Best Free Affiliate Marketing Training for Beginners

Understanding Affiliate Marketing

Basics of Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is when folks help companies sell stuff online and earn some cash for every buy, click, or signup they manage to stir up. Picture it as a great way to jump into online marketing—perfect for rookies.

There are three key players here: the seller, the go-getter (the marketer), and the buyer. The seller offers up the goods, while the go-getter makes noise about it on blogs, Insta, or through emails. Every time someone buys through the marketer’s special link, they get paid a bit. These basics are golden for anyone wanting to dip a toe into the marketing pond. Check out our guide for beginners if this tickles your interest.

Types of Affiliate Marketing

As shared by Pat Flynn, a big name in affiliate marketing, this game comes in three varieties: Unattached, Related, and Involved (BigCommerce).

Unattached Affiliate Marketing

Here, the promoter doesn’t connect personally to what they’re pushing. Think of it like blindfold advertising, where they might use pay-per-click ads to spark interest. You don’t need a loyal fan base or even to know your audience very well.

Related Affiliate Marketing

This type sees you promoting things tied to your niche—even if you haven’t actually used them. It banks on trust you’ve built with your followers. For instance, imagine a tech blogger vouching for a new app they reckon is cool for readers. Getting a grip on this one could guide you towards the easiest niches for your blog or site.

Involved Affiliate Marketing

Here’s where the real magic happens—affiliates get cozy with the product cause they actually use it. This gives them room to whip up a killer review or entertaining demo. Feels more authentic and tends to earn brownie points from folks looking for genuine opinions.

Figuring out these types can help you pinpoint the path that best suits your skills, crowd, or marketing dreams. For more juicy insights and learning paths, there are free affiliate marketing courses to level up those marketing chops.

Popular Free Affiliate Marketing Courses

So you’re itching to dive into the wild world of affiliate marketing, huh? Lucky for you, we’ve rounded up some stellar free courses that’ll give you the skinny on all things affiliate marketing.

Udemy’s Affiliate Marketing Course

First up, we’ve got Udemy. They’re serving up a neat little package for anyone just dipping their toes into the affiliate marketing pool. In just 2 hours and 18 minutes, beginners can get a solid grasp of the basics—and with a solid 4.6/5 rating, it’s a hit with the newbies out there (Printify).

Swing by our page for an easy-peasy breakdown of what is affiliate marketing for beginners.

Ahrefs’ Complete Course

Now, if you’re more of a YouTube junkie, Ahrefs has got your back. Their course is all about being beginner-friendly—clocking in at 1 hour 48 minutes, it’s got 10k likes proving it’s worth a watch for those fresh in the game. It’s got truckloads of info to kickstart your affiliate marketing dreams (Printify).

Curious about getting your feet wet without busting your budget? Check the scoop on affiliate marketing startup costs.

Miles Beckler’s Step-by-step Guide

Miles Beckler steps up with a 1-hour-and-13-minute ride called “Affiliate Marketing: Step-by-step beginners guide.” With 19k likes on YouTube, this course is packed with pointers on choosing prime programs and nailing those affiliate strategies.

Looking for strategies to top the affiliate game? Hit up our affiliate marketing business plan template.

Income School’s Comprehensive Guide

If brevity’s your thing, Income School’s “The complete guide to affiliate marketing” is just 27 minutes long and has been liked 1.9k times on YouTube. It spills the beans on making a killing with websites and blogs for your affiliate shenanigans (BigCommerce).

Wanna reel in more eyeballs to your affiliate digs? Peep our piece on best social media for affiliate marketing.

Ferdy Korpershoek’s In-depth Course

And last but not least, Ferdy Korpershoek rolls out an in-depth look into affiliate marketing clocking in at 7 hours. With 13k likes on YouTube, it’s got a comprehensive setup complete with timestamps and case studies (Printify).

Wanna know if your affiliate gig is on the up and up? We’ve got the deets at affiliate marketing legal requirements.

These courses hand over the knowledge and skills you need to get onboard the affiliate marketing train. Don’t forget to click those internal links we’ve sprinkled throughout for more advice that’s right up your alley.

Benefits of Free Affiliate Marketing Courses

Free affiliate marketing courses are a treasure trove for anyone wanting to start cooking up some dough online. They give newbies a ticket into the bustling realm of digital marketing without spending a dime, sharing the secrets of turning passive knowledge into active earnings.

Skill Sharpening

Learning is power, and every free marketing course helps sharpen your skills with some real meat on the bones. From A to Z, these courses guide you through marketing’s twists and turns with hands-on activities and examples straight from the ‘net battlefield.’

Courses & Their Goodies:

• Udemy’s Affiliate Marketing Course: Though it skips the deep dive into keyword sorcery, it lays down the starter steps for your affiliate game (Printify).
• ClickBank’s Beginner Course: Dives into setting up shop and ringing up sales using their tools-handbook.
• Wealthy Affiliate: Branches out into rich modules on SEO finesse, social vibes, and newsletter moves to boost your marketing mojo (ClickBank Blog).

Brain Growth

Free courses aren’t just a time killer; they fill your brain with all the juicy info about different affiliate flavors, ways to get paid, and playing strategies that win. Think of them as a translator for all the mumbo jumbo so you can understand the language and start speaking it fluently too.

Hot Topics on the Menu:

• Basics of Affiliate Marketing
• Types of Affiliate Marketing
• Various Payment Ways

Those who sign up can sink their teeth into both the basics and trickier tactics, setting down a solid groundwork. Need more deets on the basics? Check out our beginner’s guide on what is affiliate marketing.

Street Smart Insights

A final perk is the street smart insights these courses sprinkle throughout. Real-life success stories, customer raves, and marketer tips turn theory into practice, ready for your action.

