You have probably been hearing more and more about the term affiliate marketing, as this field is gradually expanding in our market, while it is already widespread globally.

Through affiliate marketing, you can earn money even if you do not have a specific product to sell, but can contribute to its promotion in the digital world through writing and marketing skills.

If you are interested in learning more about what affiliate marketing is and how to earn from it, you are in the right place – we will explore this topic in detail below.

What is affiliate marketing?

For those who are not familiar with this subject, it is necessary to start from the very beginning and introduce you to the basic terminology.

The generally accepted definition of affiliate marketing describes it as a part of digital promotion aimed at directing readers toward certain products through a link in the text – which is considered a form of recommendation.

If a purchase is made after that recommendation, the writer receives a percentage of the sale.

As the recommender, you do not need to own the product or handle other aspects of traditional sales. Your role is simply to recommend the product and then wait for conversions.

You might be wondering how the seller will know that the customer came through your link – but do not worry, we will explain everything below!

Who are the participants in the affiliate marketing sales chain?

The affiliate marketing sales chain consists of:

• the seller;
• the buyer;
• the affiliate partner.

The buyer is the person the seller wants to reach, and the partner helps with that for a percentage of the sale.

In this way, everyone benefits.

The seller gains new customers they would not have otherwise reached, the partner earns a commission, and the consumer quickly and easily finds the desired products.

Most large companies and young, ambitious firms with many products have developed affiliate or partner marketing systems. You simply join their network for free by filling out a form, choose the product you want to promote, and receive unique promotional links.

How does the earning system work?

In practice, an affiliate program is quite simple and guarantees partners that they will earn if the buyer actually reaches the product via their link.

The guarantee is ensured through a code that the partner receives directly from the seller or through pre-established affiliate networks. The code is essentially proof that the commission will go directly to your account.

Three ways to earn from affiliate marketing:

• PPS (Pay per sale) – a percentage from every sold product;
• PPL (Pay per lead) – you can earn even if the visitor does not purchase anything but performs another action (signs up for a newsletter, fills out a form, etc.);
• PPC (Pay per click) – earnings based on the number of visitors you bring.

Several ways to start with affiliate marketing

Affiliate marketing is very popular because it allows you to develop your business from several angles in the digital world.

Blogging is generally the most effective method so far, but here are other options:

• promoting products via a personal YouTube channel;
• email marketing – create a mailing list and address consumers directly;
• influencers – promoting products through a network of followers on social media;
• websites specializing in a specific niche and well SEO optimized;

Writing blogs is essentially the fastest way to place an affiliate link. At the start, launch a blog, then think about a profitable industry and niche where you can thrive while writing articles.

Select products to promote and create quality content around them!

After that, it is necessary to wait and be patient.

Sellers track buyer behavior online via cookies, which is why you can earn even if the consumer does not make an immediate purchase but does so later – as long as you were the one who initially introduced them to the product.

Many affiliate programs offer cookie durations from 30 to 150 days. This means that from the moment a buyer first saw the product via your link, they have 30 to 150 days to purchase it – and you can still earn a commission!

Cookies are part of the code, and as you can see, their duration is crucial for your earning potential, so take this into account before accepting an offer.

What does a quality affiliate marketing activity look like?

To give you the clearest picture of how this form of marketing works, let us go through an ideal example from practice.

Let us say you have an interest in computer equipment. You launch a website and start blogging about innovations in the computer technology world, regularly publishing high-quality, up-to-date content about new laptop models, chips, and graphics cards.

Along with standard information, you share your personal insights to position yourself as an expert in the field.

You integrate your site with Google Analytics (Google analytics) and Google Search Console and notice your articles are being read more and more.

You research the market and find that a major IT equipment retailer offers a quality affiliate program. You apply and then start embedding product images in your articles with naturally written, related content.

Below the images, you place the affiliate link to the product you recommend.

When your affiliate business grows, you can expand by launching a YouTube channel – sharing knowledge with viewers and potentially increasing sales.

Three factors responsible for your success

If you want to track your results after launching your campaign, you should focus on three key metrics:

• the number of visitors to your site;
• the click-through rate on your placed affiliate links;
• the number of purchases.

Your earnings depend on how well you manage your website, channel, or other promotional efforts – the more relevant visitors you attract, the more potential buyers you have.

Affiliate marketing is still relatively new in our region and requires a variety of knowledge in this field of business. If you need certain services, you can contact us and we will help you enter the world of digital marketing.

We hope this text has been both useful and enjoyable for you – and for even more engaging content, explore our other materials. If you require digital marketing services, reach out to our team.