Affiliate Marketing in a Nutshell
When we talk about affiliate marketing, the first word that comes to mind is “compensation.” But what does this really mean? The way an affiliate marketer is compensated varies, but it always involves receiving a commission for introducing someone to a product and then having them purchase it. For instance, if you recommend a book and the person who reads your post then purchases the book from the website you linked to, you will receive a commission from that sale.
What is affiliate marketing?
Affiliate marketing is when a company rewards someone for selling their products or services by paying them a commission. For example, if someone signs up for an account with Land’s End and follows the steps to create their own affiliate account, when they make a sale through the Land’s End website, that person will be paid a commission.
The 3 Types of Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is a form of internet marketing where a marketer receives commission for promoting another company’s product. There are three types of affiliate marketing, based on the type of relationship with the merchant.
Affiliate marketers can either be an Associate, who promotes but does not control the merchants they represent, or they can be an Advertiser, who controls what will be sold to customers. Entrepreneurs can also take the tiered approach and start by building a list before moving on to one of the other two levels.
Picking the best type for you
There are a lot of affiliate marketing companies out there. The best type for you will depend on your niche and budget. For example, if you’re in the beauty industry and have a smaller budget, opt for Google AdSense. It’s easy to set up and the payment structure is much more favorable than other options. You can also go with Amazon Associates or Shopify Partners if they are more aligned with your business.
If you’re just getting started, it may make sense to choose a more simple affiliate-marketing model like a CPI or CPA network. I used these in the beginning when I was more concerned with how much money I could make, and less concerned about building authority or creating residual income. If you run your website like one big blog, and are focused on driving visitors to that site, this is maybe the affiliate marketing model for you.
Related // How to start a blog and make money
Affiliate marketing has grown quickly since its inception. The e-commerce website, viewed as a marketing toy in the early days of the Internet, became an integrated part of the overall business plan and in some cases grew to a bigger business than the existing offline business.
How to choose an online retailer
First, it is important to choose an online retailer with a product line that you are interested in. Normally, I would recommend Amazon as they have a wide range of products and competitive prices.
Next, make sure the retailer has a favorable return policy because sometimes the product doesn’t work out. For example, with Amazon, customers can return any item within 30 days from their purchase date for a full refund.
Finally, consider whether or not the retailer offers discounts on bulk orders. For example, if you order 4 units of the same product and spend $100 you may get 20% off your purchase price! This can add up to big savings over time.
How to get started
If you don’t have any experience in affiliate marketing, it’s always best to start small. You can start by signing up for smaller affiliate networks that offer easer-to-use systems and lower standards than the big networks. You’ll also want to test out your rates of conversions. The goal is to get a feel for what kind of commission rates you can expect from different offers in different niches. What are the bad things about working online?
One of the main complaints people have is that they don’t like the idea of driving traffic to other sites and having someone else pocket all of the profits. They’ve put their time and efforts into building the content, but they have to continue driving traffic to those other sites in order to earn even a meager income.
Another complaint is people are afraid of e-books. They aren’t familiar with them, so they don’t know how to convert the files into readable formats. Thirdly, there is some competition with e-books now.
Conclusion
Affiliate marketing is a great way to make money from home without making any physical products. You can use it to generate an income without having any inventory or making any investments. The downside is that the person will have to invest in their own website and domain name. Also it can be difficult to find a niche and make enough money.
As a digital marketer you will be paid to promote other people’s physical or digital products. You do this by placing links on your website, social media, and email campaigns that point to these other companies and the products they sell. When someone clicks on one of these links and buys something, you are rewarded with a commission.
