Affiliate Marketing For Dummies Infographic

Updated: July 11, 2016
by Ray Alexander

My friend JV (John VanDerLaan) from Wealthy Affiliate, the webmaster of jvanderlaan.com, has recently created a fantastic infographic showing a step-by-step guide to affiliate marketing. JV explains that the "Web Marketing for Dummies" book was published a while ago and is still available to purchase, but this is not for affiliate marketing specifically.

He also says he was never a fan of the Dummies series of books. Neither was I. Always printed in black & white, the books were somewhat uninviting, and not always necessarily comprehensive. So here's JV's version that's in colour, very comprehensive and I love it. I thought I'd share this with you.

Affiliate Marketing For Dummies by John VanDerLaan

Affiliate Marketing for Dummies

This is a real step-up by step-up, thanks to JV. Each and every element from the step 1-6 is equally essential and the level of difficulty slopes upwards. But like anything, you will gain confidence as you follow the right steps.

I hope you'll find this infographic useful. Learn how to make money online by affiliate marketing.

Affiliate Marketing For Dummies

If you're looking to make money through affiliate marketing, you're in the right place. In this community, the members go over everything we need to know about affiliate marketing, from the basics to the more advanced. By the end of all the modules, you will be armed with the knowledge you need to get started with affiliate marketing. So, let's get started!

Did You Know You Already Have a LOT To Sell?
So What's Your Problem?

  • Lack of time
  • Lack of knowledge or skills
  • Fear of scams
  • Don't know where to start
  • Other

What is Affiliate Marketing?

Affiliate marketing is a type of performance-based marketing in which a business rewards one or more affiliates for each visitor or customer brought by the affiliate's own marketing efforts.

In simplest terms, affiliate marketing is referral marketing with a commission. You promote products or services to customers, and when those customers buy something, you earn a commission.

A lot of companies have affiliate programs these days. Some affiliate programs only pay out when you make a sale, while others will pay you simply for clicks or even just for being an affiliate (which means they’ll pay you even if your referrals don’t buy anything).

The best affiliate programs are ones that offer recurring commissions, so that you can keep earning money from your referrals long after they’ve made their initial purchase.

How to Get Started in Affiliate Marketing

There are a few things you need to do in order to get started in affiliate marketing. First, you need to find a product or service that you're passionate about and believe in. Once you've found a product or service that you're passionate about, you need to promote it through your blog or website. You can promote it through pay-per-click advertising, social media, or by writing articles and reviews.

Once you've found a product or service that you're excited about and have started promoting it, the next step is to sign up for an affiliate program. There are many different affiliate programs out there, so it's important to find one that fits your needs. Once you've found an affiliate program that fits your needs, you'll need to create a unique affiliate link. This link will allow people to click on it and be taken to the product or service's website. If they purchase the product or service after clicking on your link, you'll earn a commission.

The last thing you need to do is keep track of your sales and commissions. Many affiliate programs will provide you with tracking tools to help you do this. Once you've started making sales, it's important to monitor your progress and adjust your strategies as needed. By following these steps, you can start generating income from affiliate marketing right away!

The Different Types of Affiliate Programs

There are four main types of affiliate programs: pay-per-click, pay-per-lead, pay-per-sale, and lifetime commissions.

Pay-per-click:

Paid Ads

Pay-per-click affiliate programs pay you based on the number of clicks that your referrals make on the merchant’s website. This type of program is great for generating quick leads, but doesn’t offer much in terms of long term earning potential.

Pay-per-lead:

Pay-per-lead affiliate programs pay you based on the number of leads that your referrals generate for the merchant. This type of program is a good way to earn some extra income, but isn’t as lucrative as a pay-per-sale program.

Pay-per sale:

Pay-per sale affiliate programs are the most common and most profitable type of affiliate program. You earn a commission on every sale that you refer to the merchant. This type of program offers the greatest earning potential, but also requires more work to generate sales.

Lifetime commissions:

Lifetime commission affiliate programs are less common than other types of programs, but can be very profitable if you are able to generate a lot of sales. With this type of program, you earn a commission on every sale that your referrals make, for as long as they remain customers of the merchant.

