Affiliate marketing is responsible for almost $7 billion in sales every year.
It’s only going to grow over the next few years. Retailers and ecommerce sites turn to affiliate programs to help them promote their products and services.
As an affiliate, you have an opportunity to make extra money from your website. The catch is that you need to choose the right affiliate marketing programs.
Out of all of the ones out there, which ones are worth the time and effort? Read on to learn the top affiliate marketing programs to join.
What Is Affiliate Marketing?
Affiliate marketing is a form of advertising to promote someone else’s service or product online. It’s different from traditional advertising because advertisers don’t buy ad space on your website.
Instead, you use trackable links to send your readers to the advertiser’s site. If someone makes a purchase, then you get a commission. How much you get depends on the terms of the advertiser and the cost of the product.
Affiliate marketing is one of the few business relationships that is a true win-win partnership. Advertisers win because they increase their customer base and sales. Publishers win because they leverage existing sites to earn an extra income.
The Best Affiliate Programs
There are thousands of affiliate marketing programs out there. How can you tell which one is the best one for you? Here are some of the most popular affiliate programs that offer a broad range of products and a nice commission.
1. Amazon
Amazon Associates is the go-to affiliate marketing network. That’s because you can promote any product listed on Amazon. That gives you unlimited opportunities to earn affiliate income.
You have the brand recognition of Amazon, so people are more likely to make a purchase. Plus, if you drive traffic to Amazon for a book and they purchase a grill, you still get credit for that sale.
The only drawback to Amazon is that they cut commission rates last year. They may do so again in the future.
2. Awin
Awin is an affiliate marketing program that offers products from thousands of advertisers. You can offer products and services in just about any niche.
Travel, insurance, web hosting, clothing, credit cards, and electronics are just some of the industries represented in this program.
3. CJ Affiliate
CJ Affiliate is a well-known affiliate marketing program. Popular brands like TRX offer their affiliate program through CJ Affiliate.
CJ Affiliate isn’t for sites that are just starting out. That’s because you need to make sure you get a sale in the first 6 months of getting approved as an affiliate.
After you’re approved as an advertiser, you need to reach out to advertisers directly to get approved in their programs. It can be confusing for beginners to master.
4. Rakuten
Rakuten is similar to CJ Affiliate in that they have a lot of the top brands as advertisers. Lego, Microsoft, Lyft, Macy’s and Jet Blue are some of the brands you can promote.
Rakuten also has a dashboard that’s much easier to navigate. You do need to apply to different affiliate programs through Rakuten. Once you set up your links and get some sales, you’ll get paid about 60 days later.
5. Secret Nature CBD
The key to finding a good affiliate program is that it has to be in your niche, and it needs to be in demand. Nothing is more in demand right now than CBD products.
Secret Nature CBD is one of the few CBD affiliate programs out there. If you want to get into an exploding industry and make money as an affiliate, this is something to consider.
6. Fiverr
Sites about entrepreneurship or freelancing have a good chance to promote Fiverr’s services. It’s the marketplace to hire graphic designers, writers, and editors for quick gigs.
These are usually low-cost gigs that you can promote. For instance, if you write an article about time management, you can include a link to Fiverr as a way to delegate tasks.
7. Prosper
Do you find yourself asking if there are affiliate programs in the financial services industry? You’ll be pleased to learn that there are.
Prosper is a peer-to-peer loan site for people who want a car, business, home improvement, or debt consolidation loan. That means you can use this program across a variety of industries, too.
8. Ace Hardware
You might be doing a double-take at this one. Yes, Ace Hardware has an affiliate marketing program. For your site is in the home improvement niche, you have a great affiliate marketing option.
They make it easy to get started by giving you the assets and reporting to get set up.
9. ClickBank
ClickBank is one of the first affiliate marketing programs. The strength of ClickBank is that they offer digital courses, books, and programs.
This is a good option if you want to sell digital products, but you don’t want to create them.
10. Booking.com
For publishers in the traveling niche, Booking.com offers a generous commission rate starting at 25%. If your site is responsible for 500 or more bookings, you can get a 40% commission.
On the downside, visitors have to make a purchase on that initial visit from your site. It also takes a while to get paid from Booking.com.
Get Started With Affiliate Marketing Today
Affiliate marketing is a great way to use your existing assets and make money with them. You can sign up for an affiliate marketing program and promote products no matter what industry you’re in.
There are affiliate programs for travel services, CBD products, financial services, and so much more. The possibilities are endless.
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