Affiliate marketing is a marketing system that connects advertisers (also called "merchants") with publishers (also called "publishers" or “partners”). Affiliates place links to advertisers' products on their websites and are paid based on the number of clicks or transactions made through these links.
There are several advantages to using affiliate marketing to promote your products or services, but also some disadvantages. In this article, we will take a look at the pros, cons, and different characteristics of this ecommerce system that allows the affiliate to get their start in affiliate marketing without stock or logistics and the merchant to boost their business’s revenue without expenses.
What are the pros of affiliate marketing?
An infinite choice of products to sell
Affiliate marketing is a marketing technique that allows a company to promote third-party offers on its website in exchange for a commission on each purchase made through an affiliate site.
This technique offers endless possibilities for affiliates, as they can choose from a large number of items offered by different advertisers.
Although Amazon’s affiliate program is one of the best known options out there, there are many businesses and brands that have affiliate programs available for people looking to get their start in affiliate marketing. Whether you want to promote physical or digital products, chances are you will find advertisers with items that match your target audience or passion.
Affiliate marketing allows you to test new products without having to invest in maintaining product inventory or promoting these items, which can be especially beneficial for startups.
Ability to use all marketing channels
You can use your website, your newsletter, your social networks, your online advertising, and even word of mouth to promote products via affiliate marketing.
This flexibility allows you to choose the marketing channels that best suit your business’s target audience and your promotional campaign.
For example, if you have a large audience on Instagram, you can use this social network to promote offers in a visual and interactive way.
Similarly, if you have a newsletter that’s heavily followed by your subscribers, you can include affiliate links to promote items that might interest them.
By using all the marketing channels at your disposal, you will be able to reach an even wider audience and maximize your chances of making deals through affiliate marketing.
Regular income
Every time a transaction is made through an affiliate link placed on your website or other marketing channel, you earn a commission on that sale.
These commissions can vary depending on the product and the advertiser, but they can be very interesting in some cases.
Moreover, affiliate marketing is an easy way to diversify your sources of income and not to be dependent on a single product or service. You can continue to make money with affiliate marketing even if one of your offers doesn’t sell as well as expected.
Affiliate marketing gives you the opportunity to create value-added marketing content for your audience while generating earnings on the side.
Attractive commissions
One of the main reasons why companies are attracted to affiliate marketing is the possibility of earning attractive commissions on every transaction made through an affiliate link.
For example, some companies offer commissions of up to 50% of the product price for affiliates.
Some companies offer commissions on the actions of your referrals, which can lead to even higher earnings.
Some advertisers offer commissions on repeat purchases, which can lead to long-term earnings over time.
Affiliate marketing can allow you to earn attractive commissions on each sale made through your affiliate links.
An ecommerce business without limits
Another one of the many pros of affiliate marketing is that it’s a limitless business, as it gives you the opportunity to promote items in an unlimited way.
There are many advertisers offering products in many different fields, allowing you to find products that fit your passion and marketing strategy.
The more products there are, the more sources of income there are.
This business is based on traffic volume and online marketing opportunities: affiliate marketing is a limitless business that offers you many possibilities to promote items and generate revenue.
No stock or after-sales service for the affiliate
One of the main advantages of being an affiliate is that you don't have to manage inventory or after-sales service, saving you time and money and making it easy for you to start your own business on the web.
As an affiliate, you aren’t responsible for the production, delivery or return management of the products you promote.
You’re simply responsible for promoting these items to your audience and earning a commission on each transaction made through an affiliate link placed on your site or other marketing channel.
By using affiliate marketing, you can focus on what you do best: promoting products and generating financial gain.
Sales boost for the advertiser
Affiliate marketing can be very effective for advertisers who want to boost their business on an ecommerce site.
By using affiliate marketing, advertisers can benefit from the reputation and credibility of affiliate sites to promote their products without having to spend their resources on expensive marketing campaigns.
Affiliates are often ambassadors or influencers who already have a loyal and qualified audience through their recommendations of articles: thanks to them, it’s a good way for a business to develop its ecommerce revenue.
What are the potential cons of affiliate marketing?
Knowing how to adapt to a specific target
By promoting third-party products, you risk losing credibility with your audience if you promote offers that don’t match their expectations.
To overcome this problem, both advertisers and affiliates can turn to effective and professional affiliate platforms to sort out items and partnerships and work with peace of mind:
- Effinity
- Affilae
- Casaneo by arkheus
- Kwanko
Surpassing your competition
Another one of the cons of affiliate marketing is that there will likely be many affiliates promoting the same items as you, regardless of your chosen niche, which can make it difficult to compete.
Fortunately, with a well-executed marketing campaign and analysis of your market or popular keywords, your affiliate business can stand out from your competition in the long run.
Tracking your sales effectively
It can be difficult to keep track of the transactions made through your affiliate links, which can make it hard to track your performance and optimize your affiliate strategy.
That's why you need to turn to specialized online affiliate marketing solutions so you can work seamlessly between advertiser and affiliate.
How do you make money with affiliate marketing?
The best levers to succeed in affiliate marketing
There are several great ways to make money with affiliate marketing:
- Promote offers on your website or blog: The affiliate can create content around the products they promote and include affiliate links in their blog articles or pages. Each time a visitor clicks on one of these links and makes a purchase, the affiliate will receive a commission.
- Use social media: Affiliates can promote the offers they recommend on their accounts by including affiliate links in their posts.
- Use newsletters: The affiliate can promote the offers they recommend in their newsletters by including affiliate links in their email content.
One of the top affiliate marketing tips is that it’s important to choose products or services that correspond to the affiliate's audience and that are of good quality, in order to avoid losing the trust of their readers or followers.
Choose the best solution to create your affiliate siteTo ensure a great start in affiliate marketing, the best solution and the only one 100% dedicated to this business is called Evolup. This solution has been designed to go further in this business by thinking of the affiliate site as an ecommerce site. When you create your website for affiliate marketing, you’ll import your products in a few clicks, transform the pre-filled descriptions into powerful SEO levers with the artificial intelligence that will have guided you to find your niche and create your domain name, and that's it!
The simplicity of use and the affiliate marketing model make it possible to welcome all volunteers, from the most novice to the most experienced! Individuals and companies alike can get started and earn commissions through affiliate marketing. A fast, fun, and exciting way to earn passive income starting at just $10 per month! Try Evolup for 7 days for free and earn money from your passions!
