Starting a business online can feel really big and hard. Which strategy works best for beginners? There are lots of ways to do it, like affiliate marketing or influencer marketing. Each one has good parts and tricky parts. So, which one is better for someone just starting out? Let’s look at both of them to help you decide.
What is Affiliate Marketing?
Affiliate marketing is like helping someone sell their stuff. You tell people about a product and if they buy it, you get some money. You need to tell people about the product in a way that makes them want it. It’s kind of like being a helper for a store.
You can do this by putting links in your blog, videos, or even on social media. When people click your link and buy something, you make money.
Key Things About Affiliate Marketing:
- How You Get Paid: You get paid when people buy things because of you.
- Tools You Need: A blog, website, or social media to tell people about the products.
- Growing It: You can tell people about many different products to make more money.
- How Fast You Make Money: It can take some time before you start making lots of money, but it gets better if you keep going.
Good Things About Affiliate Marketing:
- Not Expensive: You don’t need to make your own products. You just help sell them.
- Do It Anytime: You can do this work whenever you want, from anywhere.
- Money Keeps Coming: You can make a post or video one time and still make money from it a long time later.
- Lots of Choices: You can choose what kinds of products you want to share.
Tricky Parts of Affiliate Marketing:
- Lots of People Doing It: Many people try to sell the same things, so it can be hard to be noticed.
- Learning New Things: You need to learn how to make good content and how to get people to find your stuff. This can take some time.
- Takes Time to Make Money: You might not make money right away because you need people to click and buy first.
Example:
Imagine a YouTuber makes a video about a kitchen tool. They put a link to buy it in the video description. If someone buys the tool from that link, the YouTuber gets some money.
What is Influencer Marketing?
Influencer marketing is when a person shows a product to the people who follow them. Brands pay these people to use and show their products. The followers trust the person, so they are more likely to want the product too.
The big idea is that followers see the person using the product and think, “I want that too!” This makes people feel closer to the brand and understand why they need the product.
Key Things About Influencer Marketing:
- How You Get Paid: Influencers get money or free products to talk about the brand.
- Where It Happens: Most of it happens on Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube.
- Follower Trust: People follow influencers because they trust them, which means high engagement.
- How Fast You Make Money: It can be fast, but you need to keep working to stay connected to your audience.
Good Things About Influencer Marketing:
- Fun Ways to Share: Influencers can show products in fun and creative ways, using their own style.
- Trust: Followers trust the influencer’s opinion and are more likely to try the product.
- Easy to Start: You can start by just using social media. You don’t need a website or blog.
- Teamwork: Influencers can work with other people or brands, making their reach even bigger.
Tricky Parts of Influencer Marketing:
- Lots of Work: To get lots of followers, you need to work hard and post a lot.
- Costs to Start: You might need to buy a good camera or other things to make your content look nice.
- Changes: If the app changes how it works, your followers might not see your posts as much. You need to keep up with these changes.
Example:
Imagine an influencer on Instagram is showing how they use a face cream. They take photos and make videos of it. People trust them and want to try the cream too because they think it works well.
Comparing Affiliate Marketing and Influencer Marketing
Here’s a simple way to see how they’re different:
| Thing | Affiliate Marketing | Influencer Marketing |
|---|---|---|
| How Much It Costs | Low. Just make content to share. | Medium. Might need a good camera. |
| How You Make Money | You get more as your audience grows. | Depends on followers and brand deals. |
| Time to Do It | Medium to long; keep adding content. | High. Need to post often and stay active. |
| Skills Needed | Content writing and getting people to see it. | Social media and being creative. |
| Control Over Content | Lots. You decide how to do it. | Some. You follow brand rules too. |
| Talking to People | Not direct. You attract people online. | Direct. You talk to your followers. |
| Money Timeline | Slow at first; can make money later. | Faster but lots of work. |
Stories and Facts
Affiliate Marketing Success
- Amazon Associates: Many people use this because it’s easy to start. You can get between 1% and 10% when someone buys from your link.
- Fact: About 9% of people doing affiliate marketing make more than $50,000 a year.
- Real-Life Example: Michelle from “Making Sense of Cents” makes over $100,000 every month from affiliate marketing!
Influencer Marketing Success
- Micro-Influencers: They have fewer followers but get more likes and comments because people really trust them.
- Fact: By 2024, influencer marketing could be worth $24 billion!
- Real-Life Example: A small travel influencer worked with an eco-friendly hotel. After they posted about it, more people wanted to stay at the hotel.
Which Should You Choose?
Pick Affiliate Marketing if:
- You like working quietly on your own.
- You enjoy writing or making videos that stay helpful for a long time.
- You want to make money without always being in front of people.
- You are okay with learning new skills like SEO.
Pick Influencer Marketing if:
- You love talking to people and sharing your life.
- You like making fun pictures or videos of yourself.
- You want to see results fast and like working with brands.
- You are ready to put in lots of time to build trust with followers.
Final Thoughts
Both affiliate marketing and influencer marketing are great ways to start making money online, but which strategy works best for beginners depends on what you like doing. Affiliate marketing is good if you like being behind the scenes and making content that people can find for a long time. Influencer marketing is best if you love being creative, sharing your life, and talking to lots of people.
If you’re interested in getting started with affiliate marketing, I highly recommend the Wealthy Affiliate Program. The whole community is ready to help you succeed, and even the owners will respond personally to your questions. Wealthy Affiliate offers very comprehensive training, covering everything from content creation, YouTube, Facebook marketing, to PPC and more. Best of all, it has a step-by-step guide that makes it beginner-friendly.
Want to know more? Check out my Wealthy Affiliate Review and see why it’s the perfect place for beginners to start making money online!
Think about what makes you happy. If you love writing and creating helpful content, affiliate marketing could be your best choice. On the other hand, if you enjoy connecting with people directly and showcasing your personality, influencer marketing might be the perfect fit for you. Both require dedication and consistent effort, but with time, you can achieve great success. Are you ready to take the first step on your journey to making money online?