Affiliate marketing is now a popular way to make money online. It has evolved from a fringe side hustle. It’s easy to see why affiliate marketing is so popular. Anyone can have a website and generate great recurring income.
The total value of affiliate marketing was $17 billion in 2020. The future of affiliate marketing looks bright, given the growing number of digital nomads and solopreneurs working from home.
You’ve decided on your path as an affiliate marketer. Now you have your niche and your website. And hopefully, some type of content strategy. Waiting for your organic traffic can be frustrating. So what should a digital marketer do?
Get paid traffic.
There are many options when it comes to paid traffic for affiliate marketing. We’ll be highlighting the pros and cons of each.
We’ll first look at the platforms, but we’ll also look at the world paid traffic.
What is paid traffic?
Paid traffic refers to any type of website traffic that an advertiser has purchased. You can choose from a variety of paid traffic options for digital marketing. Each has its own benefits. Paid traffic can be achieved using either Pay Per Click (PPC), Pay Per Thousand Impressions (CPM), or cost per mile.
There are other types of paid traffic as well, such as:
Pay Per Click (such Google or Bing Ads).Social media ads, (Facebook and TikTok etc.) Influencer marketing
You can also use black-hat tactics to get online traffic such as cookie stuffing or buying bot traffic. These are considered paid traffic and therefore can be used by marketers.
Is it necessary to use paid traffic in affiliate marketing?
Affiliate marketers will concentrate on search engine optimization (SEO), and build their content to attract organic traffic. Others may choose to concentrate on social media followers, or a combination thereof. Paid traffic can be a great way to boost your project’s potential.
To sum it all, paid traffic is not required to drive traffic to your affiliate marketing campaign. It can, however, be part of a larger content strategy.
Affiliate marketers may not use paid traffic.
It will be a popular choice for others. It will depend on what niche you are in, the conversion value, your competition and your personal goals.
Here are some things to remember about affiliate marketing and paid traffic
Most businesses will have terms and conditions when it comes to traffic to your affiliate website. These terms and conditions are often common or accepted practice.
Do not click on affiliate links that are not yours.
Each affiliate has different terms. Before you run any pay per click (PPC), or paid campaigns, make sure to review your conditions.
So…
Let’s get to the point.
Which are the top paid traffic sources that can boost your affiliate earnings and make you money?
Google Ads
Google is the largest search engine. Google Ads has the largest global reach, most daily users and the greatest selection of publishing partners. It is the best choice for anyone who wants to pay traffic.
Google Ads gives you the ability to search for paid keywords.
You also have the option to access a wide range of options within YouTube, including display and banner ads as well as video ads, Gmail banners and in-app display banners.
We could actually cut this list and you’d probably be happy to work with Google. Google Ads has such a wide reach and advertising options that any promotion you make will be seen by a large audience.
However, there are still some downsides.
Google Ads is advertised as user-friendly and simple to use, but there are still learning curves. You won’t be able create high-performing ads overnight. Why do so many search engine marketing agencies exist?
Google Ads can be seen as highly competitive and becoming more expensive. Popular keywords can be very expensive and conversions are not guaranteed.
Marketers are becoming more aware of the dangers of click fraud and advertising fraud. Fake clicks on paid advertisements is a wasteful and costly process that is steadily growing in number year after year.
These issues aside, it is clear that Google Ads provides some of the most attractive paid traffic opportunities at a price point that is very affordable for most.
Google Ads: The benefits
It’s easy to set up your Google Ads and get them running in a matter of minutes. A huge audience (the largest online) Unbeatable selection of products available from display ads or paid search results to YouTube. Manage your budget easily to avoid spending too much. Performance Max takes the stress out of setting up and running campaigns.
Google Ads: The pros and cons
Many keywords are very competitive. It can be difficult to set up and manage.
Facebook Ads
Yes, they are called Meta now. Facebook is an excellent digital marketing tool and one of the most valuable sources of paid traffic. Although it isn’t the force to reckon with as it was before 2020, there’s still gold in these digital hills.
Facebook Ads allows you to run in-feed ads within Facebook and also on Instagram and Messenger. (We’ll be looking at Instagram in just a second).
Promote your company page by collecting reviews and winning organic likes. If you have an organic post that is doing well, you may be able to pay to increase its reach.
Facebook can be a very powerful retargeting tool. It displays content in-feed to users who have visited your site, or the site of a competitor. This makes Facebook a powerful marketing tool that every marketer should have in their arsenal.
