What is affiliate marketing?
If you're new to the world of digital marketing, you might have heard the term ‘affiliate marketing’. But what is affiliate marketing and how does it work? In a nutshell, affiliate marketing is a type of performance based marketing where a business rewards affiliates for each customer brought to the brand by the affiliate's own marketing efforts.
So, how does it work? Here's a step-by-step breakdown:
The affiliate signs up with an affiliate program:
Firstly, to become an affiliate you’ll need to start by signing up to an affiliate program. An affiliate program allows you to promote the products or services of a company in exchange for a commission.
The affiliate promotes the company's products or services:
You'll get a special affiliate link after joining an affiliate programme that you can use to start marketing the business' goods and services. You can showcase this link on your website, social media, or in emails to your subscribers.
The customer clicks on the affiliate link:
When a customer clicks on your affiliate link, they'll be taken to the business' website. If they make a purchase using your link, the sale will be tracked back to your affiliate account.
The affiliate earns a commission:
Once the customer has made a purchase using your affiliate link, in most setups, you'll earn a commission. The amount of commission you earn will depend on the business' affiliate program and the type of product or service being sold.