What is affiliate marketing?

Key takeaways

  • Affiliate marketing is when a company rewards people for bringing it customers.
  • Three players are involved: the company, the affiliate who promotes, and the customer.
  • A unique tracking link connects each sale back to the affiliate who earned it.
  • The company only pays on a real sale, and commissions can be flat, a percentage, or recurring.

Transcript

You've probably clicked a link someone shared online, then bought something you liked. If you did, that person may have earned a little money for it. That's affiliate marketing. It's a simple idea: a company gives people a small reward for bringing it customers. No sale, no cost. Just a thank-you for the help. Three people are part of it: the company that sells something, the affiliate who recommends it, and you, the customer who buys. Here's how it works: the affiliate shares a special link, you click it and buy, and that link quietly tells the company who sent you, so they know who to pay. It's a fair deal for everyone. The company only pays when there's a real sale, and the affiliate earns by sharing something they already like. The reward can be a fixed amount, a share of the sale, or a little every month for as long as you stay a customer. And that's affiliate marketing. It's how a lot of the brands you already use grow. Komissio helps companies run it, and makes sure affiliates get paid on time.

Ready to run your own program?

Connect Stripe or Shopify, set your rules, and invite affiliates. Komissio handles tracking, fraud checks, and payouts.

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