How To Start Affiliate Marketing Business In India 2022

How to Start Affiliate Marketing Business in India (2022)

To survive in this competitive world, we are quite sure that you might be looking to make some extra money? You can assuredly earn passive income if you get to know about this superlative way which is Affiliate Marketing. In this guide, we have compiled all the pragmatic information which will cater to all your needs. Affiliate marketing is a technique of advertising in which a company deals with the third-party to increase the potential customers which in turn boost up the organization’s sale. The affiliates and the commission fee motivate them to find different ways to promote the products. Affiliate marketing job has become one of the leading businesses as it is a great platform for earning money. In this, people earn commission by promoting other person’s products to their friends or relatives.

What is Affiliate Marketing?

Affiliate marketing is an easy way of earning money by selling products or services to other people. It is a performance-based technique of marketing. Affiliate marketing is dependent on four main pillars that are the network, merchant, publisher who is also known as the affiliates or affiliate marketers, and the customer. It is a very easy way of earning money as you just need to search a product, promote it to others and earn a piece of the profit by selling it. Affiliate Marketing is one of the purest online businesses where most people are engaged in making some extra income. It can be done either via social networking, blogging, email and SMS marketing, etc. As of now, blogging is one of the most effective ways. The affiliate marketing companies also make sure that the affiliates also earn well from the companies. All this makes the concept of affiliate marketing more popular among the marketers and facilitate the affiliate marketing companies to gain popularity. It is rapidly gaining recognition in India. One cannot deny the fact that India is one of the biggest hubs in the world with extraordinary potential, good payout, and along with the digital advertisement.

Significant Terms Linked with Affiliate Marketing

Before we proceed further with this topic, let’s get to know and pay heed on certain terms related to Affiliate Marketing which has plentiful significance.

1. Affiliate Marketplace Certain types of marketplaces act as a central database such as Clickbank, CJ, Shareasale, etc. It particularly proves out to be an effective database for affiliate programs depending upon the type of niche it is being used for.
2. Affiliate Link This link is provided by your affiliate program which acts as a tracking link used to track the progress of your affiliate ad.
3. Affiliate Software Affiliate Softwares are used for creating a comprehensive range of software and tools, that is further used to create an affiliate program such as iDevaffiliate.
4. Affiliate ID It is somehow similar to an Affiliate link. The Affiliate ID ensures that all the affiliate programs are processed with a unique identification number. This will make it easy for you to add those affiliate programs to any page of your website.
5. Payment Mode There are several payment modes through which you can earn and make payments to merchants such as PayPal, Credit/Debit cards, Internet Banking, Google Pay, PayTM, wire transfers, cheque, drafts, UPI/BHIM transfers, and many others. Also Read: 7 Best UPI Payment Apps in India
6. Landing Pages The main purpose of the landing page is to boost sales. The landing page is also known as the demo page or unique product sales page.
7. Link Cloaking Link cloaking technique enables you to shorten up the long URL’s and make them easy to read as well as understand. You must ensure to have the following things while you are running an affiliate marketing business program-

A top level domain “.com” is a requisite. You can have it on any recognized niche based on your target audience, interest, and budget At least 300 to 400 visitors to your blog or website are imperative to maintain the decent volume structure An apt affiliate program integrated to your website or blog Affiliate Marketing Merchant vs Affiliate Marketer

Affiliate Marketing Merchant vs Affiliate Marketer

We can understand that you might be having lots of questions in your mind such as how to start an affiliate marketing program? or how can we get paid through affiliate marketing business? But before we enlighten you about such questions, lets first get to know the difference between an affiliate marketing merchant and an affiliate marketer.

Affiliate Marketing Merchant

An affiliate marketing merchant is the seller or the creator of the product. If you have any type of product or service to sell to a mass audience, you would want it to be promoted or advertised to grab better sales opportunities for your product or service. In this scenario, you are an affiliate marketing merchant.

Affiliate Marketer

An affiliate marketer is the one who uses different platforms to promote their merchant’s products and is responsible for the sales of those products. As per the above scenario, the affiliate marketing merchant wants their product or service to be promoted, which will bring him to entail an affiliate marketer who will advertise/promote the product on the merchant’s behalf.

