We’ve previously discussed the notion of passive income streams, but, if you need a refresher, check out that article here. In that article, we briefly discussed the Amazon Affiliate Program, but here I will get into a lot more detail for those of you who might be interested in monetizing your personal blog or site. I believe, at this point, everyone reading this article has at least heard of Amazon. Within the span of only two decades, Amazon has grown from a small online site for purchasing books – run out of Jeff Bezos’ garage originally, in 1994 – into a leader in the tech industry, encompassing one of the largest online e-commerce sites, providing web hosting services, and even tackling grocery deliveries and opening their own grocery stores. Now, what if I told you that you could hitch the little wagon that is your personal online business or brand to this giant conglomerate? Well, that’s actually exactly what I’m telling you. It’s all about providing Amazon.com with a bit of free advertising on your site and in exchange, with some action being created by said ad, you receive a kickback. Of course, it’s a bit more complicated than that but, that does provide you with the general overview. In order to apply you will need to provide Amazon with the pertinent information about your blog or website, as well as tax info and the method by which you would prefer to be paid – they offer direct deposit, gift card, and check. Once you’re signed up, the main page for your affiliate site will look something like this:
As you can see, you’ll have a few tab options including Product Linking, Promotions, Tools, Reports and Help. Product Linking will be your best friend for customizing the appearance of the ads that appear on your site. Here, you can choose different looks and also the subject material for your ads. Do you have a travel blog (like someone else I know)? Then maybe you want something featuring outdoor equipment and camping items that will tie in seamlessly with your site. Here’s an example of one of one that we are fond of using:
<iframe src="//rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?o=1&p=48&l=ur1&category=outdoorrecreation&banner=1XTRE8BRWXGWQJTWPJ82&f=ifr&linkID=bf0368fa4a8789953458886f11fd611e&t=rucksackledge-20&tracking_id=rucksackledge-20" width="728" height="90" scrolling="no" border="0" marginwidth="0" style="border:none;" frameborder="0"></iframe>
<iframe src="//rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?o=1&p=20&l=ur1&category=outdoorrecreation&banner=1R5H61Q2BRG7BQZ22482&f=ifr&linkID=9d1de10c52488475b318376976071123&t=rucksackledge-20&tracking_id=rucksackledge-20" width="120" height="90" scrolling="no" border="0" marginwidth="0" style="border:none;" frameborder="0"></iframe>
Be sure to customize your ad for desktop and mobile display as it won’t automatically format and can end up looking clunky or being cut-off (making it far less likely to be clicked upon). So, you’ve got the ad up on your site, it looks great, now what? Well, now someone (hopefully) clicks on it and makes a purchase. This is where the “Reports” tab comes in really handy by giving you stats on everything from how many clicks your ad has gotten on any given day to how many of those are eligible purchases for giving you an affiliate kickback. Now, eligibility is a whole ‘nother beast and you can find out more about the terms and conditions for that here. Be advised that Amazon is pretty strict about this program and wanting to bring in new business. Thought they keep things vague about their vetting process for eligible purchases, its safe to assume that folks sharing your last name, address or anything you provided to apply for the program initially won’t be able to give you those sweet, sweet commissions with their purchases through the link.
As you can see the reports are quite easy to read and make the whole thing fairly fool-proof for you. You can also check out the “Promotions” tab to really customize your ads towards Amazon’s current promos. Not all items are created equal in terms of the percentage commission you’ll receive for each. Amazon private labels and other promo specific items can often be more lucrative. You can see the full list of how much each type of item will yield here. This is a basic overview, again, and you’ll most likely have more questions – I know I did – so, feel free to hit us up in the comments section here with any inquiries you may have or leave your questions on whatever social media you may come across this article on and we will be sure to get back to you with whatever info we can find. Remember, income streams like this are passive, so even if the yield of one source – like Amazon affiliate – doesn’t seem like much, its all money for something you don’t have to spend much or any time on. The goal is to set up numerous streams and then the collective spells much dinero for you without expending much effort. Work smarter, not harder, right? Happy hunting my fellow digi-nomads!