Those who purchased something an influencer recommended on the internet is likely to be a receiver of affiliate marketing. It is a form of marketing where online content creators/influencers create partnerships with businesses, brands, and companies alike. They do so to protect products/services. For each sale made, they get a commission.
Affiliate marketing is growing as an industry. One research study reveals that affiliate marketing spending is expected to reach $18 billion worldwide in 2025. But the are some problems for many elementary affiliate marketers and they are as follows:
- Purchasing a domain name.
- Hosting a website.
- Creating an audience.
- Learning tactics from experts.
There comes a question of whether or not anyone can start an affiliate marketing business without any expenses. The answer to this question is yes they can. How so? This post will serve as a brief guide on starting an affiliate marketing business this year.
The modus operandi of affiliate marketing
Affiliate marketing works through the recommendation of a product/service offered by another business and the ones who recommend it earn a commission. It can be quite a profitable business model. The business pays the affiliate marketer for every sale they have referred.
Each affiliate marketing program is different. Some pay varying rates of commission while some pay a fixed rate. Some can also offer free products/services/subscriptions in return. Here are key examples of affiliate marketing programs:
- Amazon Affiliates.
- Shopify Affiliate Program.
Affiliate marketing programs can become successful with the right amount of effort, smart work, and time. It can turn into quite a profitable side hustle.
How good is affiliate marketing as a business model?
Affiliate marketing is a shared business model that benefits both brands and creators. Through strategic partnerships, brands can boost sales, while content creators earn rewards based on their performance. By incorporating brand storytelling and influence marketing, this collaboration becomes even more impactful, creating meaningful connections with the audience and driving better results.
It is hence possible to make a living from affiliate marketing as it is a profitable business model. Here are some reasons why it is viable:
- Affiliate marketing is a low-risk business model.
- It is a win-win situation for everyone.
- Affiliate marketers can work from anywhere in the world.
- It can be a reliable source of passive income.
Worthwhile tips on starting an affiliate marketing business
Here are some tips recommended by experienced affiliate marketers and experts on tips for starting an affiliate marketing business:
- Looking for a niche.
- Selecting an affiliate program.
- Selecting a worthwhile source of traffic.
- Creating content to help build trust.
- Establishing an audience.
- Sending traffic to the links.
- Responding to the audience.
- Tracking outcomes.
Looking for a niche
Affiliate marketers should establish themselves in a niche. Those who don’t have finances require long-term thinking. One of the best ways to do so is by focusing on the fundamentals especially the niche and source of traffic. Niche is the topic the affiliate marketer establishes themselves on. Some of the popular ones include:
- Hobbies: Golfing, outdoors, photography, traveling, etc.
- Money and Finance: Bitcoin, banking, debit/credit cards, investment, personal finance.
- Health & Wellness: Fitness, Exercise, Nutrition, supplements, yoga, weight loss.
- Lifestyle and Living: Luxury, Real Estate, Airlines, Fashion, Jewelry, apparel, footwear, fine dining.
- Home: Decor, Pets, plants, baby products, furniture, home security.
- Technology: Gaming, VPN, Gadgets, Smartphones, tablets, web hosting, software.
- Alternative Medicine: Personal development, health and vitamin supplements, Acupuncture, meditation, herbal cures.
Selecting an affiliate program
Once affiliate marketers have chosen their niche, the next step is selecting the affiliate program worth joining. It does make sense to joining an affiliate site/product that is part of the marketer’s niche.
There are two ways of looking for a suitable affiliate program within a certain niche: direct and indirect marketplaces. If marketers are aware of businesses, brands, and companies in their niche with affiliate marketing programs, they can approach them with ease. They can sign up for them after agreeing certain terms and conditions.
Another option present is joining an affiliate program marketplace/affiliate network. This provides affiliate marketers with numerous options to sign up via the marketplace.
Selecting a worthwhile source of traffic
Now affiliate marketers need to think about their source of traffic for their efforts. There are many platforms to consider for affiliate marketing especially free ones. Accounts can be made for free on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
However, marketers can make a mistake. They believe that being a blogger requires a dedicated website. This costs money. It could be helpful theoretically is affiliate marketers plan on scaling the business. Somehow it isn’t necessary.
Affiliate marketers can generate income using other sources of free traffic. Here are some platforms they should definitely consider:
- Facebook.
- Instagram.
- LinkedIn.
- TikTok.
- YouTube.
Creating content to help build trust
Creating content to build trust among the audience works quite well. Last year, users spent 151 minutes daily on social media. The key is top-notch content. This can be the best tactic an affiliate marketer can ever use.
Marketers from an agency providing Ecommerce website development dubai explain that it is wise to plan ahead and create a content calendar/strategy plan to help create a content library over time. The calendar/plan can have outlines of the kind of content that can be published anyday. That content can be:
- Questions and Answers (Q&A).
- Tutorials.
- Product Reviews.
- Self-help guides and manuals.
- Tips and tricks.
Establishing an audience
When affiliate marketers make content on their preferred platform, it is also a worthwhile idea to make a list for email/text messages. Two key reasons lay the foundation for this:
- Their own list of contacts.
- Their ability to influence affiliate links.
Sending traffic to the links
Once trust is built in the audience, it is time to start driving traffic towards the affiliate links. Here the affiliate marketer’s hard work pays off. It somehow needs a balance between maintaining the audience’s trust and promotion. They can begin by naturally incorporating the affiliate links in the content via:
- Product Reviews.
- Tutorials.
- Lists that have the best of content.
- Articles of comparison.
Responding to the audience
One of the last tips for growing the affiliate marketing gig is engaging with the audience. Conversing with them helps both followers and subscribers feel heard and valued. It also works for the business and the social media algorithms tilting things in its favor. By integrating with social media APIs, you can streamline this process, ensuring seamless interaction and boosting engagement across platforms.
When the audience interacts with the content, it signals algorithms that such content is worth boosting. Hence it is shown to people who are genuinely interested.
Tracking outcomes
Tracking results is important. Affiliate marketers must familiarize themselves with analytics and metrics like:
- Clicks.Â
- Conversions.
- Earnings per each click (EPC).
- Total earnings made.
Reviewing them regularly can give affiliate marketers a clear picture of theior performance. They can change the approach if the results aren’t well. Adding UTM parameters in the link can help show which products sell good and which content pieces/platforms work. Keeping an eye on the content’s performance helps create and maintain trust.
Over to you
It may seem like a handful but it isn’t. Starting an affiliate marketing business this year isn’t hard. It is easy but it is wise to keep monitoring each output carefully to ensure everything goes right.