AffIliate marketing:What it is and how it works
What is affIliate marketing?
AffIliate marketing is simply a business model in which an individual(affIliate) gets paid each time they send a buyer to a product owner.
This payment is usually in the form of commission which is a percentage of the revenue generated from the product sale.
It involves three simple steps:
- An affiliate sends a customer to a product owner.
- The customer purchases the product
- The affIliate gets paid a certain percentage of the profit.
That is all there is to the business model.Want to know how to start,three simple steps are required as well.
Step 1:Find and join an affiliate program
What is an affiliate program?
An affiliate program is the agreement between a company/product owner and affIliates.
With this agreement,the company agrees to pay the affIliates a certain portion of the profits made on each unit of the product sold while the affIliate agrees to refer buyers to purchase products from them.
The terms of this agreement are adhered to strictly and the business model can be carried out successfully.
That said,in order for you to be able to begin affIliate marketing,you must first find and join an active program.
Finding an affiliate program
Finding a program is all about searching for an affiliate program that best suits you.
This step is really easy.
All you have to do is think of a product that you are particularly fond of or use often,find a program that offers nice commissions for promoting that product.
Here’s an example,if you’re particularly fond of cosmetics,you can find a program that pays best,join the program and start getting paid for telling others about the stuff you like.
Here are some other criteria you should check for before choosing an affiliate program:
Cookie life:Cookie life is the amount of time it would take before each referral becomes invalid if the customer is yet to purchase a product.
In simple terms,it is the amount of time a customer has to buy the product before your referral becomes invalid.As you may have guessed,longer is always better.
Commission type:Whether it’s a one time commission or recurring commission.We suggest you go for programs that offer recurring commissions.Tiered commission systems are also recommended.
You can check out our affIliate program database to help you find the program for you.
How to join an affiliate program
The last step is joining an affiliate program.It is the easiest of all the other steps.
It involves you finally signing up as an affiliate to promote the products you have chosen.
Only your email address and an active Paypal account would be required for this.
Registration to any affIliate program is completely free.If you find one that asks for payment,you can easily move to another one that provides the exact same service free.
The registration process differs between affIliate programs.Your registration may be accepted in a few seconds or may take up to two weeks.
Either way,once you have joined the affIliate program,you will be able to promote the products and earn money on them.
Step 2:Get your affIliate link
What is an affiliate link?
An affiliate link is a special URL given to every affIliate once they join an affiliate program.
This URL is tracked by the affIliate program and is used to determine when a sale is made.
This URL is peculiar to each affIliate.So the affIliate link you would be given after your sign up can only be used by you to promote products.
Each time you want to refer a buyer,all you need to do is share your affIliate link with them.
Once they use this link to purchase a product,you will get paid according to the affIliate program’s regulations.
That said,it is important to get your affIliate link as soon as you sign up to your affIliate program.
Once you have your affIliate account setup and your affIliate link,you can start promoting the products and earning.
After setting up your affIliate account and getting your affIliate link,the big question is always What’s next ?Where to from here?.
Well that’s what this guide is about.And it will be summarised into a bunch of simple steps.
Step 1:Setup a social media account
Yeah this is kind of a big step and it is probably the most practical step so far.
Setting up social media accounts is one of the very first steps to take to achieve affIliate marketing success.
This is because the majority of the people who buy anything online can be found on social media.
Social media also helps you to effectively find those specifically interested in the kind of products you promote.
They are also a great place to start running paid ad campaigns which are effective in scaling your affIliate marketing business and getting ahead quickly.
But all these start with the simple step of setting up a social media account.
We recommend you make use of TikTok or YouTube as they are the most popular social media platforms available today.
Now if you already have your social media account setup,then you can move on to the next step.
Now the next step is optimising your social media account for affIliate marketing.This involves setting up content and bio analytics, addition of professional looking videos and images in order to retain viewers and turn them to customers.
Want to learn more about optimising your social media account,we have a whole article on it.Check it out.
Step 2:Set up an affiliate website or landing page
An affiliate website is basically a site that holds your affIliate links.It is a place where you can collect potential buyers for the products you promote,tell them more about products and then direct them to your affIliate link.
AffIliate websites are a great way of getting Google search traffic which is the best type of traffic you want directed to your affIliate link.
Because the people who intentionally search for the type of products you promote make better potential customers than anyone you could find through other means.
So affIliate websites not only enable you to get more traffic and sales to your affIliate link but they help you get the most useful ones.
So that’s three added benefits for one single step.You will get better traffic,look professional and maybe even get the customers to come back later on.
Interested in building one of these? Once again,we have a special guide that explains it properly.Check it out.
