It’s the 21st century. The world has morphed from a global village to one global marketplace. These days, we are constantly buying and selling goods and services outside of physical stalls. You mostly need a mobile or a laptop, and a good network service provider to even do any form of commerce. Millions of online transactions take place daily.
We’ve broken the barriers of distance, language and communication. The internet allows us to buy and sell from anywhere in the world while donning our pajamas. It has also provided countless ways to make money.
One them is affiliate marketing or SaaS affiliate programs.
Affiliate programs hinge on the desire of businesses to be visible, reach out to a wider audience and build a formidable client base.
These programs are generally win-win for both the business and the affiliate marketer. While the business flourishes with more customers and booming sales, the affiliate partner earns income from his commission.
With digitalization of businesses, it’s important now more than ever to be seen, heard and accessed easily.
The Basics of Affiliate Programs
Affiliate programs promote businesses by linking potential customers to businesses and vice versa. This is much like a middle man/advert role wrapped in one.
Cristina Maria Balgaradean explains that an affiliate program is a kind of game between three players- the online merchant website (the advertiser), the affiliate website (the publisher) and the customer (the consumer).
Statista estimates that business spending on affiliate marketing will hit $8.2 billion in the U.S by 2022.
Want to be part of this industry brimming with potentials? You’re reading the right article.
Why SaaS affiliate programs?
Affiliate programs are all the rave at the moment and it’s not hard to see why. An interesting and flexible source of income.
You may enrol in more than one program at the same time, widening your earning potentials.
There are lots of great offers for you to tap into. Affiliate programs exist for different kinds of businesses in many spheres of life.
We’ll be focusing on affiliate programs in Software as a Service companies (SaaS). These companies exist to provide a wide range of software services that range from panels for creation of online programs, marketing, analytics, web designs, and customer relationship management, etc.
How do they work?
Tribe’s Preetish says SaaS businesses stand out because cloud based solutions are driven by strong recurring revenue.
SaaS affiliate programs are incredibly popular now and are a good niche for budding affiliate marketers.
As we’ll be exploring the basics, we should look at a few terms.
Cookies: Not the sugary kind stored in a jar but kind of the same concept. Small files that are stored on a customer’s device when they make a purchase through your link. It helps effectively trace referrals to you so you can receive your commission.
Cookie duration: The time within which you can be rewarded for a customer received through your link. Like their confectionery counterparts, they have a duration before they become ‘soggy’.
This varies from program to program.
SaaS resellers: SaaS resellers are people who have been granted permission by a SaaS provider to enter into a contract with a third party(customer) as the principal for providing the vendor’s services to the third party. This typically means a SaaS reseller agreement is drafted.
Commissions: Income based on a clearly defined percentage. Mostly paid monthly.
Commissions may increase based on the number of referrals brought.
How to start affiliate marketing
Find your niche. This is better if it’s something of interest to you.
Work on a platform. A lot of affiliate marketers are bloggers. Other channels for promotion include YouTube, or subscribers to your newsletter or e-mails.
Join affiliate programs. Be sure to understand the commissions and expectations. Some affiliate programs require you to be a member/customer yourself before you join their affiliate program. A good example is the Kanjabi program.
Create rich content and draw attention to the services/products you are promoting. You may write heartfelt reviews about the product/service after actually using it. These kind of reviews are usually more authentic and believable.
To earn good money, what you’re promoting has to be of good quality and capable of drawing new customers and keeping old ones.
You may also sign up to different programs per time. You make money from commissions on each sale. Caveat? The linked customer must be a financially active one. I.e. an active subscription to the SaaS service. The more people you bring, the more money you earn.
Payment would usually come after a fixed time (after the company establishes commitment on the part of the customer). They do this to avoid last minute cancellations and losses.
Making money from affiliate marketing is a steady process. Don’t expect to rake in six figures from the start.
Work on building a formidable track record. Some programs have mechanisms for rewarding top performing affiliates.
How To Find And Be Found
Companies scout for members for their affiliate programs using different techniques. According to The Upfoundry, there is no manual or easily adoptable game plan for businesses to find affiliates for their programs. They’ll be needing a mix of credibility, testing, hardwork and proper timing.
Having this knowledge sets you on the right path to make yourself more visible. This is also invaluable to SaaS companies looking to recruit affiliate marketers for their programs. Basically, this information equips you to find and be found.
Conferences:
Companies use the opportunity to find potential marketers for their programs.
Attend relevant conferences in the SaaS industry, build connections and establish rapport with potential companies.
Customer base:
They draw from their pool of existing customers. If you’re a SaaS customer, don’t forget to check their apps/sites for affiliate offers.
They may also form an alliance with the sales unit to offer these affiliate programs to new customers from the beginning.
Using affiliate directories:
Affiliate directories are a good channel for businesses to showcase their programs.
Creation of chains:
Every business partner has a business partner. They may choose affiliates from their partner’s partners.
Running ads on different forums:
This is also an effective way that businesses put out their affiliate programs.
Want to sign up? Be on the lookout for ads.
A Few Examples of SaaS Affiliate Programs
We’re going to look at a few examples of SaaS affiliate programs focusing on different kinds of services. Their perks and peculiarities.
