Affiliate marketing is for small businesses too
When you hear “affiliate marketing,” do you picture some big overseas corporate dishing out commissions to influencers and YouTubers? Yeah, same. But affiliate marketing isn’t just for the big players. It’s a hidden gem for you, a savvy small business owner, looking to grow your brand without draining your bank account.
So, what is affiliate marketing?
Affiliate marketing is basically word-of-mouth on commission. Someone (an affiliate) promotes your product or service and earns a cut only when that promotion leads to a sale. You don’t pay for empty promises - just real results.
You get visibility and new customers and they get paid to promote something they already like. Everyone wins.
And no, your affiliates don't need to be influencers with blue checkmarks. They can be:
Loyal customers who rave about you already.
Complementary (not competing) businesses with aligned audiences.
Content creators who would genuinely get behind what you’re offering.
Works beautifully for products or services that are:
Easy to buy online.
Have healthy margins.
Ready to dip your toes in? Here’s how:
Create a win-win offer: make it worth everyone’s while with attractive commissions, clear terms, and easy tracking.
Set up your platform: Start simple. Check out Refersion or Tapfiliate
Create killer assets: Make it easy for your affiliates to promote you with custom links or discount codes, high-quality images and videos, talking points or swipe copy they can steal.
Find your people: Look to your best customers, friendly brands in your niche, and creators who get your vibe.
Track, tweak, repeat: What’s working? What’s flopping? Stay in the loop, talk to your affiliates, and keep optimising.
Keep communication open: You’re building a team of advocates. Show them some love. Check-in, say thank you, send snacks (optional).
Need help setting it up or making sure your site is ready to convert? I’m your friendly design + marketing sidekick.