So you might have seen our website URL and asked yourself, “What is an affiliate program?” The short answer is that it’s an internet advertising method that works on commissions rather than ad clicks. And if you’d like a longer answer, then just keep reading.
How Affiliate Marketing Works
Becoming an affiliate marketer is simple. All you have to do is sign up with an affiliate network, such as Wealthy Affiliate, and then pick a hobby or other topic that interests you. Once you’ve done that, you can select one or more affiliate programs to promote that line up with your interests. As such, another answer to “What is an affiliate program?” would be “a way for individuals to direct internet traffic to businesses.”
You can promote a business through the affiliate program in several different ways. For instance, you can start an email mailing group that alerts people to new products and deals. You can integrate it into your social media presence by suggesting people check out a product you link. There are no quotas since the program only pays a commission for each completed sale, so you’re free to present these product links any way you want.
The Affiliate Marketing Website
While you can use all of the above methods, the primary way the affiliate system works is by placing ads on a website which you get to set up yourself. The website can follow any format you want and be about any topic you can think of, although the ads will work better if they’re closely related to the website’s subject.
Affiliate program ads aren’t significantly different from the regular ads you can find throughout the internet, but instead of paying fractions of penny per click, affiliate ads pay you a percentage commission on any sales made to people who recently clicked one of your links. As a result, an affiliate program pays out less often than a normal ad, but the pay is very likely to be much better. As a result, you could also answer “What is an affiliate program?” with “a personal content-driven website with a twist.”
The Affiliate Marketing Strategy
Calling yourself a professional marketer can sound like you’re calling yourself a corporate shill, but that’s not at all how it has to work unless that’s how you choose to behave. And, for that matter, if you do act like a corporate shill, you won’t end up making any money.
When you build a website as part of an affiliate program, it really is (or should be) content-driven and not advertisement-driven. If you want to build a website that gives you a place to talk about your favorite hobby, pastime, professional subject, or whatever else you spend all your time on, then an affiliate program could be just the way to do it.
If you’re knowledgeable about your topic, if you’re halfway decent at writing, and if you can build an audience with social media outreach and some ads of your own, then you won’t need to direct any attention to the affiliate ads on your site. Instead, your visitors will spot them on their own, and if they’re interested in the advertised products, you’ll get your commissions.
In fact, if your website includes reviews and other personal opinions about affiliate products, you’ll be better off telling the truth instead of lying to make the products look good. People who buy products on your recommendation will find out soon enough whether you were being honest, and if you were they’ll want to come back to read more reviews and recommend you to their friends. If you aren’t, they may complain, and they definitely won’t come back later. So while lying may get you more sales in the short term, integrity is a long-term investment.
What is an affiliate program? An affiliate program is an opportunity to spend time creating blog posts, articles, and other online content based around the things you love. An affiliate program isn’t for everyone, because you need to learn how to write well, design an appealing website, and market yourself if you want to make a significant income. What is an affiliate program? It’s a system you can use to start your own online enterprise, and Affiliate Marketer Training can help teach you how.