Services offered include marketing, support, finance management, customer relationship management, e-learning/ educational management among others.
Tribe
Building online communities for businesses can be daunting.
The incredibly popular Tribe team comes to the rescue!
Depending on the number of referrals, commission ranges from 15-25% with a cookie duration of 60 days.
Lead Pages
Designed to help small businesses with the best marketing tools.
Currently on a 10% recurring commission with a cookie duration of 30 days. Based on the number of referrals per month, affiliate partners may earn up to 40-50% commission.
Quickbooks
Takes care of accounting for small businesses. Offers 10% commission on sales that arise from your referral.
SimpliLearn
Offers hundreds of high quality online courses in IT, marketing, data science, A.I, etc.
Commission is 10% with a cookie duration of 30 days.
Teachable
Helps create and sell online courses and offer coaching services. They offer a 30% commission with a cookie duration of 90 days.
Thinkific
Allows you create your own site for online courses. Has a 20% recurring commission and a cookie duration of 90 days.
Udemy
An online marketplace for learning, teaching and training. Commission is 50% with a cookie duration of 30 days.
Gurucan
Gurucan is an EdTech saas whose core interests are mobile education and having a one of a kind app for learning. It is a great platform to create online coaching live sessions, blogs, community, chats and online courses.
A master of many trades, see why you should join this program below.
Spoilt for choice? As expected, making a pick of programs to sign up to can be daunting.
We have looked at some SaaS affiliate programs. Here’s why you should choose Gurucan.
Why you should choose Gurucan
Gurucan arms creators with a fuss free admin panel where they can upload and manage all digital products. The perks? It’s available in both desktop and mobile browsers.
Being an affiliate can be a huge part of someone’s income but it only works if the product is top notch! Gurucan offers high quality products and services.
Gurucan has a great affiliate program with 30% lifetime commission from all paying accounts.
This program has a simple but high yield mode of operation - bring traffic once and earn forever!
Perks?
- High commission: For each committed customer the Gurucan team gets through you, you earn a 30% lifetime commission. Committed customers are simply those who pay for Gurucan services.
Let’s talk Math. For 20 customers who pay $99/month, your Paypal account receives a buzz of $594 each month. Pay out is fast, fuss-free and a sure banker. A lifetime commission. Great right? - Good quality services: This should be one of the most important factors you consider before choosing a program.
Gurucan prides itself in being user friendly and functional. This generally translates to a pleasant user experience. Your customer satisfaction is assured. - Personalised Style: Nothing beats a sense of belonging. The Gurucan team offers this to both users and their affiliate partners. Support and a sense of camaraderie are invaluable. With ever available support and countless resources, your customer feels backed up to succeed online.
Notifications feel individualised.
As an affiliate partner, you are a wholesome part of the team. - Affiliate tools: As a promoter, you will need a functional kit to sail smoothly. Gurucan offers you ready-to-use banners, images, buttons and other marketing tools and tips.
- Extensive services: As an educational SaaS, Gurucan offers an impressive range of services. This is beneficial to customers and ultimately you as a promoter.
They cover course builders, conversions, marketing automations, analytics and customer relationship management, webinars, membership and integration.
Their White Label educational apps are high in demand. They offer a fine mix of reliability and effectiveness. - Does not require subscribtion . You don’t need a paid account to be an affiliate partnership. Extended free trial mode will be applied upon request to customer support .
FAQs
What are the highest paying affiliate programs?
The highest paying affiliate programs include those run by Fiverr, ClickFunnels, Gurucan, Leadpages etc.
What are the best affiliate products to promote?
There is really no clear cut answer to this question. Your focus should be on products with great quality. The kind customers are consistently drawn to. Good examples include mobile accessories, computer accessories, gym equipment, security systems, safety apparel and e-learning courses.
How do you promote an affiliate offer?
Companies adopt different techniques in promoting their affiliate offers to potential affiliate marketers. These will include making the offer visible to their existing customers using links and web icons.You may also put out our offers on affiliate directories, offer great affiliate tools and juicy commissions.
What percentage do affiliate programs pay?
This varies greatly. Some programs offer 10% commissions. Some may go up to a 50% commission. Beyond the basic commission, there may be other benefits and incentives.
What is the best affiliate marketing program for beginners?
No clear-cut answer to this question as well. You’d fare better in a program that is user friendly with a team that offers support. Gurucan fits this description. Amazon and Ultimate Bundles are good choices too.
How much do affiliate links pay?
Payment is usually in the form of percentages called commission and this varies from about 5-50% for every confirmed sale.
What is a SaaS reseller?
SaaS resellers are people who have been granted permission by a SaaS provider to enter into a contract with a third party(customer) as the principal for providing the vendor’s services to the third party. 4
CONCLUSION
You may have read enough to want to join a program. Remember that growth in the affiliate industry is gradual. Don’t forget that Gurucan is your one stop plug for this with an attractive beginner friendly affiliate program.
Top tip? To make the most of the program, you will need an engaged audience and your own first hand experience.
Reviews should be heartfelt and should highlight the perks and peculiar challenges a new customer may naturally experience.
This adds a layer of wholesomeness and authenticity.
As Nathaniel advises, affiliate marketers should build businesses and not just a pocket money side project.