Facebook targets are almost entirely done by the platform. Although you have the option of creating your own audience, Facebook will rely on its algorithms to determine your ideal audience.
Facebook is seen by some as outdated. Facebook is often seen as the unpopular uncle at the dinner table by Gen-Z and millennials who flock to TikTok and Instagram. This could be because of some of the controversies that have afflicted the company, now called Meta.
Apple also made it very difficult for Facebook to target iOS users through its limitation of tracking. It has indeed had an impact.
Fake traffic? Fake traffic is a problem too. It is believed that around 90 million Facebook accounts are fake. This also impacts paid marketing campaigns.
Facebook Ads: The Benefits
You have access to one of largest social media networks, plus they also own one of the others. In-feed ads allow for lots of creativity and engagement, especially with visual/video-based ads. There are many options to promote a company page and boost posts. Great for retargeting or remarketing campaigns
Facebook Ads: The pros and cons
Targeting iOS/Apple users has been a challengeFacebook is frequently subject to controversies about its handling of dataYounger audience are increasingly looking to social media platforms for information. Fake traffic is also an issue for Facebook Ads
Instagram Ads
Meta also owns the second largest social media platform, or third, if you exclude YouTube. For affiliate marketing, Instagram is the top choice.
It is best to grow your following and to post regularly on Instagram to generate consistent website traffic. Nowadays, most businesses will include Instagram in their content marketing strategies. It can be slow, as with most organic things. This is why Instagram Ads can be a valuable tool.
Instagram advertising offers many display options, including videos and product carousels in your feed.
Although Instagram doesn’t allow you to link to external websites in your organic posts, paid ads can be used to add website links and drive traffic.
Instagram offers affiliate creators the possibility to set up shops. This means that you can promote a particular product on Instagram and have your store set up there. You can also drive traffic to it.
Although setting up the shop for free is possible, you will likely have to advertise it with paid Instagram ads.
You might be wondering about the downside of Instagram Ads.
Instagram is primarily a photo-based platform. This means that your copy and CTA may be overlooked. Strong visual products should perform well. However, campaigns that require context and content might not do as well.
Instagram is also affected by the iOS update, which means that advertisers using Instagram will have less reliable targeting.
The issue of bot accounts and fake engagements remains a problem on Instagram. Around 1 in 10 Instagram users are believed to be fake.
Another problem is Instagram’s small audience. There is a large audience on Instagram, with over 2 billion accounts. However, most of them are between 18 and 34 years old. This makes it ideal for targeting the Gen-Z and millennial pool but not for older clients.
Instagram Ads: The Benefits
Some products can have a strong visual appeal. Affiliate marketing has the option of opening a shopfront.
Instagram Ads: The pros and cons
The iOS 14 update has affected the tracking and targeting of Apple users on Instagram. Ads with text may struggle to perform well. Audience is less than Facebook Ads. TikTok is competing for market share
TikTok Ads
Without mentioning TikTok, no list of paid traffic sources would be complete. TikTok was the most popular social media platform in 2020. We were all locked down during the Covid pandemic and had to look for entertainment. Now, fast forward to 2021. Reports that TikTok was the most popular search engine began to surface.
Although TikTok isn’t yet the search giant, it remains a powerful option for marketing to its highly engaged audience.
The options for TikTok ads at the moment are limited to sponsored reels. Mobile video advertising is the most popular form of TikTok content.
TikTok has fewer ad formats than Instagram. TikTok also has a smaller audience than Instagram, with the majority of users being younger than 30 and the largest portion of that user base being below 20.
Given its status as an underdog, you might assume that TikTok costs less than Instagram. Most reports indicate that TikTok Ads cost the same as Instagram, if not slightly less than Facebook’s.
TikTok Ads: The Benefits
Popular platform growing in popularityGreat for targeting Gen-Z and Millennial audiences (under 30). Easy to set up your own channel and work with influencers. Excellent for video and other visual-based campaigns
TikTok Ads: The pros and cons
Instagram has fewer ad formats than Instagram rivals. There is no shop option. Instagram has a smaller audience and a lower reach.Pricing is comparable to Instagram.
Native Ads
Native ads are a popular way for affiliate marketers to reach customers with their products. These ads look just like organic content. They are usually articles from news sites or popular blogs.
Why not use native ads to promote affiliates?
