Affiliate marketing is a business approach that lets businesses make sales before paying for ads or promotions. It's a great way to leverage the audience of others to promote your own offers. I'll say affiliate marketing is one of the smartest choices that any business can make.

Do you know that you can set up your own affiliate program without much trouble? It doesn't have to be as big as Amazon Associates or Commission Junction but it can still produce desired results.

This guide offers you basic info to help you set up your own affiliate program and manage it. In this guide, you will find 5 easy-to-follow steps to help you get started with your own program.

Starting Your Own Affiliate Program in 5 Steps

The fact is that you will experience some challenges along the way when setting up your affiliate program. However, it helps to have the needed knowledge before stepping out. That's the purpose of creating this guide to help you set up your own program.

Now that we have got to this reasonable point, let me walk you through the 5 easy steps to follow.

Step 1 - Decide on Which Affiliate System to Use

The first decision you will be making is on the kind of affiliate system to use. There are two available options out there – working with an affiliate network or choosing to do it in-house.

An affiliate network is the easier option because it lets you outsource your affiliate program to a company best suited for it. An affiliate network is a company that manages affiliate programs for different brands and organizations.

You can set up the rules and commission structure for your affiliate program before assigning it to the network. The network handles the recruitment of affiliates, offer tools to use, track their performances, and pays out earnings.

There's actually a lot more that affiliate networks handle to ensure the success of your program. This lets you focus more on the core business that your company is involved in. To get started on most affiliate networks, you will be required to pay a fee.