Q&A for How to Start an Affiliate Marketing Business

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How do affiliate marketers make money?

Imran Alavi
Marketing Expert
Imran Alavi is a Marketing & App Development Expert and the CEO of Proleadsoft, a Digital Marketing and App Development firm based in San Francisco, CA. With over 10 years of experience, he specializes in Web Design, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Search Engine Marketing (Google, Facebook, LinkedIn AdWords), App Development, and Software strategies for businesses. Imran holds a BS in Computer Science from the National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, an MS in Computer Science from San Francisco State University, and has completed Stanford University Continuing Studies courses in Business, Marketing, and Communication.

Imran Alavi

Marketing Expert

Expert Answer

You can earn money by posting affiliate links to your site. When people click on the link and buy the product, you'll earn some commission.

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Question

Is affiliate marketing the same as being an influencer?

Christine Michel Carter
Global Marketing Expert
Christine Michel Carter is a Global Marketing Expert, Best-Selling Author, and Strategy Consultant for Minority Woman Marketing, LLC. With over 13 years of experience, Christine specializes in strategic business and marketing consulting services including market analysis, organizational alignment, portfolio review, cultural accuracy, and brand and marketing review. She is also a speaker on millennial moms and black consumers. Christine holds a BS in Business Administration and Art History from Stevenson University. She is a leader in multicultural marketing strategy and has written over 100 articles views for several publications, including TIME and Forbes Women. Christine has worked with Fortune 500 clients such as Google, Walmart, and McDonald’s. She has been featured in The New York Times, BBC News, NBC, ABC, Fox, The Washington Post, Business Insider, and Today.

Christine Michel Carter

Global Marketing Expert

Expert Answer

Not necessarily. Influencer marketers are not always guaranteed commission, while affiliate marketers are.

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Question

It is essential to set up a company in order to become an affiliate marketer?

Community Answer

No, it is not. I wouldn't recommend on setting up a company right away as this would cost additional money out of your pocket, and you should be focusing on bringing cash in instead. As your commission grows, then you can start to set up your company.

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Question

Is it safe to give my bank details in Amazon Affiliate?

Community Answer

Absolutely. Amazon is a VERY well known source.

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Question

How can I promote companies with no out-of-pocket expense?

Community Answer

You can use social media platforms and the usage of flyers to promote the companies for free.

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Question

Do I need a business and re-seller license to become an affiliate marketer?

Jerry Lei

Community Answer

No. If you know how you use Facebook or twitter, you could become an affiliate marketer. Just share the product and the information to your SNS. If someone is shopping via your link, you will get the commission.

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Question

As an affiliate associate for Amazon or other companies, how can my customers in Nigeria get the products they purchase?

Mayur Sawarkar

Community Answer

You don't need to worry about the shipping process of any particular company. They will have their own shipping policy.

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Question

How can I avoid failing at affiliate marketing?

Jerry Lei

Community Answer

You could write some interesting content, don't just show the product link and ask people to buy it. Also, remember to add some nice images. This along with studying and paying attention.

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Question

Should I create a business plan for my affiliate marketing business?

Community Answer

Yes is the short answer. Any time you are planing on generating money, you should have a plan. No plan means no real focus. There may be some 1/1000 percent of a chance you will succeed, but I haven't met them yet. If you have already started and have generated an income, record how. Doing so will give you material for use in expanding your business faster.

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Question

Can I promote company products without a website?

Community Answer

Yes! You can as there are plenty of tools available in the market. Or else, you can move on to some social signal like Facebook or Twitter. You could also participate in e-commerce stores.

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Question

Do I have to use PayPal in order to get paid or can I use my regular bank?

Community Answer

Not always. A lot of affiliate programs will pay through bank transfers and to any country of your choice.

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Question

I have signed up with an affiliate marketer in UK. He has created a login for me and I have also signed. What do I do next? Do I need any tools that blast emails to websites?

Ohis Lawrence

Community Answer

You need to get your affiliate link and start promoting. You can use any social media. Using any email tool is a choice, but people tend to check social media updates rather than their email these days.

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Question

I don't have a URL. Can I still become an affiliate?

Community Answer

A URL is a prerequisite, but you can put your page link on Facebook or Twitter.

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Question

Is blog writing necessary for e-commerce sites?

Community Answer

No. Blog writing is helpful, though not necessary, for e-commerce sites.

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Question

How do I become an affiliate ?

Kim Wolfe

Community Answer

Very simple. Just apply to affiliate programs. Most programs are free and do prefer you to have a website to include in the application details. Once accepted, you'll setup your payment info to get paid. To find affiliate programs, look for "affiliate program" on your favorite sites or go to Google and search for: product + affiliate program. You can promote anything from Amazon.com from Amazon Associates affiliate program.

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Question

How do I start an affiliate marketer via Facebook and Twitter?

Kim Wolfe

Community Answer

You have to be careful here. Most social networks do not like salesy or promotional tactics. The best way to promote affiliate products on social media is to link posts to your website or landing page with the recommended product. Have the visitor go to your page, read your content and decide whether or not to click on your link and buy the product through your affiliate link.

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Question

How do I make my own website for affiliate marketing?

Kim Wolfe

Community Answer

The easiest way to make your own website for affiliate marketing is to use WordPress.org or Blogger. Both make it easy to create a website, easily add content and add your affiliate links.

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Question

Are there any qualifications needed to be an affiliate marketer?

Adeel Khalid

Community Answer

Not at all. You just need to know how to use social media, like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, etc.

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Question

What is a low cost website creator if I have no experience making websites?

Community Answer

You can learn to prepare a website for free at WordPress.org. It's a big brother to Word Press.com and perfect for affiliate websites.

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Question

Can I use Amazon’s products to sell on my own website as a affiliate marketer?

Community Answer

In fact, it's a very good, recommended way. Read the affiliate term of service of Amazon for details.

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Question

Can I sell products in the USA when living in another country with affiliate marketing?

Community Answer

Yes, if the affiliate company allows their products to be sold in a different country, you can sell them that way.

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Question

How can I use Facebook for affiliate marketing without spending any money?

Community Answer

Share in related groups and friends. Make sure when you share on a group to put some content with it.

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Question

I know how to create the website ad link the affiliate links, it seems a catch22 though as I can't put items up before I get approved. I need a website to be approved. How do I do this?

Andrea_dlfm

Community Answer

Your website should include more useful content other than just articles so you can start by creating some posts about your niche topics and add the links later on.

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Question

Please what is the best affiliate site for beginners?

Indoleads.com

Community Answer

You can try out with the most popular ones like eBay or check out other affiliate networks to see what sort of affiliate site or program interests you. Try going for affiliate networks as you can manage multiple affiliate programs at the same time and you can experiment with a few to see which works best for you. Go for something that interests you or is related to your hobbies. For example, if you like gardening, you can check with an e-commerce website or gardening website to see which has the best affiliate program and then promote their products using a social media page, blog and then maybe you can start a blog for gardening.

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Question

Are there any reputable affiliate marketing companies to set up with together?

Indoleads.com

Community Answer

The bigger brands like CJ or Shareasale only allow you to launch an affiliate program if you meet a certain requirement which could be over 100k monthly traffic. You can check out affiliate networks like Indoleads or OneKlix, which allow you to launch your own affiliate program for free or for a small monthly subscription.

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Question

What is bulk SMS marketing?

fry house

Community Answer

Bulk SMS marketing is delivering promotional text messages to a large number of clients at once via a bulk SMS service. This strategy enables firms to reach 100% of their clients, with open and engagement rates that other communication channels just cannot match, while remaining cost-effective.

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