The last few years have seen a drastic change in the economy with inflation being at an all-time high. Some financial experts even project a recession in the near future, advising Kenyans to brace for tough times ahead. These hardships are exacerbated by the uncertainty for the future with the Kenyan General Elections in August later this year. The cocktail of politics and the increasing rate of inflation makes the issue of finances more pressing than ever. Moreover, the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic on the economy has left many Kenyans still reeling from the shock. Many people lost their jobs, received pay cuts and even moved to the countryside to remain afloat. However, the economy has been unforgiving and made it difficult for people to recuperate. In these dark times, Kenyans need now more than ever to consider riding the wave of technology and start making money online.
Modern society is a stark contrast to the traditional world of offline sales and services. These days people and businesses interact online with the online market standing at an astounding USD 4.9 Trillion. With this kind of money exchanging hands online, it is vital for people to seriously consider having a slice of the cake. Brick and motor stores are quickly becoming a thing of the past and the sooner people change with the times, the higher their chances of success. In Kenya, many people in the younger generation have taken advantage of the online market, which has opened a world of opportunities for netizens. Many Kenyans are already aware of the opportunities to make money from online fora such as vlogging, blogging and having an online business. However, all of these opportunities can be daunting especially since they require someone to put themselves out there.
Starting such a business online can be intimidating especially for beginners. There’s the challenge of not knowing what to do or where to start. There’s also the need to have a product or service to sell to potential clients. And the need for specialized equipment and some basic skills such as editing. There are also the challenges of marketing, logistics and aftersales to deal with. With these overwhelming concerns, it stands to reason that many newbies may shy away from the prospects. However, what many Kenyans may not be aware of is that it is possible to make a living online without creating your product or service through affiliate marketing. Affiliate marketing enables you to make money off a product or service that you do not own, eliminating the hurdle of creating a product or service. Also, it does away with the challenges of logistics and aftersales since the affiliate’s only job is to connect the buyer with the seller of the product. However, it is important to make sure you support a product with a good reputation and a seller that is legit to avoid tarnishing your reputation as an affiliate. This guide hopes to answer essential questions on becoming affiliates for complete novices.
The purpose of affiliate marketing is to promote products or services to one’s social circles, acquaintances or strangers with the aim of making a sale. Therefore, affiliates are online brokers, who connect the buyer to the seller. Affiliates make money by receiving commissions from sales. The commission is based on the agreement with the affiliate or the specific affiliate program. For example, if you bring a buyer to purchase a product that is worth KES 5,000 and the seller offers a 5% commission, then you will make KES 250 for the sale. Most affiliate programs pay a one time commission. This means that once you earn the KES 250 from that sale, you will not make any money from that client even if they come back and make a purchase from that business later on. However, rarely you may stumble upon a program that offers recurrent commissions from the customer you bring.
Affiliate marketing is still in its infancy stages in Kenya, making it a great opportunity for anybody seeking to enter the space. Also, it is worth noting that many people in Kenya are still ignorant of the proper way of making money online through affiliate programs, which presents a great opportunity for those who have the right information. A good example of this is the practice of spamming. Many people that call themselves “online marketers” have a tendency of spamming social media pages, people’s inboxes and Whatsapp groups. The only thing they accomplish by doing this is annoying their potential clients and eliminating any possibility of making a sale. Moreover, with so many businesses shifting to the online space, there are millions of potential clients online. As such, it is ideal to strike while the iron is hot before the competition increases.
I would like to say that anyone can become an affiliate but that would not be the whole truth. While technically any person can join an affiliate program, it takes seriousness, hard work and dedication to become a successful affiliate. Don't let anyone lie to you that you can make a decent income anywhere without putting in any work. Anyone who tells you that is probably running a scam and is trying to con you. When you come across such lies run away like your life depends on it! That said, any person with the willingness to learn and the resilience to persist in their craft can not only become an affiliate but become very successful in the craft. Many affiliates with these qualities are millionaires and are enjoying the finer things in life. You can become an affiliate part-time or full-time. Some people have made a career out of affiliate marketing. Thus it boils down to your ambition and work ethic.
It is very important to know the signs to look out for when joining an affiliate program. First, remember that an affiliate marketer makes money from connecting the buyer to the seller like a broker. Therefore, you should not have to pay money to become an affiliate for a program. Programs that usually require payments are typically Multi-level-marketing (MLM), which can be lucrative though not the best option. Also, please note that online scams may lure you into fake affiliate programs and ask you to pay to join. Whenever people ask you for payment to get a job it is often a red alert. Another critical thing to note is that trustworthy programs are transparent. This means that they should state their terms clearly such as the commissions they pay. You should also be able to get in touch with a representative of the company or business to guide you through the process if need be.
It is vital to have a decent level of computer literacy, be flexible and have the ability to write good copy. Copywriting is one of the most treasured skills in the online world since this is the ability to persuade a buyer. However, if you do not possess this skill you can always learn it as it will help you in the long term. Some affiliates also use verbal persuasion, so if this is one of your strong suits, you can speak directly to potential clients and make the sales. As you progress as an affiliate, you will pick up other important skills such as data analytics and website design/management to further your success. You can also consider improving your communication skills in general to improve your chances of success as an affiliate.
The honest answer to this is yes and no. The concept of making money in your sleep refers to passive income. If you do it right you can turn your affiliate marketing from active income to passive income. As mentioned earlier you will need to put in a decent amount of effort to make good money in any career. When dealing with the affiliate market, you will need to select a good affiliate program. As said earlier, most affiliate programs pay a one time commission. In other words, you will only make a commission once from that sale regardless of how much hard work you put in. However, affiliate programs such as the SimpleSell SMS affiliate program let you earn multiple times from one client. Moreover, SimpleSell SMS currently offers a commission of 10% for sales. That means if you bring a client who spends KES 5,000 you will earn KES 500. If the same client later makes a purchase of KES 10,000 you will make KES 1,000 and so on. In this case, it is possible to earn money in your sleep if you get good quality clients who make regular purchases or use the product often.
If you already have a product or service that you are selling, it is very easy to become an affiliate. For instance, people who already have websites, youtube channels, or blogs can simply mention the product or service they are affiliates for and provide a link to the product. This makes it very easy to earn extra money while doing whatever someone is already doing. However, there are many people that do not already have such programs and hope to make some money as affiliates. For such people, I would recommend social media and other online platforms that you are already using. It is easier to sell a product to people who already know you than it is to strangers since you already have rapport. Avoid spamming your contacts with monotonous information and rather do some research on the product you are recommending to increase your chances of making a sale.
The SimpleSell SMS affiliate program is open to any individual over the age of 18 with a valid ID or passport. The program is open to people of all nationalities and ethnicities that may be interested in joining. To register for the program or make any enquiries you can reach out to Simple Sellable Solutions via the email address affiliate@simplesellable.com. It is crucial to note, however, that the program provides bulk SMSes largely within the Kenyan market and thus foreign affiliates should take this into consideration. However, the SMS platform also supports Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Ghana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mali, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Clients will need to have their own dedicated sender ID for these countries.
By Christine Njoki - Published 31st May 2022, 09:54pm
