Tangible affiliate marketing is a wonderful way to start online for zero to very little investment. It’s perfect for those who don’t want to be the creator of a product and for those who don’t have a lot of start up money for their online pursuits.
You can promote a wide array of tangible (physical) products online, but it’s best for someone who still wants to position themselves as the expert for that niche. People will want to get buying advice from someone who knows what’s best for them.
So if you get into a niche just because the products have a high price point, yet you know nothing about electronics (for example), your audience won’t be able to trust your recommendations.
Tangible affiliate marketing is basically looking at the marketplace and making recommendations for your audience based on their specific needs. That means you have to uncover their needs on your own, using keyword tools, common sense and research on consumer reviews and more.
So let’s take gaming headsets as an example. The best person for the job would be someone who games. This person would know that there are all different kinds of needs and wants gamers have in their headset design.
- Some will want headsets that don’t give them a headache from being too tight.
- Some will want headsets that fit nicely with glasses.
- Some will want headsets that block out all outside noise.
- Some will want headsets that don’t make their ears and head sweaty.
You wouldn’t know that kind of stuff if you weren’t a gamer – you’d probably just go on hints like, “cheap headsets” or “bestselling headsets” and in order to truly be successful as a tangible niche marketer, you have to prove to your audience that
Tangible affiliate marketing can be an evergreen, year-round business, seasonal – or both. You want to think in terms of how consumers shop. So obviously, toys would be an evergreen niche – because people buy toys for birthdays and “just because” all year.
But from September through the end of December, there’s a huge boost in how many toys are sold because of Christmas shoppers. So this is a dual tangible niche – evergreen and seasonal.
Dieting is the same. Diet products are sold year round. Treadmills, workout DVDs, nutritional supplements and more sell all the time – but right before New Year’s resolutions, there’s a big spike in sales. Likewise, right before Spring break and summertime when people want to slim down for their beach attire.
Now if you chose a niche like “Christmas décor,” then you’re pigeon-holing yourself into a seasonal gig. Yes, you might sell the occasional odds and ends at other times of the year, but it’s a primarily seasonal niche.
Tangible affiliate promotions are mainly done on Amazon, but that’s not the only place you can sign up to sell. Many Amazon Associates were very disappointed to see their state be put on the no promo list, and many lost their entire business because they put all their eggs in one basket.
You can sell through Commission Junction, Share-a-Sale and many others, too. Go to a website for a store you want to promote, such as Walmart or ToysRUs.com. Look at the bottom for a partner’s link and sign up with whoever they’re affiliated with.
Consumers love to get advice from an outside source before they go shopping. The sheer number of items for sale can be daunting, and if you, as an affiliate, take time to compile “best” lists or lists of items for a specific purpose, it’s very helpful to the shopper.
When you start promoting on Amazon or other programs, you’ll want to have a plan of action. Don’t have one site that promotes anything and everything. Have a theme of some sort.
It could be home goods, electronics, or something narrower such as kitchen appliances, toys for toddlers, or electronic gadgets for golfers. You want to become an authority site for your target audience.
Launch a blog to review the products. You can do a mixture of text and video, and even include some unboxing videos where you showcase the new purchase on camera and give your thoughts off the cuff.
Remember that your goal is to get the reader to click through on the link – but that doesn’t mean you lie or gloss over obvious criticism of the product. Consumers are savvy, and you want to cater to their needs with honesty.