FAQ
What is affiliate marketing?
Affiliate marketing is an arrangement between a company that supplies a set of products (called a “merchant”) and someone who has access to potential buyers (called an “affiliate”). When you sign up for an affiliate program, you agree to promote the merchant’s products in exchange for a portion of the revenue. The compensation can vary, and it can include commissions or other type of incentives.
How can I get paid with affiliate marketing?
Affiliates get paid in a number of ways, and it will be determined by the merchant. Three of the most common ways that affiliates get paid are pay-per-sale, pay-per-lead, and pay-per-click. But you will only get paid when your promotional efforts result in a sale. In most cases, you’ll get paid through a third-party network on which the program is hosted, but you may find some in-house programs as well.
What will it cost me to sign up for an affiliate program?
It doesn’t cost anything to sign up for an affiliate program. And once you join a network, you can sign up for as many programs as you like. Just make sure that they’re relevant to your audience.
What is an OPM?
An OPM manages the day-to-day operations of an affiliate program, and he or she is in charge of the relationships that exist between merchants, networks, and affiliates. Some of the duties of an OPM include:
- Checking transactions on a daily basis.
- Managing product feeds.
- Recruiting and outreach efforts.
- Approving applications.
- Making inquiries.
- Sending newsletters to affiliates.
- Making and sending reports.
- Managing offers and promotional materials.
This person could be considered to be the one behind the proverbial curtain, because he or she makes everything work.
What are affiliate networks and how do they work?
Many programs are run by affiliate networks. They help affiliates to register and apply for programs that may be relevant to their niche, and they serve as an intermediary between them and the merchants with which they work. They host various tools like banners and links that affiliates can use to promote a company’s products, and they will pay commissions to affiliates according to the rule that have been set by a merchant. The network uses cookies to track the progress of a customer as he or she moves through an affiliate’s blog or website to the merchant’s cart, and it automatically pays out a commission based on the rules that have been set by the merchant.
Do I need some type of certification to become an affiliate?
You don’t need any type of certification to become an affiliate, but you should learn as much as you can about what it means to be one. There are a lot of resources out there that will teach you how to do it correctly, and some of them include:
- Podcasts
- Blogs
- Webinars
- Research reports
While you don’t need any training to become an affiliate, merchants can approve or reject your application. Some merchants are only looking for certain qualities, which means that they will be more selective about who they choose to be part of their network. And many merchants won’t approve sites that have the following:
- Sexually explicit content.
- Violent content.
- Content that promotes discrimination.
- Content that promotes radical or religious political views.
- Content that supports criminal activity.
Be sure to bear that in mind as you look for affiliate programs.
Do I need to have an established website to start selling as an affiliate?
While it’s possible to register a website that hasn’t been published, there is one thing you need to understand. Most merchants want to work with affiliates who have established websites or blogs that have a solid group of visitors or readers, and they need to have a record of producing high-quality content that’s targeted to a loyal audience. So, it’s a good idea to get your website or blog established before you start signing up for affiliate programs.
How do I know which companies to sign up for?
You need to work with brands that you’re not only familiar with but also relate to the content that you share one your blog or website, and you need to make sure that your content is relevant to the products that you’re promoting.
What is a product data feed?
A product data feed is a file of all the products that a merchant promotes on the web. It’s uploaded to a network for affiliates to use. And it will include any important details like prices, images, descriptions, categorizations, and relevant keywords. When a merchant uploads this information to a network, affiliates will have access to it. And they can either download the entire feed or select certain products to add to their site. Whenever someone clicks on a link from the data feed, he or she will automatically land on the page that’s associated with that product.
What is an RSS feed?
An RSS feed allows your site to be automatically updated based on the banners, links, and products that you have displayed, which makes it easier to keep your affiliate programs up-to-date.