If you take a look at Wikipedia, you’ll see that Affiliate marketing has been around for a decade now. So the concept of affiliate marketing is not new on the internet.
But how does affiliate marketing really works?
Many people ask this question, including me when I started, which is understandable. After all, you want to know what you are getting yourself into! In this article, you will find out all about affiliate marketing. The advantage of being an affiliate. The incomes you can earn as an affiliate. How to begin with affiliate marketing to name a few.
What is Affiliate Marketing?
Affiliate marketing is promotion strategies that affiliate marketers use to sell products or services on their websites. Those methods include SEO, PPC-Ads, email marketing and many others.
The goal of an affiliate marketer is to inform or educate the readers on a specific product or service.
For example. On one of my websites “Cruising Sea.” I promote yacht charters, sailing gear, snorkel equipment to name a few.
If a reader clicks on a link, it will redirect him/her to the company where he/she can decide whether to buy the item or not.
If the person purchases through my affiliate link. I’ll get a commission, which is a percentage of the item price ranging from 4% to 70% depending on the merchant offer. Note: At no cost to the buyer!
Below is a simple example of how looks an affiliate website.
How Does Affiliate Marketing Work?
As I mentioned above, there are many ways to do affiliate marketing. But the technique remains the same – sending targeted traffic to the vendor’s products.
Not all affiliate marketers use a website to promote the merchant’s goods. Some guru marketers like Charlesngo for instance, send paid traffic via Ads, PCC or social media to the network affiliate offers.
These techniques work great, but it requires a few thousand dollars, only to start off. And it takes a lot of testing before seeing any good results. Not everyone can afford it or wants to risk their money.
To build a lucrative business online in a sure way, you need to create a website. Why? You’ll find all are the reasons below:
- You build a brand.
- You are you are the boss.
- You decide when and where to work
- And you make money!
What is an Affiliate Network and How Does it Work?
Affiliate Network is a platform that connects the advertiser and the publisher. Advertisers usually place their own affiliate offers on the network platforms. So that they don’t have to take care of the tracking, payment, report, and the administration. The most popular and trusted networks are:
- Commission Junction
- Shareasale
- Clickbank
- Linkshare
- Neverblue
There are private companies that run their own affiliate programs, too. Networks are not the only option. In fact, anyone can handle an affiliate program as long as they there is a website and something to sell on:). It could be a book or whatever!
Does it Cost to Join an Affiliate Network?
While an affiliate marketer can join an affiliate program at no cost. Advertisers will have to pay a fee to join the
network.
There are some good advantages of participating in an affiliate network. Both for the advertiser and the publisher since they provide:
- Real-time reporting
- Useful tools
- Fraud protection
- Support and many other
How to Find an Affiliate Program in Your Niche?
It’s simple! You only need to type in Google search box “Your Niche + Affiliate Program“. If it’s a demanded niche, you’ll find plenty of them on Google. But if it’s not, then you’ll have a hard time to find one and in some cases, none. So if you get into affiliate marketing, be sure to do your research before starting your business.
How Much Can You Earn From Affiliate Marketing?
The answer to this question is, the sky is the limit!
Yes, affiliate marketing can make you earn lucrative incomes. Believe it or not, some websites make millions online. But they worked very hard to get where they are today. You don’t get rich in one click; it takes time and dedication.
The amount of money you’ll make will depend on several factors. Some of them are:
- Your affiliate strategy
- Your product
- Your Niche
- Your determination
These are the most critical elements to consider if you want a thriving business online. Once you start making profits, you can reinvest in your business to take it to the next level!
Do You Need Skills for Affiliate Marketing?
To be honest, Yes! Like anything else in life!
For example, if you want to make a cake, you need to know the ingredients and preparation. Right? It’s the same with affiliate marketing!
It doesn’t take much to start a business online, but you need to know the process. Here are some of the skills you must get to become an affiliate marketer.
1) Choosing a profitable niche
2) Keyword research
3) Create a website
4) Write content
5) Affiliate Strategies
What Are the Benefits of Affiliate Marketing?
There are plenty of advantages! I didn’t mention all of them because it would take the whole page to write them all.
The startup price is low: It cost almost nothing to create a business online. Dozens of dollars for a domain name and few other bucks for the hosting. That’s all you need to pay. There are plenty of free WP themes that can be downloaded.
No risk involved: Since the cost of the investment is low, there is no danger of losing a significant amount of money. If you realize that it is not the business you dreamed of, you can build another website in 10 minutes.
No need to store goods: Since affiliate marketers send the consumers to the advertiser websites, there is no need for a warehouse, which is a big plus! Also, no need to get involved in shipping and paperwork. Thank God:)
No office is required: You can work from home, from a coffee shop, at the beach, in your car. The only thing you need is your computer and internet connection. Isn’t that great!
Flexible life: You can choose the time that suits you best to work on your business. You are the boss! You are the one who decides when and where to work. And that makes life so much easier.
Make money while you sleep: It sounds funny, but it’s true!
I am not saying that money will flow to you without doing anything. Let’s be realistic. Be aware, though that if your articles rank on the first page of Google. And it will, if you do the right things, believe me, the result is rewarding!
My Final Words!
Anyone can do affiliate marketing, but…it is not for everyone!
Affiliate marketing is simple, but not always easy as it seems!
What I mean by this is that it requires loads of work and effort to build a lucrative business online. But it is rewarding, and at the end of the day, that’s what matters the most!
How does affiliate marketing work for you? Let me know in the comment below, I am curious to know.
Hello,
I really enjoyed your post! It sums up really well what affiliate marketing is about and what the techniques of affiliate marketing are. And yes, it’s true that sky’s the limit with affiliate marketing. However, nothing is given to you. You need to work hard to build a brand and get some results. I’ve just noticed it recently. Otherwise, nice article!
Hi Angel,
That’s right nothing is given to us, we need to work if we want to get good results:)
If we love what we do, the work become a pleasure!
Thanks for the comment!
Liked the way you described the topic of affiliate marketing. If I did not know anything about it I would be interested to go further. Liked when you compared it to baking a cake.
Yes, it can be very lucrative but I agree it takes work and some dedication to make it work. Ther is not get rich quick online business out there. There might be some “promises” but no substance behind them.
Hi there,
Yes, it takes times and dedication to make work an online business like it would for an offline business.
I’ve heard a lot of promises too when I started with affiliate marketing, but I quickly realized that we get nothing for nothing:)
Thank you for the comment!