The world is changing, and we have to adapt to it accordingly. Everything will look incredibly different post-pandemic as the working landscape has transformed. Everyone is working from home, and crowded offices will be a thing of the past. That is why the best way to take advantage of this changing landscape is to be your own boss and make money for yourself. One way you can do that is through affiliate marketing. Here is everything you need to know about how to start affiliate marketing and how does affiliate marketing work.
What Is Affiliate Marketing?
Around 84% of publishers and 81% of brands utilize the power of affiliate marketing. It is a process through which an individual earns a commission by promoting other brands and their products. You find products, you promote them to other people, and you earn a percentage of profit from each sale you make.
Affiliate marketing is easy to execute, low-risk, and highly scalable. That is why many individuals working from home are moving towards this type of work.
√ Three Pillars of Affiliate Marketing
The three things that play the most crucial role in affiliate marketing are:
1. Brands (Advertisers / Merchants)
Without a brand, you can’t do affiliate marketing. After all, you are promoting their products. They are the advertisers and merchants whose products you will promote on the affiliate marketing network or channel.
2. Affiliates (Publishers / Partners)
The second most crucial thing is affiliates. These are the publishers or partners and can range from individuals to companies. All the marketing happens on these platforms, and you can promote one or many affiliate products to customers.
3. Affiliate Networks
The affiliate network works as an intermediary between the merchant and the affiliate. These networks have various purposes and allow affiliate marketing to happen. For example, you can let another network handle the delivery and payment of the product.
√ How Do Affiliate Marketers Get Paid?
The best affiliate marketing programs are an inexpensive way to make a lot of money. However, there are different ways through which affiliate marketers get paid that include:
1. Pay Per Sale
Many affiliate marketing programs use this structure for sales. The merchant will pay the affiliate a specific percentage of the product's price once the consumer has made the purchase. So, the affiliate will have to get the consumer to buy the product to be compensated.
2. Pay Per Lead
Affiliate programs that use this compensation method base their payment on the conversion of leads. The affiliate has to convince the consumer to visit the merchant's website and complete a particular action. The action can be anything from signing up for a product trial or subscribing to email newsletters.
3. Pay Per Click
The affiliate is compensated based on the increase in web traffic of the merchant’s website. Such a program emphasizes redirecting customers from the marketing platform to the website of the merchant. It requires extreme engagement from the affiliate to ensure the consumer is redirected to the merchant's website.
√ Types of Affiliate Partners
Here are the six most common types of affiliate partners you will find out there:
1. Content Affiliates
These include YouTubers, bloggers, podcast hosts, and much more. They leverage keywords to cater to the needs of their audience. The interests of the consumers determine the products they should be promoting, which is why they will always give priority to their audience.
These influencers have a high and loyal following on social media platforms. Their personal brand has sway over audiences in one or multiple niches. They can also help enhance the brand awareness of your products.
3. Coupon/Cashback Websites
Both these websites provide incentives for the consumer to buy something at a lower price. These websites are ideal for B2C companies. However, they might not be too profitable in the long run.
4. Agency Partners
You need an agency partner in your B2B affiliate program to attract business buyers. They promote your products and offers through email, direct message, and even word of mouth.
5. Email Marketers
They promote your products by engaging your subscribers through sharing research, valuable resources or creating surveys, polls, and quizzes. They have a subscriber list to which they send out these emails.
6. PPC Affiliates
They use paid ads to promote your affiliate offer to their audience. They are paid for conversions and invest their money to create PPC campaigns for the affiliate products.
How to Get Started with Affiliate Marketing ?
Now that you know what is affiliate marketing, here are the three steps you can follow on how to start affiliate marketing:
√ Step 1. Decide on an Affiliate Network
Here are the top five affiliate networks you can choose from:
1. ShareASale
If you want the best network, look no further than ShareASale. You create an account, and you can start earning in no time. Many affiliates and merchants use this network as it is highly profitable.
Pros:
- A massive network of merchants
- The commission rate is 10%, and it can even increase to more than 30%
- Trustworthy – They’ve been around for many years and work with lots of big brands
- The joining process is simple
- Payment is provided on the 20th of every month
- Best platform for affiliate marketing for beginners
Cons:
- The dashboard design is a little clunky, though it’s gotten much better
2. Awin
Through Awin, you have access to more than thirteen thousand merchants. You can try to sell everything from digital products to physical products. The best part is that many big brands are listed on this platform, which will help you earn a great commission.
Pros:
- Thousands of merchants to choose from
- Has a WordPress plugin to help affiliates import products
- Minimum payout of $20
Cons:
- There is a sign-up fee of $5
- You will lose the sign-up fee if you are not approved for the platform
3. ClickBank
If you want to make money through digital products, ClickBank should be your top choice. However, there are a few physical products on the platform. You will find many small merchants on the platform whose products you can promote.
Pros:
- You will get weekly payments
- Most merchants offer high commissions
- Minimum payout of $10
Cons:
- Not all products on the platform are high-quality
- A refund policy is such that you may lose the commission
4. CJ Affiliate
The network offers almost 3,000 merchants to affiliate marketers. You will be able to connect with big and small merchants while earning a high commission. It covers many niches with a range of physical and digital products.