Why should you hire an Affiliate Marketer for your Company?

An e-commerce merchant hires an affiliate marketer to cover a comprehensive range of sites for Internet users and customers. An affiliate could be the owner of many websites or email marketing lists. The products available on the e-commerce platform are communicated and promoted by an affiliate marketer. Promotion is done through banners, text, or links on its multiple owned websites or via email to clients. To draw the audience’s attention towards service or product, advertisements are used in the form of articles, videos, and images. Affiliates take visitors to the e-commerce sites by just a single click on the link. If people purchase the product or service, the affiliates get the fixed percentage of the sale price or amount of commission fixed by the e-commerce merchant. The primary role of an affiliate marketer is to boost up the sales. Payment is made based on the number of clicks. With the evolution of technology, it is becoming easier for fraudsters to generate a large number of clicks and impressions. In order to drive business effectively, firms use innovative ways to protect themselves from fraudulent attempts. One of the ways is Affiliate Marketing.

How to Start an Affiliate Marketing Business in India? 

STEP 1: Select the type of product you want to promote

The reason you need to choose one specific topic is that it will make it easier to write for a specific audience and a product. Also, the major benefit of choosing a specific product is that you should also be confident and aware that what are the products that you can easily promote. Doing this is really simple you can just visit any only store and select the topic that you are familiar with. When you opt for any topic it would also make it easier for you to attract customers for a particular type of product. You should always try and opt for the product in which you get higher commissions

STEP 2: Website Creation

After selecting the topic, it’s time to make a website. Even though there are other ways to promote your affiliate link, the most effective and future-proof ways are with the help of own website. It is substantial for you to know how to make a website as it guides you well in channelizing your Affiliate marketing program. It is one of the best methods of promoting your products and increasing traffic. Your website should not only focus on audiences but also inform them about your products in the best possible manner. Try and establish a good and trustworthy relationship with the audience as then they would only buy the product that you would recommend them.

STEP 3: Sign-up for an Affiliate Program

Once created the website, sign up for the affiliate program. Select affiliate program; go for the one which has higher commissions for the product category chosen. While doing registration for affiliation program enter your website address and a few other details. Even if not added any content to the site yet, tell them the plan to promote products and get it approved.

STEP 4: Choose the product to promote

If you have already decided on the product you are going to promote, then go ahead and search the product name in the search box provided. If the product is not decided yet, then you can also check which products are selling well and are in demand. To promote a product that is already selling well is easy to get buyers as compared to promoting an unknown product.

STEP 5: Define the Product

The product should be described in a detailed manner. Based on the product you’ve chosen, decide on what should be written. There are many different types of content, the most popular types of content for affiliate marketing are: Mention “How to”: These are the best as they add a lot of value for the readers. They also generate sales very easily. For example, “How to get rid of hair fall” article with links to products which are proved to be good and attract sales. Review of articles: Write about products tried personally and help people decide whether to buy the product or not. Comparison of articles: Comparing two or more similar products gives a better solution to a problem. For example, a comparison of Samsung S6 vs iPhone6. Content summary: This is where you collect & make a useful list product that is helpful to others. Offers or Discounts mentioned in the article- Here you share the best deals and coupons codes of products related to the topic. So, these are the type of content that can be posted to promote affiliate links. Always make sure that visitors benefit from your site.

Affiliate Marketing Business in India: Advantages

An affiliate marketing program is one of the best advertising tools available, as it provides benefits to both the affiliate and the merchant. As more and more webmasters have started realizing that it is the most effective ways to handle online advertising. It is extremely flexible and provides a huge benefit that is not provided by any other program. We can conclude this as because Affiliate Marketing includes the following befits-

