7 Best Tools Every Affiliate Marketer Needs

The Essential Online Toolkit for Affiliate Marketers

It’s time to load up your toolkit!

From several Google searches, you already know that affiliate marketing is a promising route to earn a few extra bucks or even start an entirely new career. Affiliate marketing gives you the freedom to be an entrepreneur without the inventory.

With all your excitement to jump into this field, it’s unlikely anyone told you what tools you need to succeed. Like any profession, the right tools give you the opportunity to do your job effectively (and make more money).

That’s why I’ve compiled a list of seven tools to move you toward success. Ready to get started? Read on…

 

1. Keyword Planner

Content marketing is the go-to approach to attracting and maintaining consumers. Meaningful content informs people about their challenges and offers several solutions.

As an affiliate marketer, you can implement content marketing to nurture your audience and establish a trustworthy relationship. Then, you can recommend products that will solve their problems.

Nevertheless, your first step is to get visitors to your site. For your content to rank high in search engines, you will need to perform keyword research. This is the process of identifying the keywords your audience uses when searching for information online.

Google’s Keyword Planner is a powerful tool to find keywords relevant to your affiliate marketing business. You can discover new keywords and get search volume data.

User intent is part of doing effective keyword research. You want to put yourself in the shoes of your potential visitors. The more you know about your audience the more you can niche down the specific keywords to attract people to your content.

 

2. WebinarJam

For consumers, seeing is believing. Demonstrating a product is one of the best ways to persuade people to purchase.

That’s where webinars provide the most value. Webinars offer you a chance to talk directly with your audience.

“An affiliate marketer could easily add webinars to drive new sales to large groups of attendees. Imagine a weekly webinar where she hosts affiliate partners on a content-rich webinar and then offers the product at the end of the webinar,” writes Mike Capuzzi, speaker, author, and marketing consultant.

WebinarJam is a tool for delivering live cast presentations. You can create webinars on the spot, share your desktop screen, and highlight attendee responses.

Before you jump on camera, practice your presentation to get rid of any public speaking jitters. Carve out time in your live broadcast to answer attendees’ questions. You also may want to create free handouts with additional product details.

 

3. HostGator

You’ve completed your keyword research and created meaningful content for your affiliate products. Now, you need somewhere to post that content.

A website is a simple tool to elevate your brand and encourage people to click on your affiliate links. It’s your professional space in the marketplace.

Of course, when shopping for web hosting, we suggest the HostGator platform. Our tool offers a drag-and-drop feature to create a website in minutes. Also, we provide 24/7/365 support to help you with any technical issues.

To build a killer website, begin with a strategy in mind. Make sure your affiliate links are visible and easily accessible for visitors. You also want to be transparent about your affiliate marketing efforts. So, always provide a clear disclaimer on your site.

 

4. Constant Contact

Communication is key for affiliate marketers. You want the ability to connect with your audience about new product offers or special giveaways.

Email marketing is your answer for building quality relationships. It’s an opportunity to provide subscribers relevant content and ask for feedback. However, don’t feel obligated to add every detail in your email. Daniel Cassady, a freelance writer, agrees:

“If you have a lot of information you are trying to get across to your readers, it’s best to give that information to them in easy to handle nuggets instead of long paragraphs. Use bullet points to make the content of your newsletter easy to glance over and then link to a more in depth article on your website.”

Constant Contact makes it easy to create professional emails with their customizable templates. Plus, you can send automated messages to specific subscriber groups—giving each subscriber a personalized experience.

 

5. YouTube

Research shows that “online videos will account for more than 80% of all consumer internet traffic by 2020.” More than ever, people are watching video to learn and to entertain themselves.

This is your moment to seize the attention of the consumer. By creating fun-filled videos, you can build a connection with your viewers.

But what exactly will you discuss?

Affiliate marketers possess a unique expertise. You know about the best products in your industry, and you can use that knowledge to your advantage.

For example, you can produce videos giving honest, research-backed product reviews. You can create a series of videos showing consumers unconventional ways to use a specific product. Or you can highlight how a product changed your lifestyle.

YouTube can host all your video content. Just upload your video and share the link with your audience. Creative entrepreneur Roberto Blake offers tips to improve your YouTube videos. Check out the resource below:

6. Hootsuite

From Facebook to Pinterest, social media is the spot for everyone to hang out online. It’s where consumers get their news, learn about events, and explore different interests.

Social media centers around storytelling. For affiliate marketers, it’s not enough to tell your followers about a product. That’s boring, and people ignore those messages.

“When it comes to selling on social media, it is a great idea to offer unique, interesting, and even diverse information about your product rather than push for a hard sell. No one likes to feel they are being sold something, but everyone likes to buy something they truly want,” states Sarah Arrow, a marketing coach.

When promoting products on social channels, add your personality to your posts. Tell a funny story on Facebook or add a quirky GIF to a tweet.

You can manage your social media with Hootsuite. The platform helps you engage with your audience efficiently and you can see your analytics in real-time.

 

7. ZipBooks

It’s important to remember that as an affiliate marketer you’re running a small business. You have revenue and expenses to track on your success journey.

Maximizing profit is one of your primary goals. You’re constantly searching for ways to add more money to your bottom line, while reducing your costs.

Recordkeeping is a helpful skill for all affiliate marketers. You can quickly interpret what’s an asset for your business and what’s a liability.

Now, it’s even easier to manage your accounting with software like ZipBooks. This tool organizes your work into projects and tasks. You can input your expenses and generate monthly reports.

When starting any business, it’s essential that you talk with financial and legal professionals. These experts can provide specifics on opening a business bank account, applying for a business license, and determining your tax obligations. So, take the time to get the necessary advice.

 

Tools for Success

Affiliate marketing is similar to other side hustles or career paths. You need the best tools to ensure your success.

Don’t worry about starting from scratch. You can use the seven tools above to demonstrate products, send emails, and track expenses.

Grab your tools, and sign up for HostGator’s affiliate program!