Pros:
- Big and small merchants under one roof
- Simple backend dashboard to aid you with managing your affiliate marketing
- Easy to generate links through the deep link generator
Cons:
- Complicated dashboard for beginners
- It comes with a learning curve
5. FlexOffers
FlexOffers program provides you access to more than twelve thousand merchants. It is constantly adding new merchants, so you have endless options to choose from. The platform adds at least more than fifty merchants in a day.
Pros:
- Massive selection of merchants
- The affiliate manager you get will be dedicated
- The backend dashboard is simple and easy to use
Cons:
- For people outside the USA, the payment option is only PayPal
- It comes with a learning curve
√ Step 2. Choose Your Niche
You have to decide the niche of the products you want to sell as an affiliate. If you start promoting everything, your personal brand will become too general and the audience will not trust you. That is why you need to be an expert in one niche and focus on that for your audience. For example, you can promote electronics or personal care or any product category you believe in. It will enhance the trust of your audience and they will more likely buy products you trust or recommend.
√ Step 3. Find Affiliate Programs To Join
Finally, you have to find an affiliate program to be a part of. From Amazon to saleyee.com, many platforms have their own affiliate programs. You can go through all of these and make an informed decision on what suits you the best.
Keep in mind that the best affiliate programs will provide you with endless products to choose from and give fair commission. Once you have chosen a program, it is time to start your affiliate marketing journey.
7 Tips to Boost Your Income with Affiliate Marketing
Here are the top seven tips on affiliate marketing for beginners:
1. Cultivate an Audience in a Specific Niche
While beginning your affiliate marketing journey, you need to cultivate an audience with certain interests. Through their interests, you can customize your affiliate campaign to that specific niche. Doing so will increase your chances of conversion.
2. Personalize the Marketing
There are endless products you can earn commissions on. That is why you can choose products you and your audience believe in. You have to enhance your personal brand through these products so consumers can be attracted to buying them.
3. Review Products and Services
Find new products and services in your niche and review them. Create detailed reviews to improve conversions and engage your audience. Tell them how they will benefit from the product and why you use it. Loyal audiences always follow the recommendations and reviews of the person they are following.
4. Use Several Sources to Promote
Instead of focusing on just one platform, use multiple of them to promote the products. For example, you can use blogs, social media, and many others to promote various products. It will help you branch out to sources that your audience responds to the most.
5. Check the Demand for The Product
As an affiliate marketer, research is your best friend. You have to study the demand for the product and understand if it is worth your time. After all, you need a profitable product that will boost your income. So, take your time and research a product before promoting it.
6. Stay on Top of Trends
Affiliate marketing is becoming increasingly competitive. You have to stay ahead of the curve by staying on top of trends. Stay up-to-date with new marketing strategies, products, and much more to increase conversion rates and maximize your revenue.
7. Use SEO for Organic Traffic
Utilize the power of SEO to drive organic traffic to your website so you can sell more. You need to be visible on search engines for people to buy through your links. That is why it is essential to keep working on your marketing strategies and enhance traffic through SEO. Also, always keep in mind that it takes time to build a loyal audience or network, and you can only do so when you offer valuable content to your audience.
Benefits to Joining the SaleYee Affiliate Program
The SaleYee Affiliate Program is one of the best affiliate programs out there. Here are the many advantages you will reap from their program:
1. High Customer Retention Rate
Customers that use the SaleYee platform are loyal. They are repeat customers, and they keep buying. That is why you will keep making money as the customers will return to purchase from you each time.
2. Long Cookie Duration
The platform has a cookie duration of ninety days. That means you have ninety days to lock the consumer and engage them enough to buy from the product. Longer cookie durations are essential for increasing your affiliate marketing income in the long run.
3. High Earnings Per Click (EPC)
Through the SaleYee platform, you can enjoy a high EPC of $160. It is much higher than most of the programs in ShareASale. That is why it is the best option to earn the highest income through affiliate marketing.
4. Dedicated Affiliate Manager Support
To make the most use of the platform, you will receive a dedicated affiliate manager. They will take care of all your problems and help you out during your affiliate marketing journey. Such support is essential for any marketer that is starting on a new platform.
5. Bonus and Commission Increments
Top-performing affiliates on the SaleYee platform will receive bonuses and commission increments. You can use the latest strategies to attract more consumers and engage them to purchase. The more consumers you have that end up buying, the more you will earn.
6. Monthly Support
SaleYee offers monthly support such as product updates, tips, deals, and much more. Besides that, you will get constant support in the form of landing pages and advertising banners. As a beginner in affiliate marketing, your journey will become smooth and hassle-free.
Final Words
That was your complete guide on how to start affiliate marketing and how does affiliate marketing work. You can use this guide as a stepping stone to becoming an affiliate marketer in no time. Once you do, you will reap the best rewards and increase your income in no time.
After all, the landscape of work is changing, and affiliate marketing is the future. So, join this journey and stay ahead of the competition now.