1. Saves Cost Building an affiliate program isn’t going to break the budget. The cost invested is minimal and affordable. An affiliate program gives the responsibility of sales to affiliates which easily avoids paying sales staff. If sales aren’t coming in, the whole responsibility is of an affiliate as he is liable for sales. Therefore, this saves money as a company doesn’t need to spend on increasing sales by different means.
2. Paid for successful advertisements As affiliates get money when they deliver quality material to the public and that turn into sales, therefore the most important part of the affiliate marketing program is that it never pays for ads that don’t bring successful sales.
3. Higher ranking Mainly, search engine ranking depends comprehensively on your page ranking. So developing a network of advertisers linking to your site helps to improve the ranking. As the advertisers will likely be in the same field, the fact that their site is relevant will help in improving your page rank than before.
4. Controlling Independently It is one of the biggest incentives of making your own working environment according to your needs and desire. Whether you want to work from home, or in a co-working or go in the merchant’s office, it is entirely up to you. The other benefit is that there will be very limited bureaucracy involved or even we would say negligible. As you need not follow any companies rules and regulations.
5. Passive Income How would you feel if you are earning money while you sleep? Wouldn’t it be a dream come true? This can be achieved through an affiliate marketing business strategy. This is the platform where you can generate a passive income. Even if you are doing a full-time job, you can still earn an additional income through this business. Once you develop expertise and gain extensive experience in this field, you can reap heavy and high-quality fruits of your hard work.
6. No Need to Spend on Marketing Kit Being an affiliate, you need not buy a marketing kit separately as it is provided by the vendors or merchants themselves. So, you do not need to produce any kind of promotional material, ads or banners.
7. Convenience and Flexibility You are allowed to create multiple affiliate campaigns for different blogs or websites, and landing pages to increase the promotion of your affiliate links in order to optimize the successful ones and abandon the doomed ones. You are free to not to stick with only one affiliate program, as you can choose your niche based on your skills and promote them repeatedly for better results. This approach increases the chances of your earnings as it maximizes the opportunity of earning massively and mitigates the risks of failure. Hence, it is always advisable to keep your portfolio diversified.
8. Huge Income It is a million-dollar industry if one knows the tactics and adopt the appropriate and authentic measures to earn from this business.
9. No Need to Bother About Customer’s Interest One of the biggest problematic situations in any business industry is to retain the customers and manage customer services. However, you do not need to bother about such situations. The only thing you need to focus on is your commission by promoting the product through effective practices such as advertisements, banners, etc. The post-sale query that you will get, needs to be passed on to the merchant’s customer service team. As an affiliate, if you will create user-generated content under your reviews, it can immensely improve your SEO ranking. The only thing you need to make sure is that whatever product related questions your receive, is answered promptly.

Affiliate Marketing Business in India: Disadvantages

Affiliate marketing is a dream business of many people in today’s world, however, there are some disadvantages of affiliate marketing. As every business has some merits and demerits. In the same way, this business strategy also has some loopholes. Listed below are some of the disadvantages of affiliate marketing:

