Launch your affiliate program without… : a step-by-step guide

Affiliate marketing has long been known as a lucrative business model, but many believe that it requires hefty initial investments. However, that’s far from the truth. In fact, with just a laptop and a stable internet connection, you can start earning without breaking the bank.

You might think launching an affiliate program requires a lot—a big budget, technical skills, a team—but that’s not the case. As you scale up, of course, you may need additional resources but fear not.

This guide will show you how to get started even if you’re short on time, money, or experience. Let’s dive in and get your program off the ground without the usual headaches.

Launch without a big budget?

Big marketing impact doesn't have to mean a big budget, as you don't need to spend a fortune to launch a successful affiliate program. Instead of getting worked up on putting a budget together, you can:

Utilize free tools

Don't let a limited budget hinder your affiliate marketing goals. Numerous free tools can help you launch and manage a successful affiliate program without breaking the bank. A great tool you can utilize is RedTrack—starting from $149/month for affiliates and free plan for e-commerce users, it comes with a 14-day free trial.

To improve your affiliate management process, consider these other options:

• ShareASale, Owned by Awin : ShareASale is an affiliate network that's free to join for both affiliates and merchants. ShareASale offers real-time tracking and reporting, customizable affiliate links and banners, and automatic payments via PayPal or direct deposit.

• Commission Junction Holding BV is another free, large affiliate network offering robust tracking and reporting tools, customizable affiliate links and banners, access to CJ's content certified program, and a dedicated support team.?

• Rakuten : This is a global affiliate network that's also free to join for both affiliates and merchants. Rakuten offers advanced tracking and reporting tools, customizable affiliate links and banners, and access to Rakuten's DealMaker tool.

• Refersion : This is a cloud-based platform with a free tier that provides essential affiliate management tools where you can recruit, manage, and track your brand affiliate.

Leverage your existing channels

At this point, you've already built a valuable asset - your existing audience. You can leverage your audience across your website, email list, and social media channels to activate these connections and turn them into profitable partnerships.?

On your website, you can promote your affiliate program on your website's homepage, blog, or dedicated affiliate page. For your email list, you can share your program with your subscribers and encourage them to join. Similarly, you can also utilize your social media presence to spread the word about your affiliate program.

Go organic?

Instead of relying on paid advertising, you can focus on building relationships and growing your affiliate program naturally. This approach may take time, but it leads to a more sustainable and loyal affiliate network.

?Here are tips on how to foster organic growth:

• Share valuable content: This covers creating informative content, showcasing your expertise, and sharing customer success stories and case studies to demonstrate the effectiveness of your program.
• Word-of-mouth: You can encourage affiliates to share their experiences with others, or even foster a sense of community by hosting webinars, Q&A sessions, or private Facebook groups.

• Collaborate with influencers: You can partner with influencers in your niche who have an existing audience interested in your program.

By focusing on organic growth, you'll build a loyal and engaged affiliate network that drives long-term success for your program.

Launch without technical expertise

Many businesses and entrepreneurs want to leverage affiliate programs but assume they need to be tech-savvy to get started. The truth is, launching a successful affiliate program doesn't require extensive technical knowledge.

With the right approach and tools, you can set up and run a thriving affiliate program without getting bogged down in technical details. Here's how to launch without getting bogged down in technical details:?

Start with the basics

Don’t overthink it. You can begin with a basic commission structure, such as a flat rate or percentage-based model, and a small group of affiliates which are the basic things to get you going.

Keep it simple

You can select affiliate platforms that are easy to use and don't require coding skills, such as shareasale, refersion and AffiliateWP .?

Use the right tools

You can also leverage tracking and reporting tools like RedTrack to handle tracking and reporting for you.

Easy to use with lots of materials and tutorials on how to use it, RedTrack empowers you to effortlessly track affiliate links, clicks, and conversions in real time, ensuring accurate commission attribution. Its automated reporting and customizable dashboards save time and provide actionable insights, enabling you to optimize your program's performance.

Get help when needed

Don't hesitate to hire a freelancer or use a service if you encounter technical issues beyond your expertise. You can also look for professionals with experience in affiliate marketing and tracking software.

Learn as you go

Don’t be afraid to learn on the job. Be open to tweaking your program as you learn what works and what doesn’t. Take advantage of online resources, tutorials, and webinars to learn about affiliate marketing and tracking.

In addition, you could join affiliate marketing communities, forums, or social media groups to connect with others and get tips. Basically, be open to tweaking your program as you learn what works and what doesn't.

Launch without a team

As a solo entrepreneur, launching an affiliate program can seem like a big deal. However, with the right approach, you can overcome the limitations of not having a team. The key is to automate the essentials, simplify your processes, and focus on high-impact tasks.

