Affiliate marketing is something the average man-on-the-street has never heard of, but which more and more content creators (bloggers, Youtubers, entrepreneurs, …) are getting started with.
What is affiliate marketing (meaning)?
With affiliate marketing, the affiliates (partners) promote the products of an advertiser. If a customer orders the product from the advertiser, the affiliate receives a commission for this. It is a certain tendency in online marketing.
So it is actually a fair reward and certainly also interesting for a webshop. If the promoter doesn’t sell anything, the webshop does not have to pay anything. It’s a nice win-win, because the advertiser gets more exposure and visitors to his product and the affiliate earns for writing his content.
Usually this commission is a certain percentage of the sale, but it can also be a fixed amount. In addition to a commission once the sale takes place, an amount per click or per applied lead is also possible.
What is an affiliate?
An affiliate is also called a partner or publisher. In most cases, this person or company has a website where the advertiser is made visible. This can be done through banners in the sidebar or between articles. It can also be done by writing an article referring to a specific product. There is a link or button that refers to the advertiser’s product.
Types of affiliates:
- Blogs
- Content sites
- Cashback websites
- Discount sites
- PPC affiliates: they advertise with their affiliate link (note: in many cases this is not allowed by the advertiser)
- Comparison sites
- Affiliate webshop
- Via email marketing
- Influencers on Youtube (see also article about vlogging) or Instagram
How to create an affiliate link?
In order to know which affiliate has led to a sale, it uses a special link. That is a link to the relevant product, but behind it is another piece of code. This code contains a number that indicates which affiliate is involved. The affiliate can often provide an extra piece of code, a reference so that they themselves know where this sale happened. For example a certain blog page.
Depending on which advertiser you work with, you will receive an affiliate link or you can create one yourself. This differs whether the advertiser works with its own program or via a network.
Affiliate network
An affiliate network is an intermediary between the affiliate and the advertiser. As an affiliate, you can find multiple advertisers on such a network.
Some examples:
- Awin
- CJ Affiliate
- Clickbank
- ShareASale
- Skimlinks
- Viglink
Affiliate program
In the affiliate program, advertisers determine how much the commission is for sales or leads. They often also offer additional material that an affiliate can use. These can be banners in various formats, but also ready-made emails, photos of the product or the owner, video, a review copy, …
Affiliate webshop
An affiliate webshop is a type of affiliate website. Just like any other webshop, it has products online with a photo and description. The difference with another shop is that the button to order does not put the product in the shopping cart, but redirects it to another webshop where the product is for sale.
To stand out as an affiliate shop, you take a unique approach. A certain area that you highlight, your favorite products, a very specific niche. In any case, provide unique texts for each product.
Start with Affiliate Marketing
Getting started with affiliate marketing is easy. You do not need large start-up capital. If you want to set up a website, it only costs you the hosting and domain name and you can get started. The important thing is to be consistent. Do a little over and over again so that your site grows. Once you have some articles on your website, you can sign up with affiliate networks and advertisers. You can then make links that you can place in your articles.
Make money with affiliate marketing
Earning money with affiliate marketing is easy, you can even earn money while sleeping. But that doesn’t mean you don’t have to do anything for it. It is hard and above all consistent and focused work.
I think the great thing about it is that you can promote products that you actually support. A product that you use, a course that helped you a lot. Otherwise, you would probably tell people in real life and you don’t earn anything with it. But by writing or filming about it and providing your affiliate link, you can now earn money with it.
Do you have a question about affiliate marketing or something to add? Let me know in a comment at the bottom of this page.
