How Does Affiliate Marketing Work? The affiliate marketing (or affiliate) is one of the ways available to us to try to monetize a page web or blog , thanks to that today many companies have their own affiliate programs (or affiliation).

That is, if you believed that only the Google AdSense advertising platform made it easier for you to earn some income on your blog, it is high time that you evolved those old-fashioned ideas .

Today, in addition to sales of infoproducts or digital products (a topic that we will talk about later), there is also the possibility of designing an affiliate marketing strategy that makes it easier for us to earn more income online.

What ıs affiliate or affiliate marketing? how do those affiliate programs basically work?

What Is Affiliate Marketing?


All the secrets of affiliate marketing

The definition “official” could well be this that gives us our beloved Wikipedia, owner and mistress of the world of definitions on the Internet:

” Affiliate Marketing is a part of digital marketing that is mainly based on the achievement of certain results or actions”
The blogs or pages web , called affiliates, is responsible for promoting merchants and businesses (Trade online stores or advertisers) by posting banners, advertisements or promotions. These affiliates therefore obtain a commission when the user enters from their web pages and performs a certain action (click on a banner, register or buy) that favors those advertisers.

Have you not finished understanding this definition? Take it easy, now I’m going to translate this whole big parade into a Castilian that any mortal can understand …

For affiliate marketing to exist, several things are required :

  1. A seller: the person who sells or offers a service. To make it easier, in the real world (1.0) I could be the butcher in my neighborhood.
  1. A product or service: this is what the seller sells or offers. I mean, it could be the pork chops that the delicatessen in my neighborhood sells.
  1. A buyer: the person who buys the product (or contracts a service). Following the example, it could be my mother buying the chops at that delicatessen.
  1. An intermediary: the person who advertises the product or service and gets buyers from the original seller. If my mother bought those chops there it is because I recommended it to her; the charcutero has sold them thanks to me.

The grace of affiliate marketing is precisely the role the broker plays in all of this, because it has helped the seller find potential customers.

And we will say that the intermediary is an affiliate of the seller if the seller gives him a commission for the sale that he has achieved thanks to him. If you sold 1kg of cutlets for € 20, you can give for example 20% to the affiliate (= € 4).

And in all of this affiliation, where does marketing fit in?


Well, very simple, marketing is the set of strategies that I have used to get my mother to buy the chops in that delicatessen and not in another:

  • I can tell you that they have the best meat in the whole neighborhood there.
  • That if you buy 1kg of chops at that delicatessen, I will give you € 1. So instead of € 4 I will earn € 3, which is still more than € 0. ?
  • That nowhere will they treat you as well as in that delicatessen.
  • You can pay for the chops another day if it suits you.
  • That I have tried them myself and attest to their good quality and flavor.
  • Etc., etc., etc.

If we now translate all this into the 2.0 world, we can find affiliate marketing, for example, in a blog article that recommends web hosting (this is one of the most common examples on the Internet):

  1. The seller: is the company that sells the hosting.
  1. The product: is the web hosting service offered by the company.
  1. The buyer: it is the reader of the blog, who decides to buy the hosting that the article he is reading recommends him.
  1. The intermediary (or affiliate): is the author of the article that is recommending the hosting of the selling company, and therefore a commission will be taken for each reader who buys a hosting thanks to him.

What Is Affiliate Marketing NOT?


You know what it is, but now I want to make it clear to you what affiliate marketing is NOT .

For this I am going to comment on the 3 ideas that I have read the most on the network and reason each of them to make it clear:

  • It’s not just getting a sale

This is where there are more doubts about it. Affiliate Marketing does not have to happen with just one selling action.

Indeed, many companies give commissions for many different types of “shares” and define it as Cost Per Share (CPA). It can be a sale, fill out a subscription form or a survey, the installation of a mobile or web application, etc.

  • It is not just an affiliate link .

Many believe that it is enough to put a link in their articles and that’s it. Well, no. That is done by tons of people on their blogs and they don’t get a single click on that link.

In addition, the link is one of many other ways that exist for the seller to know that the customer “is on your side.” There are other formats such as codes, trial vouchers, etc.

  • It is not to recommend any product and in any way .

