Affiliate marketing is a referral strategy. Affiliate marketing is essentially the monetization of word-of-mouth marketing. It’s a person or marketer getting a commission in exchange for referring a product or service to another customer. Affiliate marketing has changed tremendously over the past decade as the internet has evolved and the number of channels has evolved, everything from social to email. So, we’re seeing influencers that are recommending products and services that are not their own but they’re other companies but people go to them to get that information.
Affiliate marketing is one of the most efficient forms of advertising because, you are only paying out and only giving that affiliate marketer commission when a sale has already been made. From the affiliate’s perspective, it’s fantastic for them because they may not be capable of building a product or offering a service but what they’re good at is building audiences and selling other people’s products.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Affiliate marketing involves earning money in the form of commission by promoting and selling a product or service made by some other retailer. It involves referring system, as you refer a product by sharing it on a blog, any social media platform or website. In return, when a customer makes a purchase through your affiliate link, you get a commission.
Commission rates are different for different affiliate programs, some may offer you 5% of every sale, or others may give you flat 50%.
AFFILIATE MARKETING PROGRAMS
When you want to begin your career as an affiliate marketer, the biggest challenge you face is to choose the right affiliate program or network. One wrong decision can you take back many steps, but one right decision can establish you as a successful affiliate. Some of the most widely used affiliate programs are as follows:
1-AMAZON ASSOCIATES AFFILIATE PROGRAM: It is one of the oldest, or you can say the first affiliate marketing program which started in 1996. It is also the most used program as well; it has easy-to-use affiliate dashboard. It is well recognized all around the globe, focuses completely on customer care. But one drawback of affiliating with Amazon is that they change their commission rates very frequently.
URL: Amazon Associates Program
Cost: Free
Type: Affiliate network
You get paid: Net 60
Payment threshold: $10
Best suited to: Affiliate marketing beginners building their first site
2-ShareASale. It is a good option because they pay a good amount of commission to their promoters. They just not only focus on big brands, instead they give more attention to smaller but more profitable companies. The dashboard is simple and less complex which makes it really easy to use.
URL: ShareASale
Cost: Free
Type: Affiliate network
Payment threshold: $50
You get paid: Net 30
Best suited to: An affiliate marketer looking for emerging brands or more tangential products and services.
3-Ebay Partner Network Affiliate Program. Also known as EPN, is a good place for brands and new affiliates to start up. It manages its own affiliate program, so you work directly with eBay, without the involvement of 3rd party. EPN welcomes raw beginners. It is a globally recognized marketplace for used and new items. And one good thing about EPN is that they offer relatively high commission rates.
URL: eBay Partner Network
Cost: Free
Type: Merchant
Best suited to: Anyone – if you’ve ever been on eBay you’ll understand why
Payment threshold: $10
You get paid: Net 30
4- Fiverr Affiliate Program: some marketers believe that selling services is much easier than selling products. This is the main concept behind the setup of Fiverr. It allows the skilled people to monetize their skills such as graphic designing, content writing, animations, music, transcriptions, translations, etc. and the list goes on. It is one of the highest paying affiliate programs. Fiverr is a leader in the market in its category, so there is very less competition. It has a very fresh and easy-to-use interface. Potential of earning high profits.
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Cost: Free
Type: Merchant
Best suited to: Any blog with a topic that is directly or tangentially related to a Fiverr gig category, although business-style services do tend to sell very well.
Payment threshold: $100
You get paid: Net 30
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5- CJ (Commission Junction) now known as CJ Affiliates. It is one of the oldest affiliate programs in the market. It has a super diverse range of products ranging from big brands to small product and service suppliers. The good thing about the CJ Affiliates is that they provide all the necessary tools to affiliate marketers, plus they enable the affiliates to see that which affiliate program is profitable or not, without making guesses, which saves a lot of time and energy. It provides complete support through tutorials. But one drawback is that big brands don’t stay consistent, they come and go all the time.
URL: Commission Junction
Cost: Free
Type: Affiliate network
Payment threshold: $50
You get paid: Net 30
Best suited to: Affiliate marketers with 3 – 6 months experience under their belt.
6- ClickBank falls into the grandparent category of affiliate programs. It came into being in 1998. It is a market place for affiliates and an e-commerce platform for digital content creators. It is almost free to join ClickBank affiliate program, and barely need any approval to start your affiliate program. It is probably the best platform for the affiliates doing marketing without a website. But if look at the interface, it has not changed a bit since it was first established which gives a very outdated look. Talking of the Cons of Clickbank, is that some programs have very high refund rates, which can cost you a lot.
URL: ClickBank
Cost: Free
Type: Affiliate network
Best suited to: Marketers who prefer promoting digital products
Payment threshold: $50
You get paid: Net 60
7- Awin is one of the oldest and largest affiliate programs. Although it was setup in 2007, but its roots can go back to the zanox and Affiliate Window networks, which started in 2000. The good thing about Awin is they provide fats payments, which means you don’t have to wait for your commissions. It is easy-to-use with clear labels and layouts. The tracking system is simple and easy to follow through Awin dashboards. It has a lot of big brands connected. But it is mostly concentrated on the UK and US advertisers. It gives you a real tough competition as around 260 affiliates join the network daily.
URL: Awin
Cost: Free
Type: Affiliate network
Best suited to: Affiliates who want to get paid promptly!
Payment threshold: From $20
You get paid: Once or twice a month (you choose)
CONCLUSION:
In this blogpost we have tried to cover some widely used affiliate programs, but the list is very long. No two affiliate programs can be compared as all have different features depending on your niche of the product, your potential audience and your personality. If you want to start your career as an affiliate, you have to choose the program that best suits you.
