How much revenue
is possible with
affiliate marketing?
...and what do I need to focus on to generate more revenue as a shop?
- Is affiliate marketing truly a risk-free marketing or sales channel?
- How much time must be invested to successfully run an affiliate marketing program?
- What role does communication play in affiliate marketing?
- How quickly do I need to respond in affiliate marketing to be successful?
- What should I focus on in my online shop to succeed in affiliate marketing?
- This is how much additional revenue you can achieve with affiliate marketing
How much revenue can I generate with affiliate marketing?
This question doesn’t just apply to the marketing channel "affiliate marketing." The question "How much revenue can I generate with this channel?" resonates throughout the entire e-commerce and online shop world. However, the answer to this question is often quite unsatisfying.
The answer: "It depends..."
But what exactly does it depend on in affiliate marketing?
To find out, you first need to consider several factors, including the following:
- The risk profile
- Time investment
- Communication
- Responsiveness
- Your own online shop
Let’s start with the risk profile.
Is affiliate marketing truly a risk-free marketing or sales channel?
From a financial perspective, affiliate marketing is the most predictable channel for advertisers (online shop operators). The online shop only pays a commission to the publisher and the platform when a valid sale occurs.
In this setup, the advertiser generates revenue through an influencer or content creator and only pays a commission, avoiding any upfront cost risks. A dream scenario for any advertiser.
However, this doesn’t mean the advertiser has nothing to do. The advertiser (online shop) must invest time in this process. This time investment can, of course, be considered or evaluated as a risk.
🚀 Action Points:
- Affiliate marketing is financially predictable since commissions are only paid for valid sales – but keep in mind, that’s not the only thing that matters.
- This channel doesn’t offer a "get revenue quick" approach; it requires time and commitment – you need to build partnerships.
- The financial advantage is clear, but there’s more to it than just commissions – a long-term effort is necessary.
- Always remember that the publisher bears the full marketing risk upfront – they could also promote your competitors (a fact you should appreciate).
How much time must be invested to successfully run an affiliate marketing program?
The most important information upfront:
If your expectation is to simply set up a partner program and hope for significant revenue without further effort, you’re better off not reading any further or even considering launching a partner program.
To run a partner program successfully, an online shop should allocate at least 1–2 hours per week. However, this is still very minimal.
In general, the rule is: the more time you invest, the better the results. Naturally, your own expertise also plays a role here. The more experience you’ve gained, the more efficiently you can manage the program.
To provide a benchmark: the most successful partner programs invest 4 or more hours per day in their program. Larger online shops often assign one or even two full-time positions to this task.
However, this level of commitment is not always necessary to make a program successful. Almost no online shop (or very few) begins with such a large-scale effort. Especially for smaller advertisers or online shops, this level of investment may not be feasible.
That doesn’t mean a partner program isn’t worthwhile. Smaller shops are advised to follow best practices provided by the platform and, most importantly, to implement them consistently and over the long term.
Affiliate marketing isn’t a sprint but a marathon that must be run in small, yet fast-paced steps.
🚀 Action Points:
- Consider whether you can invest at least 1–2 hours per week or, ideally, daily, in your partner program.
- Plan for a minimum of 18 months to build and maintain the program.
- Let go of the idea that a partner program can succeed without active involvement.
- Keep in mind that an effective partner program requires ongoing effort.
- The more time and expertise you invest, the greater your chances of success.
- Successful brands often dedicate several hours a day to maintaining and optimizing their programs.
- Stick to best practices and implement them consistently and over the long term.
- Remember: Affiliate marketing is a marathon, not a sprint – maintain a long-term perspective.
Curious how you can boost your revenue on a commission basis? Let selecdoo support you!
What role does communication play in affiliate marketing?
Communication plays a crucial, if not the most important, role in affiliate marketing. This is not just about how you communicate with your chosen platform (e.g., selecdoo) or with (potential) publishers.
