So, you have finally decided to try affiliate marketing but you’re wondering where to start from as a beginner. Don’t worry. I’m here to guide you, Let’s start. Shall we?
AFFILIATE MARKETER!–This title looks so huge and complicated, right? But you’ll be shocked to know it is just a professional word for a middleman.
Who is an affiliate marketer?
As the name implies, an affiliate marketer indulges in affiliate marketing. Acting as an affiliate means you are simply referring people to products and services of companies that you don’t own and while doing that, you receive commission if the people you referred made a purchase using your referral link. That’s basically it!
Your job as an affiliate is to play the role of a connector between a company’s products/services and their customers. In other words, help the company to sell and encourage the potential customers to make a purchase.
I’m sure you’ve done this before as a person. Everyone is a natural marketer. In fact, a lot of people do this including celebrities, bloggers, and anyone who is on the internet space for business.
You might have also connected a friend who wants to sell his phone to another friend of yours who needs to buy a phone and you got something as a reward for making that deal happen. That’s what affiliate marketing is all about. Linking buyers and sellers.
A lot of people have used affiliate marketing to create a passive source of income for themselves. It’s widely preferred because of the ease of setting it up and the availability on mentors who have a lot of success stories in their affiliate marketing venture.
Steps to start an affiliate marketing business
Now, I am going to give you the steps you need to start your new business in affiliate marketing.
1. Get Your Tools Ready
To start affiliate marketing, you are going to need a smart phone or a laptop, an internet connection, an email address, and a website may also be needed. These tools help you sign into a company’s affiliate program and also stay in contact with the prospective clients you will refer to the company.
2. Create An Online Presence
To sell as much as possible, you need to have access to as many people as possible. So, go ahead and make many friends and followers on social media. For example, if you are a boxing trainer, you would want as many people as possible to know this. Hence, the more friends and followers you have online, the higher your chances of pitching to them and making a sale. Social media apps like Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp are very good platforms for building your online presence. Always be sure to interact regularly with your contacts and followers to keep them interested and hooked.
3. Decide On What Product To Promote
To decide the company’s products or services you want to market, there are a few things to consider:
a) How much is the commission you will receive? Some companies pay higher than others.
b) How suitable is the product? Let’s assume you are a gym instructor and you already have good clientele that trusts you, it will better for you to collaborate with companies that sell gym equipment because your clientele already know you and trust your expertise. Similarly, you might be a swimming trainer who needs to be an affiliate with a company that sells swimming products. This is the way to go and I’ve seen this work out for several people.
4. Sign Up As An Affiliate
Now that you have decided on the company’s products you will love to promote, go ahead and sign up for their affiliate program. Some companyies require you to have a website while some don’t. So, if you don’t have a website, it might limit you. You could check out the affiliate program of a few companies such as Konga, Jumia and Amazon. These companies have a large number of products they sell which gives you lots of options.
5. Use Your Affiliate Links
Now that you’ve registered as an affiliate with your preferred company, you will be given a personal tracking link which has a tracking code through online cookies.
Affiliate marketers use this unique link to post adverts of the product. This link will enable your audience to access the product or service you are advertising.
If any member of the audience you have been marketing to clicks the link, it is tracked back to you and if they buy the product, you will receive a commission.
In some cases, instead of getting a unique affiliate link from the company, you are given coupon codes. The buyer you referred to the company will then get a discount as an incentive for buying through your link or coupon.
Why You Should Begin Affiliate Marketing
There are lots of reasons you should be an affiliate marketer but I will sum them up into 3:
- First, you know have the opportunity to start a business of selling products and services without having to go through the stress of creating those products and services.
- Secondly, you can be your own boss. In affiliate marketing, the boss is you, working and closing hours are set by you, office location is anywhere you want it to be.
- Thirdly, it’s a passive stream of income – passive income means income you can earn without actively working for it. That is, you make little to no effort to acquire money as commissions. Isn’t that what we all want?
In conclusion, affiliate marketing is another source of income where you don’t need to be physically active to earn as you can earn from the comfort of your home while sleeping or on a vacation. With your busy schedules as a student or worker, affiliate marketing is just that business you need that won’t take up all your time but will rewards you as you continue to grow in the business. So, what are you waiting for? Begin as soon as possible.