Or maybe yes, it could be … But with that the only thing you would be cheating is yourself, because people are not stupid.

When they see that what you recommend is not as good as you say, your credibility will go to hell . Good luck from then on … because you may not be able to earn a single euro more with affiliate programs.

  • It is not an easy method to earn money .

Forget about that, because the affiliate marketing strategy itself takes time and effort. As I said before, it’s not just about putting a link and that’s it, you also have to work hard enough.

You have to convince the potential client to buy a product and for this, many times he will be based on the trust that you inspire. And I do not know what you will think, but I am one of those who believe that trust must be earned little by little.

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Using Affiliate Or Affiliate Marketing On Your Blog / Website


Hey friend! It’s just that all that glitters is not gold, and of course affiliate marketing has its good and its bad.

You will have to learn to assess yourself if it is worth doing it on your blog or not. So here I leave the pros and cons of these strategies:

Affiliate Marketing Advantages

  • You can passively generate income “simply” by recommending a product sold by another company.
  • If you have recommended a service that charges the customer on a recurring basis every X time, you can also generate income on a recurring basis .
  • You can recommend almost any product without having to “tie” yourself to any company.
  • Recommending products that people are satisfied with can increase your impact and trust you .

Disadvantages of affiliate marketing

  • It requires time and effort, so it is a strategy that gives results in the medium and long term (depending on the case, of course).
  • Recommending products in exchange for a commission can create rejection from your readers . Many do not like you to “sell” them anything.
  • A bad use or a bad choice of the product or service can make you lose credibility and trust towards you . Be careful what you recommend!
  • Acting as an intermediary between the buyer and the seller can make customers believe that you will also be in charge of managing their complaints or problems with that product (with the inconveniences this could cause us).

And where the hell do I get one of those affiliations?


Wait, wait, because before launching you must take into account which product or service best suits your blog and the reader style you have .

If you usually write poems on your blog, I don’t think recommending the sale of pet products is very successful… But perhaps recommending the products of a bookstore does.

Starting from this base, I am going to give you 3 ideas so that you can find the affiliation program that best suits your blog .

1. Affiliate Networks


An affiliate network is without a doubt the easiest way to start. Basically they are web pages that serve as a meeting point between companies that agree to pay commissions and users who want to join them.

Flow chart of affiliate marketing process. Performance based marketing concept

Take a look at the comparison of affiliate networks that have been made at affiliate.com , a website specialized in all this subject and that is not wasted.

Watch out! Because in recent years more affiliation networks have appeared than Gremlins in a swimming pool, and that’s why I recommend that you only take into account those that campaign for your country, that use your same currency and that the payment method is the one that most confidence wakes you up.
How does an affiliate network work?

Each one is a world, but they all have very clear common bases:

  1. You register on the platform. Some will also ask for your tax identification number so you don’t forget to pay your taxes.
  2. You are looking for the companies or affiliate programs they offer to be able to sign up for them.
  3. The company you select will normally provide you with “resources” such as HTML code, images or links that you can use on your website.
  4. Once placed on your website, the “magic” of the marketing strategy that you must carry out so that people click (or whatever action) begins .
  5. On the website of the platform you can see statistics of the clicks received and those that have ended in the action for which you will be paid commissions.
  6. Collect the commissions of the actions obtained and take something to my health. ?

You must be clear that the “cost” of finding companies so easily in an affiliation network is that this will take part of the commission you get and therefore you will charge less .

2. Affiliate Programs


I am referring to those offered directly by companies without anyone in the way, such as an affiliate network.

More and more companies are choosing to create their own affiliate programs , because this saves the cost of the affiliate network and that difference can be used (for example) to pay more to their affiliates.

In this case, the difficult thing is finding the companies that offer their own affiliate programs, but it is not that difficult either.

A good trick or simple way to discover affiliate programs is to search them directly on Google:

” Affiliates + <and here put the product or theme of your website>”

Another way could also be:

” Affiliation + <and here includes the product or theme of your website>”

You can also go directly to the website of the company you already have in mind and see if they have their own program.

Most usually put a link at the end of their website to access it.

