Let’s say you have had the best pizza of your life recently. You meet your friends and say, “Hey, you should try the pizzas at Lucio Pizzeria. They’re really good “. What do you think you are doing? You are recommending a pizzeria so that your friends can also relish the delicious taste of the food you have experienced. This is nothing but word-of-mouth marketing. However, you are not getting paid to market Lucio Pizzeria. Now, what if we tell you that you can earn a commission from what you just did via affiliate marketing?

Yes, that’s right. Affiliate marketing is one of the many ways people can make money online. But what is affiliate marketing? Technically, it is a commission-based referral system where affiliate marketers earn commissions when they promote a product or a service.

Whether you are looking for opportunities to earn a side income or venture into the affiliate marketing realm completely, you should know where to start.

This article is for everyone who asks, “How to start affiliate marketing”, or “How to become an affiliate marketer. We explore the different steps in this interesting journey and take you through the intricacies and nuances of affiliate marketing.

Why Affiliate Marketing?

“This is how I made six figures in 2023”. “My Side Income made me $200,000”. Social media, especially LinkedIn and Instagram is flooded with such posts and this rising trend is linked to the growth of affiliate marketing.

Affiliate marketing is growing, and it is growing rapidly. The affiliate marketing market is expected to surpass the $15.7 billion mark by the end of 2024 against $14.3 billion in 2023. Additionally, interest in affiliate marketing and related services increased by a staggering 264% between 2020 and 2022.

So, why is affiliate marketing gaining steam? Well, it is a great opportunity for people to make money online. Affiliate marketers can earn between $100-$100,000 depending on their experience, marketing expertise, and effectiveness of their affiliate marketing strategies and referrals.

Here’s the formula:

Affiliate marketing monthly earnings = Number of sales per month x Average sale price x Commission rate

Here are a few benefits of affiliate marketing.

  • Passive income
  • Flexibility
  • Low Investment
  • Low Barrier of Entry

How to Start Affiliate Marketing: A Comprehensive Approach

Venturing into something new can be intimidating, especially when you have no prior experience or knowledge. That’s understandable. However, it is worth noting that affiliate marketing is an excellent entry point for beginners looking to make money online. That said, they should be willing to invest time and effort to learn the ropes of online marketing and build affiliate partnerships.

Wondering how to start affiliate marketing? Read on to find out.

1. Select Your Niche

What are you promoting? Why are you promoting it? It is easy to get lost in the dynamic online marketing world and gravitate toward different products and trends. It is very easy to fall into that trap only to find out that an affiliate marketer without a well-defined direction and niche will struggle to build a connection with their target audience. You should select your niche if you aspire to be a successful affiliate marketer. While you can always expand your horizons as you learn the trade, it is a good idea to start with a niche to forge a deeper and trusted connection with your target audience.

Some of the most popular and trending niches for affiliate marketing include:

  • Online gaming
  • Skincare
  • Fashion
  • Online dating
  • Travel
  • Finance

2. Pick an Affiliate/Referral Program

Selecting a niche makes it easier for you to pick an affiliate partner. It narrows down your options, allowing you to pick from a pool of relevant products and services that resonate with your niche and target audience.

As mentioned earlier, it is easy to lose discipline and grab every opportunity you get to promote products, offers, and services. However, it takes years of experience to climb the ladder and become a successful affiliate marketer. Therefore, it is important to pick an affiliate partner relevant to your niche.

Select your affiliate programs carefully keeping an eye on the best price-quality ratio for your performance.

3. Opt for the Right Traffic Sources

Before we dive deeper into this topic, let’s first understand what we mean by traffic sources. It is important to know that you can either redirect traffic to your affiliate marketing website or an affiliate link when you are starting an online business from different sources. These sources are known as traffic sources.

Your conversion rate is directly proportionate to the quality of traffic you buy. Therefore, it is imperative to choose the right traffic source.

Here are some of the most popular traffic sources:

  • Social media platforms
  • Push and pop notifications
  • Google Search
  • Mobile browser and applications
  • Native
  • Display

4.Create Trust-Building Content

Creating engaging and compelling content is one of the most crucial aspects of affiliate marketing. The onus is on you to create interesting and exciting content to engage your audience. Additionally, you should give them a reason to purchase a product or a service from you and that is where your content quality enters the frame.

Some of the most effective types of content include:

  • Comparison blogs
  • Product reviews
  • ‘How to’ articles
  • Listicles
  • Discount articles
  • Discount videos

How Affiliate Marketing Works: An In-Depth Analysis

Now, let’s understand how affiliate marketing works. Don’t worry, it’s pretty straightforward.

  • Add affiliate program/referral links to your website
  • Your audience clicks on your affiliate link
  • The affiliate link redirects them to the merchant site
  • The customer buys the product or service from the merchant
  • The affiliate tracking system identifies the buyer’s journey, giving you credit for the conversion or sales.
  • The merchant confirms the validity of the sale
  • You earn a commission for the sale

Conclusion

This article is a good starting point for anyone looking to start affiliate marketing with no money. While it is a great way to make money online, let’s acknowledge the fact that it requires concentrated efforts, hard work, and most importantly, a well-defined affiliate marketing strategy.

Additionally, your persistence will be rewarded. If you do not believe us, here’s what Manu Cinca, one of the most popular affiliate marketers in the world has to say – “The best or worst advice is don’t quit. Persistence is necessary, but persistence in the sense that you try different things, you learn what doesn’t work and you try different things to find something that works.”

Here’s our advice; keep at it and someday, you could become the next Manu Cinca.

FAQs

How do I join Crazy Domains’ affiliate program?

Joining Crazy Domain’s affiliate program is easy. All you need to do is fill up the affiliate program application form and accept the terms and conditions of the program. Leave the rest to us.

What kind of products/services can I promote as an affiliate with Crazy Domains?

You can promote servers, domains, web-hosting, email-hosting, design and online marketing services as an affiliate with Crazy Domains. Please go through the eligible products and services that are part of the affiliate program.

How are affiliate commissions calculated and paid?

You can check out our payment guidelines to understand how affiliate commissions are calculated.

What marketing strategies work best for affiliate marketing beginners?

Social media marketing, influencer marketing, and content marketing are some of the best marketing strategies that work best for affiliate marketing beginners.

How do I track the performance of my affiliate links and campaigns?

You can track the performance and earnings of your affiliate links and campaigns via an intuitive dashboard.

What technical support or resources does Crazy Domains offer to its affiliates?

Get in touch with our team for payment-related and general concerns. You need to contact Impact Radius if you need help with the dashboard.

We also have a repository of useful guides and articles to help you understand how our affiliate marketing program works.

If you have any queries or suggestions feel free to send an email on [email protected]