• The Affiliate Lab: Hands over the map for building, boosting, and cashing in on affiliate sites, driving hard on the SEO highway (DreamGrow).

• Miles Beckler’s Step-by-step Guide: Walks you through setting up your affiliate biz like a pro, so you can apply lessons like no sweat.

Learning from others’ wins and flops helps you stay clear of rookie mistakes and learn the ropes from those who’ve already climbed them.

Things to Watch Out For:

By keeping these benefits in mind, beginners can confidently tread the path of affiliate marketing, understanding lingo, balancing costs, and plotting earnings right. Scouring through these courses also makes you wise to the ins and outs of pay tactics found in affiliate gigs, pairing lessons with real-world chops.

If you’re curious about tracking sales, check out how to manage content well at how to track affiliate sales. The right courses fuel beginners to not just learn but to thrive in the affiliate space.

Affiliate Marketing Spending Trends

Growth in the US Spending

Affiliate marketing is raking in the big bucks in the US, and 2023 was a real game-changer, with spending hitting a whopping $9.56 billion, according to BigCommerce. It’s a big clue that this marketing tactic isn’t just a passing fad—it’s here to stay and make a difference for businesses big and small.

This constant uptick isn’t just a number; it’s a sign that people are putting their faith in how affiliate marketing can supercharge sales and revenue. Companies are funneling more money into these programs because they see affiliates as a ticket to reaching more people and squeezing out big returns on their investments.

Projections for the Future

Looking forward, affiliate marketing in the US is expected to keep getting bigger. Predictions say spending will jump to $10.72 billion in 2024 and almost reach $12 billion by 2025, again according to BigCommerce. This growth is a sign that affiliate marketing is becoming a bigger part of digital marketing.

As more companies see the perks of affiliate marketing, expect more competition among affiliates driving the hustle, and loads more gigs for marketers. Newcomers, now’s the time to dive into free affiliate marketing courses and get your feet wet in this booming market. If you want more on the perks of jumping into affiliate marketing, check out what is affiliate marketing for beginners and find out is affiliate marketing worth it.

Diversified Payment Models

In the hustle and bustle of affiliate marketing, there’s no shortage of ways to get paid. Grasping these money-making approaches can seriously pump up your paycheck and match your advertising ambitions.

Pay Per Sale

Pay Per Sale (PPS) is kinda like the bread and butter of the affiliate world. Here, affiliates pocket a cut when their referral link lands a sale. That payday is usually a slice of the total sell price. Got a knack for hawking high-end stuff? Then PPS might just be your money tree, as they often serve up juicy commissions.

Craving more on PPS? Swing by our tracking affiliate sales guide.

Pay Per Lead

Roll with Pay Per Lead (PPL), and you’ll bag some cash when users do things like sign up for newsletters, complete forms, or sample services. This path is more about gathering contacts than sealing deals, making it a sweet spot for companies keen on amping up their user lists.

If you’re curious about these lead-driven tactics, our affiliate marketing lingo guide spills the beans.

Pay Per Click

Pay Per Click (PPC) is the game where you earn each time someone clicks your link. Doesn’t matter if a sale hits or misses, those clicks can still make it rain, especially for sites rocking a lot of visitors.

For newbies dipping their toes in PPC, here’s a handy guide to startup costs.

All these payment styles bring their own perks to the table, and knowing which one suits your groove can make or break your campaign payoff. More into finding the best approach? Our scoop on the easiest niches is a must-read.

How Bloggers Can Boost Your Affiliate Marketing Game

Kicking off in affiliate marketing? Bloggers got you covered. These folks have got the knack for pulling in traffic and nudging folks to hit that “buy” button, making them a treasure in your affiliate marketing puzzle.

The Magic Touch of Bloggers

Bloggers have this superpower: turning readers into buyers with their entries. They dive into using a product, pen down a thorough review, and share it with flair. This funnel back a crowd to the seller’s spot, cranking up those conversions big time. Their voice rings especially loud in small corners of the market, where their word holds some serious sway.

What Makes Blogger Influence Rock:

• Keeping it Real: Bloggers spill the beans on their tales, building bridges of trust with readers.
• Community Buzz: They share good vibes and interact well with followers in comments and across social media.
• Content Mastery: Mixing things up with blog posts, videos, and updates across their platforms.

Getting Those Clicks

Bloggers don’t just sit pretty with influence; they pull out the stops to channel traffic to affiliate links, making a solid mark on affiliate marketing.

1. SEO Moves:

   • Nailing down keywords to spice up blog pieces
   • Crafting top-notch, evergreen content that climbs the Google hierarchy
   • Playing the link game, weaving in internal and external links to pump up SEO

2. Pushing It on Socials:

   • Broadcasting their posts across the social sphere, roping in more eyeballs
   • Chit-chatting with followers via comments, reactions, and shares
   • Teaming up with fellow influencers for mutual shout-outs and content swaps

3. Keeping in Touch via Email:

   • Sending newsletters that spill on fresh posts or sneak peeks
   • Smartly slipping affiliate links into those emails
   • Breaking up email lists into chunks, to serve up what’s most likely to tickle each reader’s fancy

4. Putting on a Show with Video:

   • Rolling out video reviews or how-to’s on affiliate picks
   • Dropping videos on spots like YouTube and looping them into blog chatter
   • Going live to chat it up with viewers and spotlight goodies right then and there

Here’s a quick rundown on how bloggers get those eyeballs rolling in:

By tapping into these funky strategies, affiliate marketers can ride the wave with bloggers, amping up traffic and cranking up the conversion numbers. For a deeper dive into affiliate marketing hacks, you gotta check our beginner’s guide on what is affiliate marketing for beginners. Oh, and if you’re sweating the budget stuff, peek at our piece on affiliate marketing startup costs.