It’s primarily about how you convey the value of your brand or products through your promotional materials. It’s about what promotional materials you provide and how they are designed. Publishers rely on your promotional assets. No publisher in the world will create promotional materials for you.
If a publisher doesn’t understand the value you offer or why their community should spend money on your products, they won’t promote or share your products.
🚀 Action Points:
- Clearly and simply explain the value of your products in writing.
- Highlight the benefits for the publisher and their community.
- Ensure the publisher fully understands your offering.
- Support the publisher in successfully recommending your products.
Take a look at case studies of successful brands that have followed this advice.
How quickly do I need to respond in affiliate marketing to be successful?
It’s common for publishers to reach out to you with various inquiries. Additionally, your chosen platform (if you’ve selected the right one) will regularly send tips, recommendations, and requests from top partners.
The faster you respond, the better. Always keep in mind that each inquiry or email is aimed at securing a placement for you, opening up new revenue opportunities. Neither the platform nor the publisher depends on your response. Both parties have plenty of options. Regardless of how the inquiry is worded, the core message is always:
“Hey Advertiser – I want to generate revenue for you on a commission basis…”
Isn’t that exactly what every shop or advertiser dreams of? Then you should respond to such inquiries as quickly as possible. If you don’t, you’ll likely be deprioritized by every platform. Publishers won’t bother sending you a second request.
The worst part?
Publishers often talk to one another and know each other well. This means that other publishers who haven’t worked with you yet might also think twice about reaching out.
🚀 Action Points:
- Respond promptly to inquiries from publishers and platforms.
- Maximize your revenue opportunities through quick action.
- Leverage fast response times to become more popular with publishers.
- Demonstrate reliability and professionalism with timely replies.
- Strengthen long-term partnerships through consistent communication.
- Set clear priorities to handle important inquiries efficiently.
Are you looking for a platform that supports you and takes work off your hands? Then request your personal and free info call today.
What should I focus on in my online shop to succeed in affiliate marketing?
Apart from having a fully functional online shop, other factors play a significant role. One of the most important criteria is your conversion rate (referred to as the sales rate on the selecdoo platform). This is crucial for attracting publishers to work with you and your shop.
The overall recognition of your brand also matters. The more well-known your brand is, the easier it will be to succeed in affiliate marketing. However, this doesn’t mean that lesser-known brands can’t be successful. It just requires a bit more effort.
To boost your shop’s conversion rate, having a clear and well-thought-out design is extremely beneficial. The speed of your shop is another critical factor.
No user wants to wait long for a website to load. Additionally, how well your online shop is optimized for mobile devices is key. Trust elements, such as reviews, certifications, studies, or mentions in reputable media outlets, are also excellent tools to improve your conversion rate.
🚀 Action Points:
- Ensure your online shop has a clear, well-thought-out design.
- Make sure your shop loads quickly. Optimize it for mobile devices (e.g., iPhone & Co.).
- Use trust elements such as reviews, certifications, or mentions in well-known media (e.g., "As seen on...").
- A high sales rate makes your shop more attractive to publishers and significantly boosts your chances of success.
This is how much additional revenue you can achieve with affiliate marketing
Naming a specific figure is nearly impossible and wouldn’t be credible. However, based on available data, you can make a fairly accurate estimate. It’s important to note that this is a statistical value and varies from shop to shop. How significant the variation is depends largely on how well the previously mentioned points are implemented.
If these points are implemented even partially, you can expect an average revenue increase of 17.33%.
This increase refers to the net shopping cart value and is considered on an annual basis. Take a look at the cases provided by advertisers/brands on selecdoo for more insights.
Nigela
Since joining Selecdoo, our online shop has improved significantly: partnerships with publishers have allowed us to increase brand awareness, reach new target audiences, and sustainably boost our sales.
Within just six months, affiliate marketing helped us achieve a revenue increase of up to 300%. Selecdoo's user-friendly features were key to this success. We highly recommend this tool to anyone looking to strategically expand their online sales.