Top Affiliate Marketing Platforms

Affiliate marketing involves an intricate web of companies, intermediaries, marketers and customers. It involves companies starting their affiliate programs, collaborating with marketers to promote their affiliate programs, intermediaries who list companies' exclusive offers and discounts on their website and customers who ultimately benefit from these offers. Generally, affiliate marketing platforms act as an intermediary in this industry. Let us talk about what affiliate marketing is, which are the top channels, platforms, and benefits of affiliate marketing. So, let us begin!

What is Affiliate Marketing?

Affiliate marketing is a collaboration in which marketers earn commissions for promoting an online retailer's products. Affiliate marketers use internet platforms like social media, blogs, videos, forums, podcasts and much more to connect with many internet users and promote affiliate products. Affiliate marketing is generally based on content creation, and most marketers use content to build an audience and ultimately advertise affiliate products to them.

What are the benefits of Affiliate Marketing?

1. Increased Sales: Affiliate Marketing is known to be a great tool to drive leads and sales on retailers' website. Marketers work extensively by placing links in their content -written, visual and audio, to make people more interested in the brand by mentioning its benefits and specialties.
2. Different Platforms: Even though affiliate marketing has been traditionally spoken in the same breath with blogging and guest posting, but in 2022, there is no limitation to which platform can be used for affiliate marketing. Social media, forums, streaming platforms, video sharing websites, podcasts etc. Can be used to make your affiliate products known to the public.
3. Return on Investment: Affiliate marketing can be done by creating content on different platforms. In 2022, you only need a smartphone to become a content creator. You only need a creative mind to become an affiliate marketer and your business as well as your affiliate's business will flourish in no time.
4. Work from Home: Affiliate marketers can work from anytime, anywhere. Nobody calls them to an office, wants them to work fixed hours or show up every day with reports. Affiliate marketers can make a good living by working only a couple hours every day from wherever they want.

Best Channels for Affiliate Marketing

1. Social Media: One of the most powerful tools for any affiliate marketer, social media includes platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter etc. Which have a combined monthly usage of more than 5 billion people. Social media provides exponential returns without spending too much in creating content. Content like videos, graphics, polls, reviews,& contests can be used to attract audience.
2. YouTube: YouTube is one of the oldest video streaming platforms in the world. Every minute, billions of minutes of video content is uploaded on the website. YouTube is a great way for businesses and marketers to connect with the audience by creating content like product reviews, vlogs, funny sketches, and much more.
3. Blogs: Perhaps the most used platform for affiliate marketing, blogs are written articles that anyone can post on their own or someone else's website. Blogs involve some time and effort to create revenue in affiliate marketing as it involves a more technical approach with tools like SEO, Keyword Tracking, Website Credibility and much more.
4. Podcasts:Podcasts involve individuals having a conversation with each other about different topics and interests. Not just that, podcasts can also be used for audiobooks, fictional & non-fictional stories, biographies, and any other kind of content that can be put down in an audio form. Affiliate marketers can use podcasts by carefully placing their affiliate products during any podcast segment.
5. Forums: Forums have existed for a long time now. They involve websites like Quora, Reddit, Discord etc. People can earn money through affiliate marketing on forums by answering people's requests and queries. Uploading promotional content occasionally and subtly, including affiliate links, helps build a genuine revenue stream from forums.

Best Platforms for Affiliate Marketing

1. Reseller Club: One of the largest reselling platforms in India, Reseller Club allows affiliate marketers to easily earn a minimum of Rs. 2,000 or a maximum of Rs. 8,000 per referral. Every marketer gets a unique affiliate ID after registering on the website, and they can track their earnings and growth on the portal itself.The tracking cookie is rewarded based on the last click and is valid for 60 days. Reseller Club also offers several withdrawal options, which are done via PayPal or bank transfer. The minimum withdrawal balance is Rs 50.
2. Flipkart Affiliate: Flipkart is one of the largest e-commerce operators in India. Flipkart referral payment is different for desktop/mobile websites and mobile apps. The average commission varies from 6% to 20%, depending on the category.Flipkart also offers a range of partner tools such as banners, widgets and APIs to deliver Flipkart offers/products on your site/app. You can track referral link performance and conversions with real-time reports provided by Flipkart.
3. Amazon Associates: Being the largest e-commerce brand in the world, Amazon allows its contributors to earn from its earnings. Anyone can sign up for Amazon's affiliate marketing program with their existing Amazon account. Amazon allows you to create custom, text, and image-only links to any product you choose. The commission is between 0.2% and 10% depending on the product category. Amazon's affiliate program offers you commissions on other products the user purchases after clicking on your affiliate link.
4. BigRock Affiliate: BigRock is India's leading domain registrar and hosting web company. The affiliate program tracks and rewards sales on the affiliate URL. The BigRock tracking cookie is valid for 60 days. In addition to domain registration and web hosting, BigRock also offers additional services such as email hosting, website creation and digital certificates. The company offers a standard commission which starts at Rs 30 and can easily go up to 30% of each sale. Alternatively, you can also sign up for Bluehost, Hostinger or any other hosting websites' affiliate program.
5. Cuelinks: Cuelinks simplifies the monetization process with JavaScript that automatically inserts affiliate links into your content. Say, for example, you wrote an article about the top 10 headphones in the market. Cuelinks automatically adds an affiliate link to the relevant keyword. WordPress users can also use Cuelinks by easily installing a free plugin.
6. CJ Affiliate: One of the leading affiliate networks in the world with 14 offices around the world, CJ Affiliate has collaborations with leading brands such as Go Pro, Barnes & Noble, and Office Depot, to name a few.CJ offers publishers the opportunity to maximize the value of affiliate partnerships. CJ is also cookie-free tracking to ensure seamless monitoring and commissioning across all devices and environments, even in the absence of a CJ cookie.
7. Shopify: Shopify is an all-in-one e-commerce platform that allows businesses to sell online. Joining the Shopify program is free and allows you to monetize your audience and earn commissions with each new Shopify merchant referral. As an affiliate, you can earn an average of $58 for each user who signs up for a paid plan using your unique affiliate link and $2,000 for each Shopify Plus referral.
8. V Commission: commission is a great platform for affiliate marketers and is trusted by over 18,000 affiliates. It works with major e-commerce brands such as Snapdeal, Agoda, Myntra, and AliExpress. It has over 14,000 publishers offering the best commission rates. vCommission requires your website to publish content in English only.
9. GetResponse: GetResponse is one of the best partner programs in India in 2022 for marketing automation tools. It offers email marketing, landing pages, webinar hosting, CRM, and more. It has two types: a self-hosted program with a 33% recurring commission and plans which start at $ 15 to $ 1200 monthly; CJ Affiliate is another type that offers affiliates to earn $ 135 for each referral.
10. Fiverr: Fiverr Affiliate Program is another top affiliate program in India that you need to consider. It has a one-month cookie and is free for new signups. The commission cap on Fiverr is tricky because you can earn $15 to $50 for CPA and 30% on every course order. Indeed, you can also promote Fiverr's main marketplace in exchange for your affiliate commission.

Conclusion

Affiliate marketing programs help professional and amateur marketers earn profits in no time. We have listed the top 10 affiliate marketing platforms that provide the highest returns for your time and effort.