Creating Income Streams for Moms - Easy Ways to Begin Affiliate Marketing

Parents understand how valuable time is. Some days seem never-ending, yet the years are flashing by before our eyes. I think all parents can agree that no matter how long the days are, we never seem to find enough time to complete everything on our to-do list. We want to make the most out of every second and cherish those little milestones because our babies are only babies for a short time in the grand scheme of things. Our children were just in diapers, and suddenly they are off to school.
Okay, you may be wondering where I am going with this, but as we enter a new year and I begin my third year of blogging, I have shifted my priorities to doing things that take up minimal time while generating passive income for my family. I want to shift my focus and create multiple streams of income for my family, while not missing those important moments with my children. I have a little secret about how I generate passive income and how anyone can do the same. The secret lies within affiliate marketing.
Gone are the days when only influencers are sought out to promote products. I believe anyone and everyone is an influencer and can add affiliate marketing as another source of income to their household. Take my sister as the perfect example, with her private social media and close circle, she is hands down the biggest influencer in my life. If she discovers a product she loves, you bet I am going to purchase it. Why couldn't she make an income for recommending it? Everyone should be rewarded for their referrals and today I am going to share some steps on how to get started with affiliate marketing while not investing a ton of time, because I know how valuable your time is, mama!

Let's begin with, what is affiliated marketing. Affiliate marketing is an agreement where the affiliate receives a small commission for each purchase they generate through their unique URL or code. It can be a lucrative side hustle as you are promoting products you love and would organically promote to your friends and family. The unique URLs or codes allow the merchant to track sales back to you. With each sale, you earn a commission, which is excellent for passive income as you do not need to worry about overhead, shipping, returns, or customer service. With affiliate marketing, you don't have the stress of selling physical products. You are simply generating income through your referral. There are no start-up fees and you do not necessarily require a website or social media platform to promote. However, it's always best practice to research the terms for each company as some may require this.

Disclaimer: This blog post contains affiliate links, meaning the recommended products are ones I have personally tried, tested, and loved for multiple months, and I think they will make a positive impact on your family. Clicking the link costs you NOTHING, heck it may even provide you with a little discount while providing me with a small commission that supports my family.

It is important to disclose your affiliate connection to the brand not only to ensure you are abiding by all regulations but also to make sure your audience has a clear understanding. The disclosure should be clear and should let your readers know you are being compensated for your recommendation. These disclaimers are important and necessary, and when worded correctly your peers should want to support you for your feedback.

When I started blogging on Unstoppable Mama, I quickly realized I wanted to monetize my platform. Not only to cover the costs associated with my webpage and subscriptions but also to add extra income for my family, especially while on maternity leave. Affiliate marketing was the answer and I have become quite knowledgeable over the years. Affiliate marketing is about the long game and being consistent. In the beginning, you may find it challenging to make an impact, however with consistency, trust, and by selecting products you truly believe in, you will be able to get that extra income boost your family is looking for. Let's get to the nitty gritty.

Popular books canada

My Most Recent Recommendation

My kids first started using workbooks from Popular Book Company Canada six months ago, right before my daughter began pre-school and my son entered junior kindergarten. I wanted workbooks to help them transition into school while still having something fun for them to do. These Canadian curriculum workbooks are qualified learning materials for children beginning preschool and up to grade eight. The workbooks are geared to be fun and interactive for kids. They are developed by leading experts in the education field and assist children in a variety of subjects, complementing the learning materials they receive in school.
Popular Book Company Canada has more products than just your typical workbooks. Other products include children's books, wallcharts, flashcards, and a wipe-clean series which truly engages kids' attention. My kids' favourites are connecting the dots or colour by numbers. It is the perfect activity to wind down the day.
After using these workbooks for a few months and seeing how my kids enjoyed them, it was a no-brainer that I would want to be one of the first to jump into their affiliate program, and you can too! Before I explain the benefits of joining the Popular Book Company Canada Affiliate Program, it's time to chat about how to select products that will work best for you and your family.

