• Affiliate marketing is beneficial for both marketers who are looking to expand their income streams, and businesses that want to increase conversions and generate growth.
• One of the great things about affiliate marketing is the low barrier to entry - there are practically no startup costs to start earning.
• If you're new to affiliate marketing, this Beginner's Guide to Affiliate Marketing will give you all the resources you need to get started.

Affiliate marketing is actually one of the easiest ways to start selling online and create a passive income stream.

The reason I love affiliate marketing is because there are practically no startup costs. However, if you did happen to have a small amount of startup cash it would get you started a little faster.

What Is Affiliate Marketing?

In its simplest sense, affiliate marketing is an arrangement between an online vendor and you (the affiliate), in which you earn a commission for generating leads, sales and/or clicks for the vendor's website.

As an affiliate marketer you can choose to promote products for businesses, and every time you make a sale you will get a piece of the pie. If the price of the product you are selling cost $100, you could possibly receive $75 for selling the item. This amount is decided by the owner of the product

The Benefits of Affiliate Marketing 

Here are the top benefits of affiliate marketing:

1. You don’t need your own product to start selling online
2. There is no need for a customer service department
3. The product owner looks after any refunds or service requests
4. Little or no money is required to get started
5. When someone buys via your personal affiliate link, you get paid
6. Once you know how to promote other products you can scale this procedure and make even more money
7. You can become your own boss.

Most of you have probably heard this saying, “Making money while you sleep.”  

For 99% of people, affiliate marketing is how they began marketing online. The thought at the back of affiliate marketing is that you promote other people’s products through what is commonly known as an 'affiliate link'.

This affiliate link is your special link provided to you by the company that sells the product. Once you start making money from affiliate marketing, you can literally wake up in the morning and you have made sales overnight from links you posted online.

Is Affiliate Marketing Legal in Australia?

The short answer to this question is a big YES! However, there are 3 disclosures for Aussies when using affiliate links, especially if you are promoting links on your website/blog:

1. You must disclose affiliate links to readers
2. You need to disclose when you get money for doing something 
3. You must include a disclosure statement on your website

When using an affiliate link, you must disclose your affiliate links to your readers. Section 18 Australia Consumer Law requires that you do not make false or misleading representations about your commercial relationships. An affiliate relationship is a commercial relationship.

You are expected to openly disclose when you get money for doing something, including receiving a commission or benefit. Failing to disclose an affiliate relationship is a misleading act by omission.

Here is a disclosure statement which should appear on your website if you are using affiliate links to earn commissions.

It should look similar to this one below:

“Disclosure:  Some links provided on this website could be affiliate links of which I will be paid a commission if you use these links to make a purchase”

What Are the Best Affiliate Marketing Programs to Join?

There are many more companies in Australia today offering their products to affiliate marketers than there were 10 years ago.

I have chosen Commission Factory as one business where you will find Australian companies wanting you to sell their products for a commission.

In saying this, you don’t have to promote products exclusive to Australia. I have found over the years that often global companies offer you more in commission which means more money in your pocket.

Earnings can range from 2% per sale up to 25% per sale and you will also find companies on this website that offer you dollars for every lead who signs up to their website using your affiliate link.

Here is a list of Australian companies who offer you an affiliate commission on Commission Factory when you sell one of their products.

• Bamboo Body
• Bicycles Online
• Gifts Australia
• Grays Online
• UGG  Express

You will find these companies and many more under the menu banner of “Marketplace” on Commission Factory.

Another online marketplace you can search for products is Clickbank. Clickbank is more of a digital download market place filled with anything from gardening to dog training and online marketing courses.

Is Affiliate Marketing Worth Doing?

Ask yourself this question instead: Am I prepared to learn affiliate marketing?

With any business opportunity, it is the amount of effort you are willing to put into it. As you can see from the graph below, affiliate marketing has grown over the past 6 years and is still growing.

Like all online business, it either takes time or money (or both) to be successful.  Don’t be discouraged if you know nothing about affiliate marketing. I’m going to share with you exactly how you can become a master at it and make a little or a lot of money depending on how much time you have.

There is no such thing as getting rich fast online. You must be willing to work hard and be consistent and patient. If you have a get rich quick mentality, don’t bother with affiliate marketing or any other online business for that matter.

Source: Statista 

How to Learn Affiliate Marketing for Beginners 

There are 2 options to learn affiliate marketing:

1. The hard way: You can search online for topics about affiliate marketing, watch dozens of YouTube videos or pay thousands of dollars to have someone do it for you.
2. The easy way: Or, you can join a reputable program that will show you step by step exactly how to become a master at affiliate marketing.

Not meaning to be negative, but the first option is a much harder way to learn. There is so much information online that you will end up being totally confused and never making a cent.

Many affiliate marketers will tell you that you don’t need a website to start affiliate marketing. However, as an online business builder, I highly recommend you start with a website branded around your story.

This not only builds trust with prospective buyers but it gives you credibility online. You can use a free website such as Wix or a hosted WordPress website for as little as $2.95 per month.

Free Affiliate Marketing Courses

If you are really serious about learning affiliate marketing, the Affilorama Affiliate Marketing Training is one of the best courses online - and it’s free.

The key benefits of the Affilorama Affiliate Marketing Training course include:

• Over 100 free lessons: Lessons are packed with actionable content on a wide range of topics including affiliate marketing, email marketing, SEO and PPC.
• It is absolutely free: There is no hidden cost or fees.
• Learn from the professionals: In addition to lessons created by Mark Ling, the founder of Affilorama, users can access a range of interviews and videos from other professionals within the industry.

What is included in the training?

• 100+ lessons that teach users actionable content for a range of subjects (SEO, PPC, site building, email marketing and more)
• A virtual "lesson book" to keep track of the lessons you have covered, keeping you on track
• Access to Affilorama forums, one of the largest affiliate forums on the internet
• Access to our videos and webinars, where we speak straight to some of the biggest names in Internet Marketing.

Who is the training for?

• Beginner internet marketers that need lessons aimed at new affiliates (lessons: "Affiliate Marketing for Beginners")
• Intermediate internet marketers that want lessons on more advanced subjects such as SEO, paid traffic and outsourcing
• Affilorama also has a paid course for those looking to advance their skills.

Paid Affiliate Marketing Training

I would also suggest The Super Affiliate Handbook by Rosalind Gardner. Rosalind is known by her peers as “The Queen of Affiliate Marketing”.

The Super Affiliate Handbook is not only moderately priced, it’s also updated on a regular basis and is the most comprehensive learning asset in the field of affiliate marketing. Rosalind is truly transparent with her teachings, sharing with you her step by step plan in learning affiliate marketing.

Perhaps most importantly, Rosalind will show you how to deal with the problems that affiliates encounter and how to avoid the mistakes that many affiliates make – something other trainers just don’t tell you about.

The Super Affiliate Handbook is the only comprehensive affiliate marketing course by an actual affiliate marketer who not only teaches but does the work and offers a full money-back guarantee.

Conclusion

In conclusion, affiliate marketing is definitely worth learning if you are keen to make money online and retain a passive income while doing so. With the great resources supplied in this article, it’s never been easier for an affiliate marketing beginner.

There is so much more to know and learn about affiliate marketing and I hope this article has given you some knowledge to make an informed decision.

Being successful will depend on how serious you are about learning the methods and not giving up when things get too hard. Remember, Affilorama has a forum with over 108,365 online articles with answers to your questions if you ever get stuck.

Stick with it, set realistic goals and view success as a marathon, not a sprint. Good luck!

Have you started an affiliate marketing program? How difficult was it to learn? Share your thoughts in the comments below.