1. Long Term Strategy of Business Despite what the marketers and guiders say about affiliate marketing, it is not a short term process to earn money. It is a way too long a business strategy that can take months to get your business on track. You need to invest a couple of months to earn a good amount of profit if you want to make good profits through this business.
2. Freelancing May Lead to Lack of Self-Discipline and Sincerity Since there is no pre-decided agenda, routine, or guidance in this business strategy as you are the only boss, this becomes the reason of determination and focus. This job requires full concentration and dedication of the person no matter if you are the marketing merchant or an affiliate. The affiliate needs to set goals and routines in order to achieve them efficiently. However, if a person is self-disciplined and focused on long term goals, they can survive and thrive throughout. Also Read: 10 Best Credit Cards For Freelancers In India
3. Fixed Commission for Long Term Hence, it is always recommended to read the entire agreement meticulously before signing any agreement.
4. Higher Competition Level Observing the high demand for affiliate marketing, many websites are starting one or the other day. So, no matter what products or services are being sold, there is stiff competition. Therefore, establishing a new business, finding a good deal and selecting a product to trade is a crucial task with the growing competition. You need to drive new leads recurrently to survive in the competition.
5. Not Able to Establish your Customer Base One of the biggest facts about the affiliate business strategy is that the customer who is going to buy a product from your website, would not be going to purchase repeatedly. Instead of your website, the customer may purchase the product directly from the affiliate vendor. This way, you need to involve in market affiliate programs that provide commission persistently.
6. Quantity Approach Some affiliate marketing campaigns are associated with spammy marketing programs or misleading content. Usually, short-sighted affiliate marketers produce these types of content to ensure quick but small wins. The truth cannot be hidden that adopting false and black hat methods will keep your days numbered into this field. Furthermore, you cannot expect the revenue or commission from the vendor’s side in case of your involvement in illegitimate campaigns as it will lead to a cooperation breakup. Best Ways to Attract Potential Customers This is the major step in affiliate marketing because you can only earn money when you have more and more customers attracted to your website/blog. It is paramount for you to understand how you can build great relationships with the targeted customers as just starting an affiliate marketing program is not enough. Also, another way is by creating and maintaining good relations with partners as that would help you in fetching more traffic for the marketing campaign. Here are a few wonderful easy and simple steps for alluring targeting traffic for your affiliate programs-
7. Email Marketing- You must have received a lot of emails in which people promote their products and services, this is the same. In email marketing, marketers would summate a form of email subscription for the people who visit your website and would give you the names email details of them so that you can maintain good and long –term relations with them. By doing this customer feels good and remembered plus this is a good way of promoting your product and also sharing the current updates and discount offers if any.
8. Article Marketing– This is a mandate if you wish to do affiliate marketing as it aids in improving your ranking in search engine results. There are a plethora of websites like HubPages, Ezine article and many more that can be used for publishing articles.
9. Paid advertising– In this, you would be able to run visual advertisements that are highly clickable. PPC ads play a major role in Affiliate Marketing and you should always strive and make powerful and meaningful ads for generating sales and increasing ROI. You should ensure that you address customer’s recent issues and how you are overcoming them in your ad plus add keywords and add a call to action as it would drive more customers when they would see the solution to their problems.
10. Free Advertising- It is a very easy way of attracting customers as in this you can put your ads on free websites as it would let the free website and you earn money when any individual would click on your ads. The good thing is that it is free so you can search for more and more websites to promote your product and earn money.

How to Make Money Through Affiliate Marketing?

The amount of money earned may vary as it depends upon other crucial aspects. If these aspects are taken care of, you can definitely earn a handsome income through this program. The income will be directly related to the type of offers promoted, the number of leads converted to sales to that site, and the learning of other online marketing skills like email marketing and SEO. If you want to make money through affiliate marketing, you need to create an account with any below websites- First, you need to take approval to post their products link on your website or blog. Once you have got the approval, you just need to write engaging blog posts or pages that make it more interesting. This will arouse the curiosity of the visitors and boost the chances of your earnings. 2. Flipkart Flipkart is considered to be the most reputed and reliable e-commerce website in India. Once you have registered the account and got the approval, find the relevant products to get the ad code. Copy and paste the same ad code to your blog or website to earn passive income. 3. Share a Sale 4. Commission Junction This website has a huge network with numerous corporates, organizations, and online merchants. This website mainly deals in refurbished and used products. The same process needs to be followed for registration. However, the only drawback is that this website follows a protracted approval process. As you need to get approval with every merchant distinctively. But, once you get, start promoting the products and earn-well. Also Read: How to Make Money Blogging (10 Legit Ways) Note: You can create a free account with any other website as well but these are one of the most reliable and recommended websites. You need to follow a quick procedure once you have created the account which is described below-

1. After you have registered your account with any of the above websites, you need to login to your profile and access the dashboard. Then you need to navigate to the list in order to select the products from it. You might also get text link ad codes or Banner ad codes to promote the affiliate products.
2. The codes that you got, copy and paste them into your website or blog. Start the process of promotion to attract a mass audience.
3. This will enable the possibility for you to earn commission on every single click of the visitors, who are visiting your website or blog. Here is a catch! The click of the visitor is not enough to make you earn money. You will only get an affiliate commission if that click landed them to the merchant site and they bought something from the same website.
4. Every website might follow a different payment procedure. For example, some sites like Flipkart pays you via PayPal, and some might pay you via Google Pay, or by cheque. Always ensure that the payment procedure is manifested whenever you are signing up. Final Words One of the most crucial aspects to be considered is to select an appropriate product for marketing. Once selected, always make sure it is meticulously analyzed and evaluated in order to ensure whether it is relevant for the targeted audience or not. By now, you would have got to know how to kickstart your own affiliate marketing programs. Having a profound knowledge of affiliate marketing will not only help you drive traffic towards your website but also facilitate the entire process and generate more leads.