Ways to succeed with Affiliate marketing

1)      Define your niche. Before you begin selecting every product you use in your household, narrow your focus down to the types of products you will be recommending. Having a clear focus on the types of products you want to share will help your readers understand and develop trust with your recommendations. Your niche could be anything from kitchen items, food, beauty products, or crafts. The more narrow your focus the clearer your message will be. Popular Books Canada may fit into your niche for various reasons. If you are a parent or have parent friends in your close circle, this would be a great indicator that it may be a good fit for you. The primary reason I selected this as an affiliate program is that it not only fits perfectly in my mom blogging niche, but many of my closest friends are moms with young kids. As our kids grow, I will be able to try the next level of books, creating consistency with my audience.
2)    Know who you are speaking too. You aren't going to sell children's toys or workbooks to a family without kids. The products you select should speak to your audience or those in your closest circle. Select products you love and that those around you can benefit from. Many of my friends have young kids and are always looking for engaging materials to occupy their time. Playing is learning and that is why these workbooks are something my family loves, and my friends can grow to love as well.
3)      Select products you tried, tested, and have adored for months. We all have hundreds of products we use in our household, however not all of them may make the cut when determining which you want to sign up to promote. It is important you try the products for some time to make sure you are truly comfortable promoting them to your friends. You want to rave about their benefits and be selective about which products you accept.
4)      Promote the products in multiple places. Once you determine what you will promote and to whom, share the news in multiple places. While I suggested earlier that you do not necessarily need a website or social media platform to promote affiliate links, they definitely can add that extra boost and searchability. Some companies make this a requirement so you will need to research this before applying. Promoting your affiliate links on your website, through your social media channels, through an email list, and by word of mouth to those you interact with daily are all ways to add benefit. You do not need to be overly sales driven with your affiliate marketing, which is why you want to select products you naturally enjoy hyping up. The affiliate program with Popular Book Canada does require either a website or social media presence, but the extent of your social media posts is left in your hands. Everyone is encouraged to join the team and apply.
5)      Don’t underestimate word of mouth. Many people think you must have a digital presence to begin affiliate marketing, however, I truly believe everyone is an influencer and can take affiliate marketing into their own hands, with or without a public social media account. Perhaps you are chatting with a mom at daycare pickup, and they mention they are looking for ways to get their child ready for school, or you have a conversation with a friend about ways to entertain their kids over the holidays. You may naturally bring up a fun toy or engaging activity that worked for your family. If your friends decide they want the link why not provide your affiliate one, disclosing the connection and explaining how it helps your family in return?
6)      Speak naturally about the product. Share how your product solves your frustrations, the ease of use, and how it improves your life. Workbooks from Popular Book Canada helped ease my family's transition into school. It gave us easy activities for days when I didn't have time to prepare any myself. These workbooks gave our kids something fun to do when the weather wasn't cooperating for outdoor play. Having activities and workbooks on hand for those rainy days is perfect as the kids can be entertained by matching, drawing, writing, and doing fun activities in the workbooks.
7)      Share your success stories. People want to hear about the success you had with a product. These workbooks helped my kids practice their alphabet, helped with letter recognition and improved their fine motor skills. While these things are not necessary to master before beginning kindergarten, they definitely helped and made everyone a little more comfortable with the transition. We also bring our workbooks to our cottage during the summer, giving them that extra little practice during downtime.
8)      Tell a story. Everyone loves a good story; it captures readers and leaves them wanting more. Storytelling is where social media is headed and if you can capture your audience through storytelling, they will hold onto every word and be invested in your story. Everyone wants to root for you and share in your success, so share a story that allows them to be a part of it.
Join Popular Book Canada’s Affiliate Program

Okay, now that you have a better understanding of what affiliate marketing is and have tips on how to get started, I want to share benefits of joining the affiliate program with Popular Book Company Canada.

First, I should mention this affiliate program is brand new. Joining an affiliate program at the beginning stages means your colleagues, friends, and family likely haven't heard of the benefits of these workbooks so you can jump in early and be one of the first people to promote them.

For every product you sell with Popular Book Company Canada, you earn a hefty 10% commission, which is a fair percentage when it comes to working with brands. In addition to this percentage, Popular Book Company Canada offers a tiered bonus structure allowing you to win additional products or gift cards when you hit certain sales milestones. These incentives are fun bonuses and add extra motivation for their affiliates. The prizes include air pods, tablets, e-readers, and gift cards to Amazon, Best Buy, Starbucks, and more. I will outline the details below on the additional tiered bonus items.

Tiered Bonus Breakdown - Popular Book Canada
- $100: Two books from Popular Books Canada or USA
- $1000: $100 digital gift card to Best Buy, Amazon, Starbucks, Pre-Paid Visa
- $5000: choice of: HP G8 EE 11.6” Chromebook, Kobo Nia 6” e-reader, Amazon Kindle 16GB 6” e-reader, Amazon Fire HD 8 tablet.
- $10,000: choice of a $300 digital gift card to Best Buy, Amazon, Starbucks, Pre-Paid Visa, Apple air pods 2nd gen, Nintendo Switch Lite
- $20,000: a $400 digital gift card to Best Buy, Amazon, Starbucks, Pre-Paid Visa
- $50,000: choice of a $500 digital gift card to Best Buy, Amazon, Starbucks, Pre-Paid Visa, Apple iPad 10.2” 64GB, Xbox Series S512GB Console, Nintendo Switch with Neon Red, Blue Joy-Con

If you or someone you know wants to join the affiliate program, follow the link below to apply. There is no downside in applying to become an affiliate. You can promote the product for as long, or as little, as you like, and many companies do not have minimum sales thresholds or posting requirements. The upside is you will be joining a team of parents, caregivers, influencers, content creators, and educators to help make learning fun. Everyone is encouraged to join the team!

As a mom blogger and a pretty darn successful one, I want you to know you can earn a salary by influencing. You do not need a lot of followers to start, and anyone can add affiliate marketing as another income stream to their household, making a difference to their family.

Find more info by following us on Instagram: @unstoppable.mama