The Ultimate Guide to Affiliate Marketing Part I

So, it seems that you are thinking about trying your best in affiliate marketing, but maybe you're lost in terms and thousands of articles. Here we are, people who are experienced in affiliate marketing and you're welcome to the most comprehensive guideline about affiliate marketing in 2021.

There will be thousands of questions in your mind - is affiliate marketing legit? Can I use YouTube subscribers for my affiliate offers? Do I need to become an influence? Well, you've to chill a little and take a break. You can make a solid cappuccino and sit back - we got your back! In this guideline (which will consist of many parts) you'll learn everything about affiliate industry - from A to Z.

What is affiliate marketing?

Many people see the digital marketing and affiliate industry as the dream job. You can wake up at any time you wish, start working at any time you want to - overall, everything depends on your schedule and how you decide daily tasks. Most of the newbies see prominent affiliate marketers chilling on one of the beaches of Bali sipping Margaritas. Well, it's possible to achieve this kind of freedom if you play cards right. Right now you ask yourself, what should I do to play cards right? How do you accomplish that kind of freedom? Got it - let's slowly dive deep into the understanding of fundamentals.

• Pro tip - if you understand the affiliate industry's fundamental part, you can rise faster than possible.

Are you one funnel away from winning?

Have you heard about the funnels? Well, affiliate marketers know that they are one funnel away from the winning campaign. Let's first understand the basics.  

Carly just turned 18, and their parents brought her old Chevrolet. She is happy and knows that she will care for this care for good. Chevrolet is excellent, but Carly wants to design the car's interior in a very interesting (girlish) way. Carly wants to have a Chevrolet mat with stars on it. We have a new person in the game - David. He is the owner of a car mat factory, and he can create a 'Chevrolet' mat with stars on it. The only bad thing is that Carly lives in Arizona while David is in New York. Here comes a new player of the game - affiliate marketer (You). Your main goal is to connect David's factory with Carly's needs. So, there is a demand (Carly), and there is a product (David's factory), so you are a bridge between these two. You'll take % (or fixed price) for each sale. Keep in mind that thousands of car owners like Carly want to change their car mats to something different (At first few weeks or even months, your paychek may look like this, but don't give up because big things happen to people who stay consistent with new marketing trends).

Is there any disadvantage of affiliate marketing?

The short answer is - NO. That's the beauty of the affiliate marketing industry; there is no wrong side. Everything in this space is up to you, and you decided whether it's a good campaign or not. You need a starting capital (for ads or partnership), good ad tracking platform, minimum three offers and lets the journey begin. In the next part of the guideline, we will discuss the affiliate networks and recommendations (check the image below - regular affiliate review website "WireCutter" was sold to The New York Times for $30 million - so there is literally no boundaries - you can achieve big things with affiliate industry)