Pros and Cons of Affiliate Marketing

There are many affiliate marketing programs available to website and blog owners. Each program has its own set of rules, terms, and conditions. Some programs may be more suited to certain types of websites or blogs than others. It is important to carefully consider the pros and cons of each program before signing up.

Pros

  • A good affiliate marketing program can provide a steady stream of income. 
  • It can be a relatively easy way to make money, especially if you are already familiar with online marketing and have a website or blog up and running. 
  • You can often choose which products or services you want to promote, giving you some control over the content on your site. 
  • Affiliate marketing can be a very effective way to build traffic and generate sales for businesses that offer products or services that complement your own website or blog's content.

Cons

  • The income from affiliate marketing programs can be unpredictable, which can make budgeting difficult. 
  • Some programs require approval before you can begin promoting their products or services, which can take time. 
  • Not all products or services are suitable for promotion on all types of websites or blogs. You may need to adjust your site's content to match the product you want to promote. 
  • Some affiliate marketing programs have strict terms and conditions that must be followed in order to stay in good standing with the merchant. If these terms are not met, you could lose your commission or even be banned from the program.

How to Be a Successful Affiliate Marketer

There is no one right way to be a successful affiliate marketer. However, there are some basic steps that all successful affiliate marketers follow.

1. Find a profitable niche:

This is the first and most important step. Without a profitable niche, your affiliate marketing business will not be successful. There are a lot of factors to consider when finding a profitable niche, such as market trends, competition, and your own interests and skillset.

2. Research affiliate programs:

Once you’ve found a profitable niche, it’s time to research which affiliate programs will be the best fit for your site and your audience. There are a lot of different factors to consider when choosing an affiliate program, such as commission rates, product quality, and company reputation.

3. Build an audience:

A successful affiliate marketing business is built on the foundation of having an engaged and loyal audience. You need to work hard to build up your audience by creating helpful and informative content that they will want to read and share with their friends.

4. Promote products effectively:

The key to successful affiliate marketing is promoting products effectively to your audience. You need to find the right balance of promoting products that are relevant to your audience and providing them with valuable information about those products. If you do this successfully, you will not only make sales but also build trust with your audience.

5. Track your results:

It’s important to track your results in order to see what is working and what isn’t. This will help you fine-tune your affiliate marketing strategy so that you can maximize your profits. There are a number of different ways to track your results, such as using analytics software or setting up conversion tracking on your website.

Alternatives to Affiliate Marketing

There are a few alternatives to affiliate marketing that can be just as effective. Here are a few options to consider:

1. Google Ads:

Google Ads

This is a form of pay-per-click advertising where you can place ads on Google's search engine results pages. You only pay when someone clicks on your ad, making it a very cost-effective way to reach potential customers.

2. Facebook Advertising:

You can create targeted ads on Facebook that reach users based on their interests and demographics. This is an excellent way to reach a large audience with your marketing message.

3. LinkedIn Advertising:

LinkedIn offers a different type of advertising than other social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. LinkedIn Ads are text-based and run in the sidebar of the site. They can be very effective in reaching professionals who may be interested in your products or services.

4. Traditional Advertising:

There are still many effective traditional advertising methods available, such as print, television, and radio advertising. If you have the budget, these can be great ways to reach potential customers with your marketing message.

5. PR & Marketing Firms:

Hiring a firm to handle your affiliate marketing can be expensive, but it may be worth it if you don't have the time or resources to do it yourself. These firms can develop strategies and create campaigns that will help you reach your target audience and achieve your goals.

Start Niche Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is a great way to make money online, but it's not always easy to get started. With this article, we hope to have given you a better understanding of what affiliate marketing is and how you can get started with it. Remember to choose a niche that you feel enthusiastic about, find a good affiliate program, and start promoting products!

About the Author

ASD. Recovering alcoholic. LGBTQ+ advocate. Semi-retired. 15+ years of web-designing experience. 10+ years affiliate marketing. Ex-accountant. I'm nice and real. Ask me if you need any help in starting up your home business.

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  1. Thank you for your useful information. I can use a lot of infographic for my site as well as affiliate marketing’s usefulness.

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