Is affiliate marketing a good source of side income? Can you even try to make it your main source of income?
It’s no doubt that we’re facing trying times, no thanks to inflation. So a little help in the income department is definitely welcome. The best ways to stay afloat during this challenging era is to get a high-paying job or do side hustles. If you’ve been toying with the idea of adding affiliate marketing as an income stream and if it’s viable in the Philippines, read on!
What is affiliate marketing and how does it work?
Affiliate marketing is basically promoting goods or services offered by other people or businesses. I’m sure you’ve seen a beauty guru or a fashion influencer link out to the products they share on photos or video. Well, these product links are, more often than not, affiliate links.
Once a reader or viewer buys an item using an affiliate link, the one who generated and posted the link gets a commission. Pretty sweet, eh? But is it something that you can do as a ~normal person without much influence?
Can I do affiliate marketing in the Philippines?
Short answer: yes. But you can’t really consider it a type of passive income because it will still take a bit of your time and effort.
How to start affiliate marketing in the Philippines
The first task that will take a portion of your time is researching the best affiliate network or program for you. (But hint hint: I’m taking this load off your back — more on this later.)
The next is finding out which products sell. But you can always start with what interests you! Chances are you’re posting about these anyway, so why not just leave a little helpful link that people can use too?
And then you have to analyze your data and see which types of posts do well for what products and try to replicate them for more chances of getting conversions.
Affiliate Programs & Networks in the Philippines
Before you think so much about that, let’s see which affiliate programs or networks you can join first.
Shopee
Did you know that Shopee is the most popular e-commerce site in the Philippines*? Almost everyone you know shops there. So why not help them find out what they need (or entice them to get what they want)?
Commission rate: Starts at 3%
How to join: Shopee Affiliates
Lazada
Why should you be a Lazada affiliate? The rates are higher than most e-commerce sites! They used to require affiliates to have their marketing business registered before joining but they’re now offering another option called Agency Pass-Through where you won’t need BIR registration to become an affiliate.
Commission rate: Up to 40%
How to join: LazAffiliates
Zalora
Love fashion? Zalora’s just the platform you need to help you earn by sharing your favorite trends and OOTDs.
Commission rate: 6% for new customers, 4% for returning customers
How to join: Zalora Affiliate Partner Program
Photobook Philippines
Are you someone who’s sentimental? Or do you know many people who are? Photobook has lots of products that can cater to you — from, well, photo books to pilllows.
Commission rate: Up to 15%
How to join: Photobook Philippines Affiliate Program
Involve
Want more variety in the products and platforms that you share? Involve may be the one for you. (It is for me!) You can share finds from Lazada, Shopee, Zalora, Photobook, Nike, Klook and more through them. I also like that I’m able to see all of my stats in one platform; it makes keeping track of trends and sales easier.
Commission rate: Up to 17.5% depending on the brand
How to join: Involve Become a Publisher
Tips for successful affiliate marketing
While I can’t rely on affiliate marketing as a main source of income yet, it has definitely helped us during this period. The average affiliate conversion rate is between 0.5% and 1%. Mine varies from month to month but it’s around 7% on average. So that must mean I know a thing or two about making people not just click but actually lead them to buy. Here are some of the things I believe have been helping me.
Know what you’re talking about
In my case, at least, this one’s pretty important. My affiliate marketing earnings come from posts on this website. So the quality of content is always of utmost priority. I make sure my articles are well-researched and actually helpful. This works for video content too.
If you’re not going to use a blog and will post on your social media accounts instead, it pays to position yourself as an authority on a certain topic. Or just be super interested in something you’re sharing. This helps build trust!
Find out what sells well
You need to be a bit observant about what’s trending. What are people talking about lately? What are people searching for? But, of course, make sure that it’s relevant to you and the content you put out. Imagine how surprised your followers will be if you post about an air conditioner when you usually post about food.
Share discount codes whenever possible
Everybody loves a discount! And these affiliate programs more often than not have them ready for your sharing whenever they have a sale or special campaign. Make sure you share these codes to your audience. Value, value, value.
Now that you know the basics of affiliate marketing, I hope you try it out and find success in it!
*Statista, 2nd quarter 2022 based on monthly web visits