Hello tribe,

Today, let's talk about one of the most abused online business models in Nigeria — affiliate marketing. We'll explore what affiliate marketing really is and why it has been giving "MMM" vibes since it took the digital space in Nigeria by storm a few years ago.

We'll understand the business model a little better, and conclude by examining whether affiliate marketing is legal. Don't worry, I'm not trying to sell you anything. I'm just sharing knowledge. Let's go! 🚀

Whenever I hear the sentence "I AM AN AFFILIATE MARKETER" from the lips of a young Nigerian, I immediately inform them that “I DO NOT HAVE MONEY TO BUY WHATEVER YOU ARE SELLING!” This is to avoid receiving unnecessary motivational quotes in my DM every morning.

Perhaps you feel the same way. Maybe you even paid money to learn affiliate marketing, only to discover that you have to aggressively recruit other people in order to profit from it. As a result, there is an aura of skepticism around this business model. So, what is it exactly?

You've probably heard this definition before. — Affiliate marketing is a type of online marketing where you promote other people's products and earn a commission for each sale you make. In other words, you get paid for recommending products to others.

It sounds simple, but why does it give off "MMM" vibes, you ask? Well, because many young Nigerians try to use this model as a get-rich-quick scheme. The problem with get-rich-quick schemes is that they are not sustainable and often die out after a while of buzz.

At its core, affiliate marketing can be a way to achieve long-term financial freedom. However, like any other business or venture, it requires patience, hard work, and consistency to eventually pay off. Let me describe what an ideal affiliate marketing model looks like.

Suppose someone named wants to become an affiliate marketer. We’ll break down your journey to success in this field into four steps. Steps 1, 3, and 4 are not difficult. Step 2 is where the real work comes in.

Step one:

Find a niche of products that you would like to promote. This could be anything from books to animal care products to kitchen appliances, to whatever can be sold.

Step two:

Build an engaging audience on any platform of your choice by sharing valuable information related to your niche. Building an audience that trusts you requires consistently delivering quality content over time.

It's not an easy task, but it's statistically shown that once you have an audience that trusts you, at least 1% of that audience will be willing to buy anything you offer them simply because they like you. Another 1% will buy what you offer because they actually need it. Conversion rates are usually way more than that, of course, but we’re taking worst-case scenarios.

So, you don't need to aggressively send motivational quotes to people's DMs every Friday morning or try to scare them with poverty before they buy from you. Chioma, if I catch you in my DM again!

Step 3:

Find the perfect affiliate programs for you. Choose between one to four programs, as going for too many can be overwhelming. I’ll provide more information on this topic in a future newsletter (maybe).

Step 4:

Embed your unique affiliate links in your content and recommend them to your audience without being pushy or making it seem like a life-or-death situation like Chioma does.

There you have it, once you have an audience that trusts you, the rest is vibes on vibes. 🤑 (Not really, but you get the idea.)

Is affiliate marketing legal?

Yes, affiliate marketing is legal but with the condition that you must disclose that the product you are promoting is an affiliate product and that you receive a commission from each sale.

When you are new to affiliate marketing, people may question your motives, thinking that you are only recommending products for your own benefit. However, if you build trust over time, people will know that you only recommend products you genuinely believe are good, even if you make a commission. You self, don’t betray their trust, or else you risk losing it.

I can’t cover so much related to affiliate marketing in one email, but if you want me to write more about it, then let me know by leaving a comment below. Below where biko? 😂 I’m in your email.

To leave a comment on the web view of this newsletter, click here, find this particular newsletter, and scroll to the bottom of the page to leave your comment.

Talk next week,

Viki 💜