An affiliate marketing program is an arrangement between a merchant, retailer or advertiser and an affiliate. Basically, it involves the affiliate placing a link or button featuring the merchant’s products or services on their webpage.
When a consumer clicks on this link or button, they will be directed to the merchant’s website and if they purchase anything, the affiliate may collect a commission for the sale.
So, what does affiliate marketing involve exactly?
Joining an Affiliate Program
The first step an affiliate has to take is to join a merchant or retailer’s program and obtain the necessary links and buttons to feature the merchant’s products on their website. There are a variety of platforms where a merchant can list and advertise their programs, such as affiliate networks and directories.
Many merchants also feature their programs directly on their website.
Using an affiliate network can be beneficial for both the merchant and the affiliate, as affiliate networks will be able to provide a variety of programs to choose from and simplify the process of tracking sales and commissions, as well as providing other helpful resources.
Choosing Products or Services to Promote
Once an affiliate has joined a program, they have to decide which products or services they will be promoting. It is best to keep their program focused by choosing products or services that are related to the content that can be found on the affiliate’s website.
It can also be beneficial to choose products or services that have a good reputation and that have a high demand.
Setting up Affiliate Links
The next step is to create affiliate links on the affiliate’s website. This is done by placing banners, text links, ads or product images that link to the merchant’s website. It is important to remember to test each affiliate link before it is publicly placed to make sure that it works properly and goes the right place.
It can be useful to create content around the products or services being promoted, as this can help to encourage more clicks on the affiliate links.
Tracking Sales
In order to get paid, affiliates need to track their sales and see which of their links have been clicked on and which provided the best results.
Affiliate networks make this easier as they come with tracking software that can be used to show when a sale has been generated.
Getting Paid
Payment for affiliates usually works on a “pay per click” basis, meaning that the affiliate will get paid for the number of clicks their affiliate link has received.
For example, if the affiliate earns a commission per sale or at a certain goal – such as signing up for a newsletter – the commission will be paid out when the goal is met.
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Setting up Affiliate Links
The next step is to create affiliate links on the affiliate’s website. This is done by placing banners, text links, ads or product images that link to the merchant’s website. It is important to remember to test each affiliate link before it is publicly placed to make sure that it works properly and goes the right place.
It can be useful to create content around the products or services being promoted, as this can help to encourage more clicks on the affiliate links.
Tracking Sales
In order to get paid, affiliates need to track their sales and see which of their links have been clicked on and which provided the best results.
Affiliate networks make this easier as they come with tracking software that can be used to show when a sale has been generated.
Getting Paid
Payment for affiliates usually works on a “pay per click” basis, meaning that the affiliate will get paid for the number of clicks their affiliate link has received.
For example, if the affiliate earns a commission per sale or at a certain goal – such as signing up for a newsletter – the commission will be paid out when the goal is met.