Introduction
Let’s be honest, the regular 9 to 5 job is full of drama. Look at it this way, you have to wake up at an ungodly hour to commute to work even if you don’t love it. You do the same thing every day at the same time in the same place. Now that is monotonous but you need to earn a few bucks so you have to tolerate the stupor of the rat race.
Life doesn’t have to be that way. You need to break away from the monotony of the rate race just to earn a few dollars. Think about making money anytime from anywhere. That’s why this post “affiliate marketing for beginners” will give you greater insight and show what it can do for you.
What is Affiliate Marketing?
Affiliate marketing is a process by which you earn a commission for marketing a company’s products or services to potential customers. Affiliate marketing has become one of the most popular ways of making money online and once it is well established it can be a source of passive income. In order to earn a commission, you have to market a product or a service and generate a sale.
Affiliate marketing involves four parties including the merchant, the affiliate, the affiliate network, and the consumer.
The Merchant – this is the seller, the creator of the brand. This can be a big company that creates a particular product.
The Affiliate – this is the party that promotes one or multiple affiliate products. The affiliate must convince potential customers of the value of the product so they actually buy the product. There is a lot that goes into marketing the merchant’s product. The affiliate can earn a few hundred dollars in commissions each month or even tens of thousands of dollars.
The Affiliate Network – this is actually the intermediary between the affiliate and the merchant. The network provides the affiliate link and drops a cookie or a pixel to track the referral of a buyer as a result of clicking an affiliate link.
The Consumer – this is the party that purchases the promoted product. When they purchase there is a sale generated and the affiliate earns a commission. The affiliate can reach the consumer by use of social networks, blogging or digital billboards.
How to Start Affiliate Marketing
To start affiliate marketing involves a few steps:
- Find your niche – if you want to be really successful as an affiliate marketer you need to focus or a topic that you have knowledge of or passion for. This will help you find an audience following the topic and products that relate to your niche.
- Choose the right affiliate opportunities – once you have decided on your niche and have a number of products in your lists, it’s time to find the right affiliate partners. Many affiliate programs are free to join and they may vary in size. You might want to work with large companies like ClickBank or be an affiliate for just about any type of product on Amazon.
- Build your website – a website is a key component for a successful affiliate marketing business. It ensures you have complete control of your brand and message. It is actually the home base for most affiliate businesses.
- Create your content – you should create content that promotes your affiliate products and revolves around your niche.
- Use marketing channels to extend your reach- this includes social media, email marketing, SEO for organic search, paid search ads, guest posts on high traffic blogs and many more.
How does Affiliate Marketing Work?
To those who are not so familiar with affiliate marketing, how it works can be mysterious and confusing. As an affiliate, you will have a special link, known as an affiliate link, for every product that you are promoting. When the affiliate link is clicked, the merchant can see that the customer was referred by you.
Conclusion
Affiliate marketing has experienced huge growth over the past two decades. It is a popular way to make money online. There is a lot that goes into affiliate marketing, but to be successful, you need to take action.