How to Start Affiliate Marketing: A Beginner's Guide

When you do business online, the options to partner with like-minded brands are virtually endless. As an online business owner, one way you can supercharge your own brand is by partnering with another company as an affiliate partner.

This strategy is known as affiliate marketing, and it’s a great way for website owners to get their products in front of potential customers while also earning commissions on any sales that result from those partnerships.

Affiliate marketing is a type of performance-based marketing that allows businesses to partner with independent vendors who offer their own products or services. Partnerships like these help businesses increase their exposure while also generating new revenue streams.

Read on to learn more about why you should start affiliate marketing today and how you can begin doing so as soon

Why you should start affiliate marketing

Affiliate marketing is one of the easiest ways for online businesses to earn new revenue. You don’t have to create your own product or spend hours trying to sell it. All you have to do is partner with other companies that offer their products or services and then encourage your audience to buy from those affiliates using your special links or promotional codes.

More than 90% of online shoppers have clicked on an affiliate link at least once, and with affiliate marketing, you have the chance to partner with thousands of different companies and promote their products and services.

Doing so will help you generate new income from customers you might not have otherwise reached, and it’s a great way to diversify your revenue streams when you’re just starting out.

Get to know your audience

Before you start partnering with companies as an affiliate and promoting their products, it’s important that you get to know your audience. What do they care about most? What kinds of products or services do they need? As you look through potential affiliate partners, keep these questions in mind.

By getting to know your audience, you can choose affiliate partners that are a great fit for your target consumers while also increasing your chances of success as an affiliate marketer.

You should also consider creating a buyer persona if you haven’t done so already. A buyer persona is a fictitious character that represents your ideal customer, and it’s a helpful tool for any business owner, affiliate or not.

By getting to know your audience, you’ll have a better idea of which affiliate partners to choose, and you’ll be able to better promote those products and services to potential customers.

Find the right affiliate partners

Finding the right affiliate partners is just as important as getting to know your audience. When you’re first starting out, it’s a good idea to partner with several different companies. This will give you a chance to get your feet wet with affiliate marketing while also earning money from different sources.

You should also think about partnering with different types of businesses to diversify your income and make sure you’re reaching as many potential customers as possible. Some examples include partnering with ecommerce companies, SaaS companies, online course providers, and more.

Writing the ad copy

As you begin to promote your affiliate partners, the first thing you’ll want to do is write an ad. The ad copy is what your audience sees when you promote a product, and it’s a great way to entice potential customers while also earning commissions on that sale.

While it’s often best to be as straightforward as possible when writing ads, there are a few things you should include as you write your affiliate ads. First, use the product description provided by the affiliate partner.

Next, include a clear call to action that tells customers what they need to do next. After that, you should also consider including an enticing offer or a special discount for first-time buyers.

It’s a good idea to use a few different affiliate partners when you first start out. This will allow you to test different approaches to affiliate marketing, see what works for you, and also earn a few commissions along the way.

Decide on your commission rate

Now that you’ve chosen your affiliate partners and written some ads, it’s time to decide on your commission rate. Commission rates vary widely depending on the partner you choose, the product or service you promote, and more. Additionally, some partners offer different commission structures, such as a percentage-based commission or a fixed-amount commission.

Most partners will provide you with information on their commission rates, and you should definitely take advantage of this information. By partnering with companies that offer competitive commission rates, you’ll have a better chance of earning more money as an affiliate marketer.

For example, if you’re promoting an ecommerce product, you should aim for a commission rate of at least 20%. This will allow you to earn more money per sale and make affiliate marketing worth your time.

When to run ads and when to wait

As you begin running affiliate ads, you’ll want to carefully track how much they’re bringing in. Doing so will allow you to determine how often you should run them and when you should wait before promoting that product or service again.

Depending on the type of product or service you’re promoting, you may need to wait a certain period before promoting it again. For example, if you’re promoting a SaaS product, you may need to wait 30 days before promoting it again.

For ecommerce products, you may want to wait at least a few weeks or until you’ve reached a certain sales threshold. Doing so will help you avoid cannibalizing your own sales and will also allow you to promote a product or service multiple times without seeming too pushy.

Affiliate marketing is a great way to earn new revenue while also growing your audience. However, you will need to choose the right partners and use them wisely if you want your efforts to pay off.

Start by getting to know your audience so you can better choose the right partners. From there, it’s important to write compelling ads and decide on your commission rate. When you’re ready to start promoting, it’s also a good idea to track how much your ads are earning so you can better decide when to run them again.