Sites hosting native advertising are often high-traffic sites, so your content is getting lots of eyes.
Native ads are also relatively inexpensive. Native ads are usually cost-per-impression (impression-based), so you could get lots of exposure without spending too much.
This does not mean that you don’t need to create engaging content in order to get those impressions and clicks. Native ads are more focused on informing and instructing, so they may be helpful for products that require more explanation. Yes, you can use video and images in addition to text.
Taboola data shows that native ads have higher click through rates than display ads.
Native ads can also be a great option for industries that are restricted or banned from PPC ads. You can use them to advertise CBD, gambling or adult products.
Although there are many ad platforms that allow native ads to be served, Taboola is the most widely used. Yahoo Gemini, Outbrain and RevContent are just a few of the other options.
What’s the downside to native advertising?
Advertisers are less able to control their targeting and ad optimization. Advertisements are usually placed on publishing partners’ websites and it can be difficult to determine which placements perform best.
Traffic quality can be inconsistent. Some sites, even popular publishers, may have high volumes of fake traffic.
Advertisers may find it more difficult and challenging to create native ads content. This is not a simple matter of creating a blog post. You need to know how to create landing pages that increase conversions.
Native Ads: The benefits
Ideal for products that require explanations or additional information to increase conversions.
Native Ads: The pros and cons
It’s not as easy as it is with Google. Some people view native ads as clickbait spam, or deceptive.
Marketing to Influencers
Brands of all sizes have found it a great way to increase their visibility is to partner with influencers. It can also be cost-effective and help you get more website traffic.
While some influencers will charge less than $200 to feature your product, others may offer you freebies. This will depend on the product and their audience size as well as a variety of other factors.
Influencer marketing is a cost-effective strategy that can be very rewarding. Social media marketing is a category that most influencers fall under, since they use social media. They’ll be talking about your product most likely on Instagram and YouTube. However, some may also include you in their website content.
Research shows that more than half of social media users have purchased an item because of endorsements from influencers. TikTok users have a 71% success rate!
What’s the worst news?
It can be difficult to track conversions and traffic from an influencer partnership. You might not be able to determine if the paid traffic campaign worked unless they provide a unique URL.
Fake followers are a common problem for influencers. Even the most influential influencers can have as many as 20-40% fake fans on their social media accounts. This is fine as long as you get real traffic. However, small influencers may inflate their prices by using inaccurate metrics.
Influencer marketing has many benefits
Possibility to reach a large audience. This can be a great boost to your social media marketing. “Social proof” is valuable to modern consumers and influencers offer it in spades. It can be very cost-effective if you have the right partnership.
The pros and cons of influencer marketing
It can be difficult to track the performance and quality of influencer ads campaigns. The benefits of partnerships with influencers may be temporary. Audience size is limited to the reach of the influencer.
The best paid traffic strategies
Your business, your strategy, and your budget will all play a role in choosing the best paid traffic sources to your affiliate marketing business. Google Ads is enough for some people to run great paid ads campaigns and get lots of quality traffic.
Others might require a mix of social media advertising and other ads campaigns in order to achieve the highest conversions for their affiliate programs.
To summarize:
Consider your audience. Consider your audience. Is your goal to educate or trigger the ‘I want this’ reflex in your audience? What is your competition? It can be expensive to bid on high-value keywords in Google Ads. This can make it difficult to get an edge over your competition. But…be careful with your budget. Paid traffic can eat up a lot more of your business funds, with fake traffic like click fraud and ads fraud costing advertisers an average 14% of their PPC budget. Protect your business!
How to get the best from your PPC advertising
Professional marketers know how to block fake traffic and fake audiences through paid marketing. Ad fraud and click fraud were responsible for an estimated $61 billion in fraud worldwide by 2022. They are the most lucrative form of fraud, surpassing credit card fraud.
Click fraud prevention is essential for advertisers.
ClickCease is the industry’s best click fraud blocker. It prevents bots from interfacing with your Facebook Ads, Google Ads, or Bing Ads.
Our bot-blocking tool prevents bots from clicking on your checkout or filling in forms on your WordPress site.
The best part? ClickCease is free to try for seven days. ClickCease will also conduct an audit of your paid traffic.
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ClickCease Blog published the post Maximize Your Affiliate Marketing Earnings with These Paid Traffic Sources.
Did you miss our previous article…
https://www.affiliatemarketingbuzz.com/whats-the-difference-in-sivt-vs-givt/