What is Affiliate Marketing?

Affiliate Marketing is a way people can earn money online by promoting a company's product(s) or services. This can be done via many different platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Youtube, and many more. When someone sees what your promoting, clicks your personalized link, and makes a purchase, you will then earn a commission for that sale. Depending on the program, and the cookie duration, if that person clicks your link, but buys 10 days later, you will still earn a commission.

Many different companies have an Affiliate Marketing program, also known as Referral Program. Affiliate programs are a major way companies market and advertise their products and/or services. When you sign up for an affiliate program through a company, you will receive a personalized affiliate link to share with your potential buyers by placing it on your social media or your website. If someone clicks the link and makes a purchase within the cookie window, the company will track the sale and pay you a commission for that sale.

Some programs have different commission structures, meaning longer cookie windows and sometimes even lifetime purchases. This means if someone purchases from your link once, any future purchases they make, you would earn a commission. Some companies even offer recurring commissions, meaning if the company has a subscription model or monthly membership, you could potentially earn a commission each month from their subscription/membership.

There are all sorts of different products and services that an Affiliate can promote, such as physical products, digital products, services, etc. It is easier f you choose to promote something that is relevant to your audience and also matches your interests, skills, and experiences.

Affiliate Marketing can take time to create and build your audience and may take some time before earning a substantial income, but with consistency and passion, you can easily make a significant income, to the point where you quit your 9-5 so that you have more time to put into your business.

As an Affiliate, once you have everything set up to the point where it is automated, you have the option to market organically using your own efforts, including email marketing or social media campaigns. You will also have the option to go the paid ads route, which will get your content in front of many different people, faster, which will drive traffic directly to your affiliate links and increase your earning potential.

Lastly, it is important to remember to disclose to your audience that you are potentially earning a commission through affiliate links. This is not a bad thing, it actually will create trust with your audience and also ensures that you are following ethical practices.

How do I get started?

This is the fun part! Set up a social media platform or website. You need people to be able to find you online in order to get started with Affiliate Marketing. You will need a place where you can share your content and Affiliate links. Different platforms include Instagram, TikTok, Youtube, a website, a Blog, Facebook, and many others. Ideally, you want to choose a social media platform that is easy for you to use, but also goes hand in hand with your interests.

This part is a little daunting, but don’t let that stop you! You will need to find a product or service to promote in your specific niche. Ideally, you will want to look for something that will be based around your target audience, and also something that you feel passionate towards. You will honestly be surprised how many companies have Affiliate Marketing programs. You can easily search on Google or Youtube to find Affiliate/Referral Programs. Once you find a program that aligns with you and your audience, you will want to sign up with that company’s Affiliate Program. Once signed up, you will then be generated an Affiliate Link which is personalized to you.

Your Affiliate Link is very important because that is how the company is going to track your sales, and ultimately how you will be earning your commissions. Once you have your Affiliate Link, you can place this link on your website or your social media platform of choice, and then you will want to drive traffic to your link. Once someone clicks your link and makes a purchase, the company will track that sale and you will be paid a referral commission for that sale.

1

2

3