{"id":89636,"date":"2022-08-10T18:13:04","date_gmt":"2022-08-10T18:13:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.authorityhacker.com\/?p=89636"},"modified":"2024-03-04T13:58:27","modified_gmt":"2024-03-04T13:58:27","slug":"affiliate-marketing-canada","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.authorityhacker.com\/affiliate-marketing-canada\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Start Affiliate Marketing In Canada? (5 Easy Steps)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Affiliate marketing is on the rise in Canada, especially as more and more Canadians are looking for flexible work or side hustles to supplement their income. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, Google Trends data shows there\u2019s been a significant upturn in search activity around affiliate marketing in Canada over the past five years:<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"affiliate<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Not only is affiliate marketing pretty easy and affordable to start in Canada. One of the best things about it is that many affiliate programs pay in USD, which is beneficial thanks to the favorable conversion rate of the Canadian dollar. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what do you need to get going and make your strategy successful? We’ve helped plenty of first-time affiliate marketers develop successful strategies. In this guide, we\u2019ll explain what affiliate marketing entails and give you the 5 steps to follow to start affiliate marketing in Canada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What Is Affiliate Marketing?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Affiliate marketing is a type of digital marketing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It provides a way for content creators to make money online by promoting products or services as part of an affiliate program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Affiliate marketers are rewarded with a commission for delivering a specific \u201caction.\u201d Typically, that action is to drive a sale. But it could also be to encourage sign-ups or app installations (or something else).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Does Affiliate Marketing Work?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Affiliate marketing works like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. The affiliate marketer<\/strong> recommends an affiliate product via their blog, newsletter, or social channels.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. They include a unique affiliate link<\/strong> that directs potential customers to a landing page on the advertiser\u2019s website.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. A customer <\/strong>clicks the unique link and performs the desired action (e.g. buying a product or downloading an app). <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. The affiliate network<\/strong> or advertiser confirms the action has taken place and tracks the source of the conversion.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. The affiliate marketer<\/strong> receives an agreed commission.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n
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    \"What<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

    Commission rates vary from one affiliate program to another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Most pay a fixed fee or percentage of every sale, with percentage-based commissions typically ranging from 5% \u2013 50%+.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Alternatively, some affiliate programs pay recurring commissions<\/a>, whereby affiliate marketers keep earning commissions for as long as the customer keeps paying for the product or service. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    (N.B. For the best commissions, check out our roundup of <\/em>29 high-paying affiliate programs<\/em><\/a>.) <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Pros and Cons Of Affiliate Marketing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Full disclosure:<\/strong> At Authority Hacker, we\u2019re massive fans of affiliate marketing.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We\u2019ve been doing it for years across countless niches<\/a>, and we think it\u2019s a fantastic way to build an online business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But no business model is perfect for everyone<\/em>, so here\u2019s our take on the pros and cons of affiliate marketing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Affiliate Marketing Pros:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    <\/path><\/svg><\/span>It\u2019s quick to start: <\/strong>Affiliate sites can be built and populated with content in a couple of weeks (provided you\u2019re happy to put the hours in). <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/path><\/svg><\/span>The setup costs are negligible: <\/strong>For most affiliate marketers, it only costs a few dollars to buy a domain name and launch an affiliate website. You can even do affiliate marketing without a website<\/a>, although we wouldn\u2019t recommend it.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/path><\/svg><\/span>No worrying about customer service: <\/strong>Because the customer purchases from the advertiser, you don\u2019t have to handle transactions, ship products, or deal with customer support.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/path><\/svg><\/span>Reach customers worldwide: <\/strong>You don\u2019t have to target an exclusively Canadian target audience because customers anywhere <\/em>can access your content.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/path><\/svg><\/span>Generate income in your spare time: <\/strong>Once you\u2019ve done the hard work, you can earn money passively. That\u2019s the dream!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/path><\/svg><\/span>No limit to your earning potential: <\/strong>The more content you create, the more backlinks you build, and the more affiliate products you promote, the more money you\u2019ll make.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/path><\/svg><\/span>Work to your own timetable: <\/strong>Affiliate marketing offers total flexibility. Want to work from abroad or take a bunch of time off? Do it, because you\u2019re the boss!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/path><\/svg><\/span>Huge choice of affiliate programs:<\/strong> 81% of advertisers use affiliate marketing<\/a> as part of their digital marketing strategy, so there\u2019s no shortage of affiliate offers waiting for you.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Affiliate Marketing Cons:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    <\/path><\/svg><\/span>It takes time to build a revenue stream: <\/strong>Don\u2019t expect to generate income overnight. It could be months to start making money online, and years <\/em>until you see a decent return.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/path><\/svg><\/span>Competition is fierce: <\/strong>The affiliate marketing world can be cut-throat, with thousands of other affiliates battling it out for referral purchases.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/path><\/svg><\/span>No control over the bottom of the sales funnel: <\/strong>Once a customer clicks your unique link or banner ads, there\u2019s nothing more you can do to close the deal. If the retailer\u2019s website craps out or looks terrible, you\u2019ve lost the sale.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/path><\/svg><\/span>You\u2019re selling someone else\u2019s products: <\/strong>You\u2019ll never make as much money as the brands or retailers you\u2019re promoting.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/path><\/svg><\/span>There are some dodgy affiliate programs: <\/strong>Affiliate marketing used to be like the Wild West. Things have improved, but there are still a lot of shady advertisers selling low-quality products.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \ud83d\udc49 Read more: Is Affiliate Marketing Worth It?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    How to Start Affiliate Marketing In Canada in 5 Steps<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Want to start making money online as an af<\/a>f<\/a>iliate marketer<\/a>? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Unfortunately, it\u2019s a little more complicated than adding a referral link or two to your website and waiting for the passive income to start pouring in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Successful affiliate marketing means identifying a target audience and presenting them with relevant affiliate products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And there are a bunch of other steps, from carrying out keyword research to writing engaging content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Here\u2019s how to start affiliate marketing<\/a> in Canada in five steps\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1<\/em> Choose a Niche <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Sure, it\u2019d be great to become the Amazon of affiliate marketing. An affiliate marketer who joins every referral program<\/a> and promotes products in every single niche.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But websites that write about everything <\/em>invariably specialize in nothing<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And why would someone come to you for expertise if you don\u2019t know what you\u2019re talking about?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    That\u2019s why some of the world\u2019s most successful online businesses have built an audience and grown a revenue stream by honing in on a niche audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Like Airbnb, which revolutionized the travel industry by connecting vacationers with private property owners, and built a multi-billion-dollar business model in the process.<\/p>\n\n\n

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    \"airbnb
    Revenue of Airbnb worldwide from 2017 to 2021(in billion U.S. dollars)<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

    We can\u2019t promise you\u2019ll earn billions of dollars from affiliate marketing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But we can <\/em>guarantee that \u201cniche-ing down\u201d is the way to go. Choosing a niche allows you to tap into existing online communities and ensures you\u2019re not competing with massive, generalist publishers.<\/p>\n\n\n

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    \"niche<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

    So how do you find an attractive affiliate marketing niche?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Our training program, The Authority Site System<\/a>, includes a bunch of strategies for finding profitable affiliate marketing niches, but one of our favorite tactics is to use a website called Flippa<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In short, Flippa is a marketplace for online business sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But we don\u2019t use it to buy or sell websites; we use it to find examples of successful affiliate marketing sites<\/a> and niches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It\u2019s a simple process. Just create an account, then start a search using these filters:<\/p>\n\n\n\n