if you are making a list of Bollywood music cd in India. You would have to list artists like Arijit Singh, Badshah etc. based on lyrics and tine. 

This way you can include a link saying the lowest price in the market is right here on Amazon and user is likely to buy. 

Product A vs Product B

Simply take the top two products in your niche and compare their specs. Sounds simple right? It is. Customer delay purchasing 48 % of the time because they are unable to choose between their top 2 choices. 

The users that visit the page are in the final; stage of purchasing. They have done their background research and are ready to spend money. These kinds of users will have a better conversion rate.

Best products under XYZ INR

Many times people are just looking to buy something for leisure. In a country like India, not everyone is an Ambani to spend lavishly. Let us say, someone 

Wants to spend 10000 rupees to buy a mobile and just wants the best deal and has no specifics in mind. This article targets that type of customer.

How to use

Have you ever been stuck with installation or using a product? You are not alone. Many users feel this difficulty too. You could create content to help them with videos or FAQ.

While making content make it before the buying stage. For example, take Bluetooth speakers. Your content should be on its advantages and unique features this way user is likely to buy. If your content is how to use it, the user who has purchased it will come. You will not make money from these articles.

Here are a few mantras you should always follow.

1. You need to show off your knowledge here. Include weird and quirky facts to capture the interest of the user. 
2. Make sure your content is understandable to everyone. Anaya Pandey to Shashi Tharoor everyone should be able to understand.
3. Include a comic break and some small jokes. Think like Kapil Sharma, how can I make people laugh with minimal effort. 
4. Be honest and list out problems or disadvantages too. This way you will not look like Shah Rukh advertising Fair and Lovely. You want to be a credible and honest source.

Check out how to master video marketing to become an expert.

Review Bad Products and Be Honest about  them:

Yes, you heard me right. You need to have honest reviews of products that don’t meet the mark. On analyzing popular YouTube channels, I found out a good rule of thumb is 80:20. This means one out of 5 should be reviewing products that are not up to the mark. This not only adds authenticity to your channel, it also gives you a chance to roast and show off your funny side. Unleash those cringe WhatsApp jokes or those mind-numbingly funny puns.

Leveraging Prime Day and other holidays:

According to Amazon its Prime day sales is over 50 times its average sale on any other typical working day. That is about 1,00,000 products sold in just 24 hours. Mind-blowing right? In these prime days, the popular categories are Electronics, Gadgets, grocery, furniture, clothes. After analyzing over 20 categories, the ones that have maximum potential are:

Laptop

Make-up and beauty

Clothes

Furniture

Those who are looking to start their affiliate journey this is the right time to do so. Targeting the above profiles will help you get a steady income which could help you further expand into other products.

Social Media Marketing

As I have already told, you can not use direct ads to promote links. You could use organic social media content for marketing it. This channel is especially popular among YouTubers. For example, you could create a video about the five best mobile phones to play Pubg. In the description, you could list your links.

It is vital to have a large and loyal followers base if you want to be successful. You need to gain their trust and credibility first before you go ahead to market. Take Technical Guruji for example. He initially built a large following by putting up honest reviews. Now he also is heavily involved with affiliate marketing.

Your content must be well researched and accurate. To build a following, you must be original and have high-quality content. You can use Ads to promote your blog or channel which you can use to promote your products.

Merely posting your link everywhere will not make people buy. This random posting would make it spamming not marketing.

Email promoting

You can not directly post your link on the Email. You may use it to promote the article or blog using Email. Email marketing has proven to be the most successful amongst others. It also requires minimal investment. You can use websites like MailChimp, even to automate the process. 

Now you have hopefully understood how to create content and market your website. The next part is picking the products to market. It would be foolish to choose your product and then find the audience. To have a better chance, always find products to market to your Target audience.

Before learning how to pick a product, you need to understand Amazon India affiliate marketing program’s commission structure.

Amazon Commission Structure

Amazon has incredibly low commission rates. It has the most economical rates among significant companies. Though there is a reason behind this. Amazon looks to profit from bulk sales. It expects you also to generate income via bulk sales. Their main target is volume. This thinking has driven them to an average of 4000 orders per minute.

The commission rates mainly depend on the category. These are the latest rates as of today.

These rates look dismal. Wondering how you will make any profit? The answer is volume. You want to generate as much sale as possible.

Do not just promote a product because it has the highest commission rate. 

Take, for example, take Pedigree dog food and Blu ray movie.

A bag of pedigree costs 250, meaning your commission is 20 INR(8 %).

A blue ray movie costs 2500. The commission would be 62.5 INR even though it is only a 2.5 % commission. 

Choose your category wisely. Pick a category that actually interests you and do not just go with the trend. Like Yo Yo Honey Singh says “Make trends don’t follow trends”. You will only be able to sell something you are passionate about and know inside out. 

You can not ask Anil Kapoor to sell footballs and Sunil Chetri clothes! Like that, stay true to yourself while choosing.

I will give one more amazing hack to make quick money on Amazon. Amazon also has a bounty program. If you get customers to register as members in their various memberships, you will get a commission. This opportunity is missed by many. 

• If you get a user to become a prime member, you get 100 INR.
• If you get them to register as an Amazon business, it is another 200 INR.

For more offers, you can check out Amazon webpage. Before you get started, make sure you carefully go through the Amazon Affiliate Rules charter as breaking them could have disastrous consequences.

For more strategies, tips and tricks, check out this video.

 

This is an exciting time to be an affiliate marketer. I hope after reading this article, you have got fire in your belly to start your venture. I would love to hear what strategies you use and how they helped you. 

If you have any queries as well, do ask away in the comments section below.

Happy marketing till then.