Being a stay-at-home mom is a full-time job in itself, right? I mean, I get it. I’m a work from home Mom that also homeschools, so I get what it means to be busy. But affiliate marketing is TOTALLY DOABLE if you don’t go doing extra unnecessary steps that don’t help, AND take up all of your day. Let’s break down what works, shall we?
Affiliate marketing is a low-risk, high-reward business model that can help bring in some extra cash without disrupting your daily routine. But what if you don’t have any money to invest or any followers to promote to? That’s where this guide comes in. In this post, I’m going to walk you through how to start affiliate marketing with no money and no followers, specifically for us homeschooling moms who have what seems like a negative amount of hours in the day, if that’s possible. 🤣
Step 1: Choose your niche (or what I like to call, Bat Signal) – To start affiliate marketing, you need to pick a bat signal – a specific topic or area you want to focus on. For stay-at-home moms, a promising bat signal can be homeschooling. It’s a rapidly growing group of folks, with more and more parents opting for homeschooling for their children (thank goodness, right?!). You can find a range of affiliate programs and products related to homeschooling, from curriculum guides to educational tools and resources. By being a niche-specific affiliate marketer, you can build a loyal audience of homeschooling moms who trust your recommendations. (If you want to get more specific about your own bat signal, which I TOTALLY suggest, I have a video here where I walk you through how to discover yours.) https://youtu.be/XpCAPs41Yt0?si=7YEDeh4KmeAM7-iI
Step 2: Pick some products/services to share – Ok, so I see a lot of people do this one backwards, but it’s not really their fault. Every Tom, Dick and Smelly out there peddlin’ affiliate marketing courses say to sign up to an affiliate network, then search for something to sell. That’s a goofball approach, and isn’t honest, so I’m not going to be teaching that, sound fair? Let’s move with integrity if that’s cool. OK, so what I WOULD DO, is go through your bank statement and credit card statements if you have them…what are the monthly renewals? Write them down. Then go to the Googles, and type in what the product or service is, followed by the words” affiliate program” . NOW, you’re going to see products and services that YOU ACTUALLY USE and sign up for THEIR affiliate programs. It’s really bad form, in my opinion, to suggest something to people that you, yourself don’t even use. Insert immediate skeez….and that ain’t us.
Step 3: Promote through social media – Social media is a powerful tool for affiliate marketing. You don’t need a massive following to start – even a few dedicated followers can make a difference. Pick a social media platform that you already spend time on, such as Facebook or Instagram, and start building your presence. ( I may or may not have a FREE 90 Days to 1 Million Followers thing you can do 🙂 ) Share useful information, tips, and insights related to your bat signal, and don’t forget to include affiliate links when you recommend specific products or services. Always disclose your affiliations to your followers transparently.
Step 4: Leverage SEO through blogging – Blogging is my FAVORITE way to establish yourself as an authority in your bat signal community and attract organic traffic (FYI organic means FREE) to your website. By using search engine optimization techniques, you can rank your blog posts higher on Google and other search engines, which means more visibility and potential sales as your long game. Social media posts have about a 2-4 day shelf life….SEO is FOREVERRRRRR. Write blog posts on topics related to your bat signal and include affiliate links within them. Make sure your content is informative, engaging, and valuable to your target audience. (Ok, I have another thing you may like here…90 Days of Content in 90 Minutes, again, it’s a gift from me, so it’s free. But this one is GOLD. It literally shows you exactly what your bat signal people are wanting to hear about, then you just write blogs on that and Google LOVES YOU, which means they push you to the top….which means your people FIND YOU! Cool, right?!)
Step 5: Create video content – Video content is rapidly becoming the preferred medium for digital marketing. By creating video content related to your bat signal, you can capitalize on this trend and reach a wider audience. You can start a YouTube channel or use platforms like Pinterest or Instagram Reels to share short, snackable videos on bat signal topics.(I have 90 days of prompts for you for these in the gift I mentioned above 90 Days to 1 Million Followers if you’re having a hard time thinking of what to post.) Include affiliate links in your video captions and descriptions. Always make sure your videos are high-quality, engaging, and informative.
Starting affiliate marketing with no money and no followers can seem daunting at first, but it’s entirely possible even for stay-at-home moms. By following these steps and focusing on a niche you’re passionate about, you can build a successful affiliate marketing business from scratch. Remember to be transparent with your affiliations, create high-quality content, and be patient. Affiliate marketing can take time to yield results, but with persistence and perseverance, you can make your dream of earning money from home a reality.
Oh, and if you want to put the pedal to the metal, so to speak, I have a one hour Affiliate Marketing Masterclass on Youtube that has people literally making money right after they watch it and implement.
Til next time!
xo Martha