Do I Need Affiliate Marketing Training to be Successful?

Today, it’s estimated that more than 80% of marketers and almost 85% of publishers leverage the power of affiliate marketing. That’s not all; studies show that an incredible 15% of digital media advertising revenue is attributed just to affiliate marketing, putting it on par with email marketing and ahead of both social commerce and display advertising as a driver of e-commerce transactions! So what exactly is affiliate marketing, and how can you get in on the action? 

What Is Affiliate Marketing?

The best definition we’ve found of affiliate marketing, in a nutshell, comes from Pat Flynn, the founder of Smart Passive Income (SPI):

Affiliate marketing is the process of earning a commission by promoting other people’s (or company’s) products. You find a product you like, promote it to others, and earn a piece of the profit for each sale that you make.

It’s really that simple! Of course, each affiliate program is bound to be a little different, for example, commission structures may change. One partner company may pay affiliates when someone makes a purchase, while others may pay based on how much traffic an affiliate sends to their site. Either way, the bottom line is: you’re getting paid to do almost nothing! 

While some affiliate marketers are satisfied to bring home a modest yearly revenue (about half of affiliate marketers make less than $20,000 per year), others have become millionaires. Jason Stone, known as the “Millionaire Mentor,” is an affiliate marketer who started building his following in 2014. At one point, he managed to earn $7 million in sales in just 18 months, an incredible amount of money for a business that doesn’t even sell its own product! Read more about Jason on Hustle Inspires Hustle.

Do I Need Affiliate Marketing Training?

Some people decide not to engage in affiliate marketing thinking it will become like a second job, requiring training that they simply don’t have time for. Nothing could be further from the truth. So, if you don’t need training, you’re probably wondering how to learn affiliate marketing.

Most affiliate programs will tell you exactly what you need to do in order to start earning money without any affiliate marketing training required. It usually works like this:

  • You sign up for a company’s affiliate marketing program
  • The company sends you an affiliate code that you share with your contacts
  • The company provides free resources that enable you to market their company to your contacts
  • When one of your contacts purchases their product or visits their site, you get paid.

Now, if you really want to up your affiliate marketing game, there are dozens of books (such as Affiliate Marketing for Beginners) and countless online courses you can take to hone your skills. However, it’s certainly not a necessity (just look at Jason Stone; he never took a course to learn affiliate marketing and today he's renowned for his skills in the field). 

If you’re interested in exploring some online affiliate marketing courses, Cloud Ways has put together a pretty comprehensive list of the best affiliate marketing courses for 2020 that you can check out. 

Should I Join an Affiliate Marketing Program?

Do you like easy money? Then of course you should join an affiliate marketing program. After all, it provides a passive, ongoing revenue stream. With just a little upkeep (rotating ads, etc) you can sit back and let the money come rolling in. Keep in mind that you don’t have to join dozens of affiliate marketing programs to be successful. 

According to studies, the vast majority of Affiliate marketers prefer to promote just a handful of products to keep things simple. Here’s the breakdown:

 

Number of Affiliate Products Promoted Percentage of Affiliate Marketers
1-10 42%
11-20 23%
21-50 14%
50+ 13%
300+ 8%

To get the most out of the programs you join, be sure that they provide a complementary product that works with your own product or website. Placing ads for computers on a boating site—even though most boaters probably own one—is likely to confuse your audience or make them skeptical about you or your services.

For more on improving your affiliate marketing skills without training, be sure to check out our blog, 5 Best Affiliate Marketing Tips That Will Earn You More Money.

Joining The Fulfillment Lab's Affiliate Program

Chances are, you know business owners who could use fulfillment services. That’s where our affiliate marketing program comes in! Simply sign up online, and become part of our mass volume profit-sharing program, earning a piece of the pie with every item your referrals ship with us. 

With The Fulfillment Lab’s affiliate program, you won’t need any affiliate marketing training—that’s because we’re always available to chat or assist you when needed, which is why we hold regular meetings with our affiliate networks to ensure we’re all on the same page and gaining additional value that leads to quick wins.

You can book a meeting with Jelani Hunte, our Affiliate Partnership Manager, at any time to discuss.

Reap the benefits of our affiliate program