What is Affiliate Marketing? [Know the Basics]

When it comes to explaining what Affiliate marketing truly is, there are many ways to go about it but the first step to start is to ask yourself this question: What is Affiliate Marketing?

It will also be very correct to say that Affiliate marketing has too many descriptions, yet all the descriptions will only arrive at one thing which is: They have the same meaning. Have you been searching for a piece of article that covers the best Affiliate marketing for beginners? Then, this it!

Getting Started 

Affiliate marketing is a big industry on the Internet. Recent statistics show that the industry is estimated to be worth $12 billion globally. This trend is additional proof that affiliate marketing is becoming a massive global industry (actually that’s exactly what it is right now).

1. What is Affiliate Marketing?

It is a cooperative effort between merchants and an affiliates’ website. For many years now, this business model has proved to be an inexpensive, yet valuable, measurable method of delivering long-term results. It has become famous for websites owners who are trying to make some extra or additional income for their website.

Daily, more people appear to develop an interest in affiliate marketing and want to make money out of it (because they see others making money from it/ or they believe that some people are making money from it – but things don’t work that way). This is the number one problem that we’re having with most people who are trying to do Affiliate marketing in Nigeria.

However, these new affiliates do not fully understand what the affiliate marketing industry is all about; so because of this, they make costly mistakes and lose money and opportunities. In other words, affiliate marketing has often been misunderstood by the majority of those who tried testing the waters. A lot of such persons are struggling to start earning a decent income online when they should be busy making sales and raking in some great figures from that effort.

2 What do people think about Affiliate Marketing most times?

One of the common misconceptions associated with affiliate marketing is selling; though selling is an important activity in terms of affiliate marketing and the central function of a business operation.

Another misconception is that affiliate marketing is commonly linked with advertising. While the importance of advertising in marketing a certain product is not to be underestimated, the true position of things is this:

> Advertising like selling is merely a part of the many functions of marketing.

> In affiliate marketing, an affiliate is compensated for every visitor, subscriber and/or customer provided through his efforts.

> The said compensation may be made based on a certain value for each visit (which majorly depends on action/s taken).

> The most attractive aspect of affiliate marketing from the merchants’ perspective is that no payment is due to an affiliate until results are appreciated (so payments are rewards for action/s taken by the traffic/ leads that you bring).

Affiliate marketing is typically being run by affiliate networks, and these affiliate networks are composed of two functional bodies:

> The group affiliates and
> The group merchants.

They both functions in their special way when it comes to affiliate marketing. The affiliate network acts as a third party (or escrow) between the merchant and the associated affiliates. The network provides the technology to deliver the merchants campaigns and offers. Affiliate networks also collect commission fees from the merchant and then pays the affiliates who are part of the program for their effort.

3. Who is a Merchant?

The merchant is any website owner that intends, wants or desires to take advantage of performance-based marketing to improve their income and change their way of living.

4. What are the role/s of a Merchant in Affiliate Marketing?

The benefits to the merchant are numerous. I’ll list them out as follows:

The merchant maintains and operates the affiliate program. If it would be extracted, the merchant needs to do their part by researching interested affiliate websites to ensure that they are a perfect fit for that particular website.

Finding a fit for their merchandise (in terms of niche and matching offers) would be the key to more generated income. The merchant has access to markets and customers without him spending valuable time searching out.

Banner ads on affiliate sites are not distracting to the site user. It might produce interest in that product and drive the consumer to the merchant’s website. It is also the merchant who decides how much he is willing to pay for each sale that results from a visitor sent from an affiliate.

5. What are the roles of the Affiliate in Affiliate Marketing?

First of all, this category of people enjoys a lot of benefits. The affiliate is a website owner that promotes one or more merchants and their affiliate programs.

Affiliate marketing can generate a full-time income for the affiliate. But then, this is no easy task especially for newbies to accomplish.

The affiliate needs to have a better understanding with the merchant what the commission will be, the expected payment method and the time involved in the contract. The affiliate also oversees whatever that is projected to their users’ to make sure it’s something they would be most interested in; and also something that brings value for their money, effort or time.

For example, if the website has a user base of mainly stay-at-home mothers, then online job openings such as surveys would be a good match for them as this category of people would also appreciate direct links to children’s products and informational sites.

Merchandisers most times provide targeted, best-seller items and personal support to their affiliates. They often offer sales promotions that will benefit the merchandiser as well as the affiliate. If you’re keen on learning how to make money while you sleep with Affiliate Marketing, you can click here to start.

Conclusion:

This is a great solution for both the marketer and the affiliate and anyone who intends to generate money fast. If they would work together, they can be an advantage to both.

Additionally, it also makes a lot of sense because it’s an easy and inexpensive way to start a legit business online; the best part is that you can set up your business within a few days. But there is one thing to consider, it is the most difficult aspect of doing affiliate marketing and it’s called- Traffic generation.

Finally, for you to succeed in this field, you must master the art of traffic generation online. With that skill, you’ll know how to get traffic and make your offer different and more visible online than all others. You might want to check out our article on Best Affiliate Programs for Beginners.

I hope you enjoyed the article. See you soon!