How to become an affiliate marketer: A guide to costs and training

Affiliate marketers drive product sales by promoting another company’s goods or services on their own website and other digital platforms. It’s a great side hustle because it can lead to a steady stream of income from home.

As an affiliate marketer, you are paid commission for referring customers to another business. When the people you referred purchase something from that company, you get a percentage of the sale as payment. Read on to learn more about getting started with affiliate marketing and how much it costs to get started as an affiliate marketer.

What is affiliate marketing?

Affiliate marketing is a way for marketers to get paid for recommending products to their customers. Instead of creating a new product or service, affiliate marketers find existing products and promote them to earn a commission.

You’re probably familiar with affiliate marketing through online retailers such as Amazon, where you can purchase an item and see a list of other products related to it — those are all examples of affiliate marketing in action.

Affiliate marketing can be applied to almost any industry. To get started, sign up with a company that has a network of affiliate marketers already promoting their products. You’ll receive a unique affiliate ID that you can put on your website, social media, or email.

When a customer clicks on that ID and makes a purchase, you get a commission on the sale. The company that hired you as an affiliate marketer may also provide you with other materials, such as banners, advertisements, or links you can use to promote your products.

How much does it cost to become an affiliate marketer?

The most important thing to keep in mind when looking at the cost of becoming an affiliate marketer is that there is no one-size-fits-all price. The cost of becoming an affiliate marketer will depend on your specific situation and the products you’re hoping to promote.

You may also decide to try multiple affiliate programs before finding the right fit. Therefore, be ready to spend a little bit of money upfront to find the right program for you.

Affiliate marketing costs vary depending on which path you choose to go down. You can either choose to promote your own products or promote another company’s products to earn commission.

If you want to promote products you created, you’ll have to factor in the cost of creating them, such as paying for design or software development. Additionally, if you want to use platforms like Shopify to sell your items, you’ll have to pay a monthly fee to host your products online.

How to become an affiliate marketer: Know the basics of affiliate marketing

Affiliate marketers need to know the basics of affiliate marketing to succeed in the field. Although it does vary depending on the product or service you’re promoting, there are some general essentials that will apply to almost any affiliate marketing partnership. Here are some of the basics you should be familiar with before making the leap into affiliate marketing.

• Identify your target audience - The first step to becoming an affiliate marketer is to identify your target audience. Who are you trying to sell your products to? Young adults, mothers, people living in rural areas? Understanding who you’re marketing to will help you create effective advertisements and product recommendations.
• Find products to promote - Once you’ve identified your target audience, it’s time to find products to sell. There are many ways to find products to sell, such as visiting product review websites, attending trade shows, or reaching out directly to the company that makes the products you want to sell. Find the products that best align with your target audience, but always make sure they’re a good fit for your business.
• Create a sales funnel - A sales funnel is how you will market your products to potential customers. It’s also likely to vary depending on the products you decide to sell. You may have a blog where you publish content related to your products, social media accounts where you can publish posts about them, or a sales page where you directly market your products to customers.

The costs of becoming an affiliate marketer

In addition to the upfront cost of setting up your affiliate marketing business, there are also ongoing costs. You’ll have to pay for hosting your website and likely set up a payment method, such as a PayPal account, to receive payments from customers. Many companies that hire affiliates will also charge a percentage of each sale you make. This can vary between 10% and 50%.

For example, if you’re promoting a product that retails for $100, the company that sells it may give you a $80 commission. The remaining $20 will be used to cover the costs of running the business and paying their other affiliates. You’ll also want to set aside funds to create new content related to your products, such as blog posts, social media posts, or product reviews.

Step 3: Develop your skills by taking a course or learning on the job

Depending on the products you want to promote, you may want to take a course or learn on the job about your specific field. For example, if you want to promote health and wellness products, it may be a good idea to take a course or read books about nutrition and proper health.

If you’re looking to promote makeup and skincare products, you may want to learn more about what ingredients to avoid and what products are best for your skin type.

It’s also a good idea to get some experience managing a business before getting started with affiliate marketing. For example, you could start a side business selling items you already own, like old clothes or books, on websites like Craigslist and eBay.

Affiliate marketing is a great way to drive sales while also building your brand and bringing in extra income. To become an affiliate marketer, start by learning the basics of how affiliate marketing works.

Find products to sell that are related to your brand and will appeal to your target audience. Once you have your products set up, create a sales funnel to help drive traffic and sales. Finally, develop your marketing skills so you’re ready to bring in sales when your products go live.