SEMRush Affiliate ProgramTake for example the SEMRush website where and how you place the link to your affiliate program. And if you don’t find the link, don’t worry, the easiest thing is always to do a search on the website itself (usually by pressing Ctrl + F ) with the word “Affiliates” or “Affiliation” .

How does a company affiliate program work?

Once again, each one is a world, but as a general rule they usually have this operation:

  1. You register in the program from the company website. Some will also ask for your tax identification number.
  2. The normal thing is that they provide you with “resources” such as HTML code, images or links to use on your website.
  3. You put the “resources” on your website and you can now start your affiliate marketing strategy to get the “action” that the company has asked you to get a commission (usually a sale or a subscription).
  4. On the website of the company or the affiliate program you can see the statistics of the clicks received and those that have ended in that action. Be careful, not all companies offer these statistics.
  5. Collect the commissions you have earned and take something back to my health. ?

Affiliate partner, partnership program, Affiliate business, Network marketing

Here are a couple of examples of well-known affiliate programs:
a-Amazon
b-Ebay

Personally I like this option of direct affiliate programs much more than the classic affiliate network. But I advise you to look for companies that are well focused on the theme of your blog or website.

And if you also find affiliate programs, better than better.

3. Propose affiliate programs to companies


This is not nonsense. Many companies and merchants do not know the benefits of creating their own affiliate programs; Let’s not forget that here the affiliate and the company win .

“EYE! Affiliate Marketing Must Earn Both Affiliate And Brand »

In fact, if a specific product or service provider accepts the offer and offers a good offer, you can have in your hand an exclusivity that can be worth gold …

And I go further! Look…

How would your own merchant affiliate store work?

You could make your own store with products sold by another. I give you an example:

  1. You find a store (physical or virtual) that offers very good products but has little visibility and does not sell anything.
  2. You propose to the merchant to sell their products on a website (or online store) that you make yourself and at the same price (not more expensive, that is what the Drop Shipment is for, and it is not the same).
  3. Orders placed on your website will go directly to the merchant. You have only set up the virtual showcase.
  4. You negotiate with the merchant a commission for each order that arrives from our website.
  5. The merchant will surely prefer to give you that commission to not sell anything (in addition, he has no fixed costs, he only pays commission if a product is sold).
  6. In this way you set up your own online business, in which you will sell third party products, instead of having to refloat the merchant’s store under their conditions. He sells more and you get commissions, of course. ? Everyone wins!

Without a doubt this option is the most difficult of all, because it involves much more work and it is also not easy to find companies or merchants who understand the business and accept the proposal.

4. Important Recommendations For The Affiliate Marketing Strategy Of Your Website Or Blog


Do you think you already know what affiliate marketing is and how it is used?

I feel a bit like Mufasa in The Lion King when he says to his son:

“Simba, someday this will all be yours …”

Tips for your affiliate marketing strategy

But wait, wait, little lion … I’m going to give you some very important recommendations before you launch into the inhospitable savanna:

1) Recommend only what makes sense with your blog

Yes, I am a “pesao”, but this is very important. Your readers have come to your blog for your content, so there’s no point in offering them something that has nothing to do with it.

Another good option is to find a very good product and start a blog related to it. Then read this guide to create a blog and start generating content associated with that product.

2) Recommend only quality things

This really is up to you; It is up to you if you want to create an “anonymous” blog and recommend trash or use the impact of your personal brand to recommend only the best.

Of course I always recommend the second option, because it is also the most effective.

3) EYE! Get paid the commissions

It seems obvious, right? Well, I assure you that there are many companies like the crocodile hosting provider that say they pay a lot and then in the end there are always “there are problems” …

Seek the opinions of companies that pay for real, without delay, and if it is in your own currency, better than better.

4) Have statistics of the actions

It is highly recommended that you have access to some type of statistic that shows you the conversion ratio, generally in 2 phases:

  1. The number of readers who end up clicking, for example on your affiliate link.
  2. The number of readers referred from that link who finally ended up carrying out the action, for example a purchase.

The first phase can be measured by yourself on your website or blog. And the second phase can usually only be measured by the company you are affiliated with.

Conclusion

Affiliate Marketing is one of the best ways to monetize a blog , and it can become one of the most profitable . But this always involves more time and effort in designing a good content and promotion strategy.

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Source: josefacchin.com/