Nathan 
Affiliate marketing is a great way to make money and I consider it a good career for people. But, there are a ton of questions people have about it, especially if they have never heard of affiliate marketing or are just starting out. Whether you’re familiar with it or not, there are a few common questions about affiliate marketing that I will answer below.
Without any further ado, here are 10 basic questions about affiliate marketing, as well as answers to those questions.
1. What Is Affiliate Marketing?
If you were to promote products or services for a company and they give you a commission when your efforts result in a sale, then you are an affiliate. This is pretty much what affiliate marketing is all about. There are individuals and companies out there that are willing to give people a commission when they promote their services/products, and those efforts result in a customer buying something.
As for how companies know it was “you” that made the sale, that’s easy. They use cookies and you use a link (referral link). When a person clicks on your link and makes a purchase, then your effort resulted in a sale and you’ll get credited. Also, if a person visits a company’s site via your link and doesn’t make a purchase, but comes back at a future date and does, then you could still get credit.
Note: I say could get credit because different companies have different policies. For example, a company might have a 30 day policy, which means if a person who has visited your link goes and makes a purchase from the website within 30 days of clicking your link, then you’ll still get credit.
2. What Are Examples Of Affiliate Marketing?
This is another question a lot of people ask when it comes to affiliate marketing. I can list so many different examples, but I’ll quickly go over three; This will give you a better idea of what affiliate marketing is. These three examples include:
. Walmart- Walmart has an affiliate program. If you belong to their program, then you can create ads and advertising campaigns that promote their products. If someone clicks on your ads or links and they make a purchase, then Walmart will give you a cut of the sale.
. Amazon- Amazon has the Amazon Associate’s Program. You can join it, promote products and get paid when people click your links and then makes a purchase. Amazon does require you to make a sale within 180 days or your account will be closed. Don’t worry because you can reapply afterwards.
. eBook Creator- Another example of affiliate marketing is that someone create an eBook and is willing to pay you a commission when your efforts result in their eBook selling. There are marketplaces that hosts digital products, and you can find an array of eBooks on there.
And those are only three of the many examples I could provide. The bottom line is when you promote products/services and your efforts results in a sale, then you are doing affiliate marketing.
3. Where Do Affiliates Find Stuff To Promote?
There’s tons of places to find stuff to promote as an affiliate marketer. Major retailers like Walmart, Target and Petco have affiliate programs. There’s also affiliate networks like ClickBank, JVZoo and ShareASale that marketers can join, find products and then promote the ones they like.
Do note that some places require you to wait a little bit before they’ll approve you as an affiliate. Sometimes there will be a questionnaire you’ll be asked to fill out, which can include questions like what’s your website or how will you promote products.
4. What Can You Promote As An Affiliate?
The answer is pretty much anything. There is literally thousands upon thousands upon thousands of services and products you can promote. This goes from eBooks to software, shoes, shirts, blenders, high-end furniture, large appliances, food, lawn care services, lead generation services and much much more. I would be here all day if I listed all the of stuff you could promote as an affiliate.
It doesn’t matter what you want to promote, the chances are there is a company/individual that has that product/service. And there are many that are willing to pay decent commissions to affiliates.
5. How Much Can You Make With Affiliate Marketing?
You probably already know the answer to this question, but there are so many factors that come into play in regards to how much you can make with affiliate marketing. Also, most newbies will not start earning from affiliate marketing right away. Think of affiliate marketing as a business, which means it takes time to learn, earn and grow.
With that said, the earning potential is pretty much limitless. Some people earn a few dollars per day, a couple of hundred per day or even thousands per day. Some marketers make earning six-figures yearly easy, while others struggle with it.
Bottom line is you can earn nothing, a tiny amount, a decent amount, somewhere in the middle or a ton of cash. I know, a generic answer, but it’s true.
6. Who Has Had Success With Affiliate Marketing?
So, who has had success with affiliate marketing and is still having success? That’s easy. I know this is a pretty general list, but the people who have had/still having success include:
. Celebs
. Stay-at-home parents
. Bloggers
. Big name internet marketers
. Lesser-known internet marketers
. Regular people
. The list goes on
The bottom line is there are so many different people from all walks of life who is crushing it with affiliate marketing.
7. Who Should Do Affiliate Marketing?
Those who are looking to make money (of course) should think about doing affiliate marketing. Whether it’s serious cash or pocket cash you’re after, you can achieve it with hard work, patience and dedication. Also, I think people who are looking to expand their skills or learn a new skill should jump into affiliate marketing.
In all honesty, anyone looking to launch an online business with some serious potential should think about getting into affiliate marketing. The earning potential is enormous and once you get the hang of things, affiliate marketing is fun.
8. What Are The Different Ways To Promote As An Affiliate Marketer?
There are tons of ways to promote products and services as an affiliate marketer. This includes starting a website, building up an email list that you can promote offers too and you can promote via YouTube. Other ways include Facebook videos, social media posts and paid adverts to name a few.
In short, a few ways to do affiliate marketing include:
. Have a website
. Email list
. YouTube
. Facebook videos
. Social media posts
. Paid adverts
Those are only a handful of the ways. Do keep in mind that I’m not providing tips and advice on the above methods because that is an article for another day.
9. What Are The Benefits Of Affiliate Marketing?
There are dozens and dozens of benefits. In my opinion, a few of the top ones include:
. Startup Costs- Starting up this kind of marketing venture doesn’t require any money or very little money. Do bear in mind that if you don’t invest any money whatsoever, then be prepared to put in even more hard work.
. Profitable- Affiliate marketing can be extremely profitable. There are lots of people earning excellent money on a regular basis.
. Fun- Not only can it be profitable, but it can be fun. There are so many things marketers can do within the affiliate marketing scene. Whether it’s writing up sales copies, building an email list or creating content for a blog, there is always something to do.
. Easy To Learn- Generally speaking, this type of marketing isn’t too hard to learn. It may be for some people, but a lot of people find it easy to learn affiliate marketing.
Those are, in my opinion, some of the top benefits of being an affiliate marketer.
10. What Are The Cons Of Affiliate Marketing?
Just like everything in life, there are cons. Here are a few cons associated with affiliate marketing:
. Hunting For Products- For many marketers, they find it a constant battle to find products/services to promote. This is because a lot of people try to find new stuff to promote all the time, while others stick to one or two things.
. Difficult For Some To Learn- This type of marketing isn’t easy for everyone to learn. On paper, it might appear simple, but when the time comes to actually learn and implement, things can be a whole different story. What’s easy for some, might not be easy for others.
. Time Consuming- Finding good affiliate programs, services and products can take a bit of time. So can implementing a campaign and the efforts it takes to generate traffic. A lot of people aren’t willing to put in the time it takes to learn this form of marketing and how to be successful with it.
. Can Cost A Lot Of Money- Sure, you don’t have to spend a dime. However, many people do decide to spend money and they could end up spending out a lot more than they wished they had. This can be for stuff like web hosting to PPC campaigns, Facebook Advertising, email list building tools and the list goes on and on.
And Those are a few of the cons of affiliate marketing.
Those are the most common questions about affiliate marketing. If you’re completely new to it or you were curious about it, hopefully you’re a bit more knowledgeable about affiliate marketing. Good luck if you decide to dabble in it. Also, feel free to drop me a question in the comment section.
Conclusion: Now You Know What Affiliate Marketing Is
Now you know what affiliate marketing is, examples of it, and who has had success with it or still having success with it. All you have to do now is decide whether or not you want to dabble with affiliate marketing. If you do, good luck and I wish you success.
And if you want to learn about other ways to earn money, then check out the rest of my website by clicking on the link below:
