What is affiliate marketing in simple words? Affiliate marketing is a referral based business in which affiliates recommend products online and earn commissions based on their sales. A good analogy is when you recommend a good film or restaurant to a friend. Only when you recommend a product or service as an affiliate, you earn a commission payment based on the sale/recommendation.
Affiliates are referral partners who join affiliate programs and recommend products based on that partnership. So with the analogy above, if you recommend a friend goes to a nice restaurant, and they do, you earn a slice of what they pay for their meal!
There’s thousands of affiliate marketers who recommend products and services on the internet. They do so because they get paid! I’m an affiliate too! If you buy something from this website, or sign up to my email list and purchase something I recommend, I get paid a commission based on the sale.
In simple terms affiliates promote products for a slice of the sale value!
What Is Affiliate Marketing In Simple Words – How It Works
When an affiliate joins an affiliate program, they get access to their own unique affiliate link. This is a link associated with their account. They use their links in a number of advertising methods:
- In written content – such as this blog post
- Through email messages – through building an email list
- In advertising campaigns
- On videos they post (e.g. YouTube)
Amazon, for example, has one of the most popular affiliate programs available online. Anyone can join Amazon’s affiliate program if they meet the criteria. To join an affiliate program you simply need to apply, although some require you to have a website already.
Once you have joined a program, you can access the affiliate resource and get your own unique links. Once you have an affiliate link you can use it to recommend a product and earn a commission based on sales you generate.
To generate sales from an affiliate link, you need to find people who want your recommended product, and put your link in front of them. This is done in various ways.
Generating Sales As An Affiliate Marketer
It’s not enough to randomly paste your link on your social media platforms in order to generate sales. You need to find the specific people who will be interested in your recommendations.
This can be done in a number of different ways. See where to promote affiliate links. This blog post, for example, is targeted towards people interested in affiliate marketing. If someone lands on this post, they can find my recommended affiliate training courses I offer on this site. If they purchase something from my links, I make a commission.
A key aspect of making sales as an affiliate marketing is to know your target audience and target them specifically with your advertising or content. See how to know your target market.
To generate a reliable income from affiliate marketing takes some time and dedication. But you can shortcut this journey by using high ticket affiliate products and subscription affiliate programs which help you generate more consistent and larger commissions.
What Is Affiliate Marketing In Simple Words
In simple words affiliates recommend products in exchange for a share of the profits. Sign up to an affiliate program, share your affiliate link, earn commissions based on what you sell!
Although this sounds pretty simple, selling affiliate products online isn’t all that easy! Many affiliates will quit after struggling to make sales. The affiliate marketing failure rate is pretty high, at 95%, although a large proportion of theses affiliates will simply have dropped out!
If you’re considering becoming an affiliate, it’s well worth getting the right help and support, if you plan on taking it seriously. Access a free workshop series to get started here.
What Motivates Affiliate Marketers?
Many people become affiliate marketers because they want to earn an independent income online and escape their jobs. Affiliates are motivated by a variety of things including income, geographical freedom and financial freedom.
Many affiliates just want to generate more income to subsidise existing employment. Some want to build huge businesses, but often, people become affiliates because it gives them a way to work on their own terms and around their current circumstances.
Most jobs require giving up all your time and this means your lifestyle is dictated largely by how you earn your income. But with affiliate marketing, you can choose your working pattern and build up an income around existing commitments.
Access a free video series to learn more.