Automate the essentials

Automation is your best friend when launching an affiliate program without a team and payments. This way manual tasks aren’t taking up all your time. You can automate to take care of:

• Onboarding: Set up automated welcome emails, program guidelines, and affiliate link distribution.
• Communication: Use email marketing software to send regular updates, promotions, and support messages.
• Payments: Implement automated payment processing to ensure timely and accurate commission payouts.

Simplify everything

Streamline your processes to make them manageable on your own. To effect this, you can create a straightforward affiliate program structure, develop a user-friendly affiliate dashboard and establish clear communication channels.

Do what matters most

Focus your efforts on tasks that drive growth and revenue. Let automation handle the rest. Prioritize building relationships with high-performing affiliates, developing engaging content and promotions and analyzing program performance and optimizing strategies.?

When you consider automating the essentials, simplifying your process, and focusing on high-impact tasks, you can successfully launch and manage an affiliate program without a team.

Launch without a large network

As an entrepreneur, it's easy to get caught up in the idea that bigger is better. But the truth is, a large network isn't always the key to success. A small, highly engaged group of niche influencers can often drive more sales and revenue than a massive, disconnected network.?

By focusing on quality over quantity, you can build a loyal team of affiliates who truly understand and promote your brand.?

You can start by:

• Reaching out to who you know: Current customers, friends, contacts, partners and collaborators

• Leverage social media: Utilize social media platforms to find potential affiliates such as LinkedIn—for updates, relevant groups like affiliate summit group, and connections with industry professionals like Neil Patel , Instagram and Facebook—engaging content, and building online communities and Twitter —share bite-sized updates, engage in conversations, and utilize relevant hashtags.

• Join the conversation: Here, you can participate in online groups and forums where your ideal affiliates are active by joining Facebook and LinkedIn groups, discussions on Reddit, Inc. and Quora , and attending webinars, conferences, and online events.

Launch without a long timeline

As much as it's dreaded, many entrepreneurs spend months or even years planning and refining their programs, only to find that the market has moved on or their momentum has stalled.?

The fact most entrepreneurs don't know is, 80% of the results come from 20% of the efforts. In this section, we'll show you how to apply the 80/20 rule to your affiliate program launch, getting you up and running fast without sacrificing quality or effectiveness.

• Get it up and running fast: Focus on setting up the essentials quickly. You don’t need everything perfect to start—just get the basics in place.? Basics like affiliate program structure and commission rates, affiliate registration and login process, tracking and reporting system, and basic marketing materials (banners, email templates, etc.)

Don't worry about perfection yet—just get the essentials in place.

• Use what's ready-made: Templates and pre-built tools like Redtrack, ShareASale can save you tons of time. Use them to get your program up and running faster. For instance, affiliate program software with pre-built templates, Email marketing automation tools, and pre-designed marketing materials (banners, social media posts, etc.)

• Go live in phases: Don’t stress about launching everything at once. Deploy your program in stages, see how it goes, and then expand. Launch with a small group of affiliates or a single product, test and refine your program based on feedback and performance data, then gradually add more affiliates, products, or features over time.?

Launch without multiple tools

Relying on multiple tools to manage your affiliate program can be a handful, resulting in a fragmented system, where data is scattered across different platforms, making it difficult to get a clear understanding of your program's performance.?

Using multiple tools can lead to increased costs, as you'll need to subscribe to and maintain multiple software solutions. This can also lead to decreased productivity, as you'll spend more time switching between tools, managing multiple logins, and dealing with technical issues.

Furthermore, using multiple tools increases the risk of errors, as data is transferred and synced between platforms. This can lead to inconsistencies in tracking, reporting, and payouts, ultimately affecting your affiliates' trust and your program's reputation.

To avoid these pitfalls, it's essential to have a comprehensive solution for your affiliate program management, like RedTrack. It's an all-in-one platform that simplifies affiliate program management by consolidating tools and streamlining workflows.?

With RedTrack, you can track affiliate performance and commissions in real-time, automate payouts, and provide affiliates with personalized promotional materials.

• Tracks affiliate sales and conversions in real-time;
• Accurately attributes sales to the right affiliates;
• Automates payouts and financial tasks;
• Gives affiliates the tools they need to succeed;
• Lets you customize how affiliates get paid;
• Simplifies your workflow;
• Saves you money.

RedTrack helps you optimize your affiliate marketing campaigns with precise tracking and attribution, so you can focus on growing your business.

Final thoughts?

Launching a successful affiliate program doesn't require a massive budget, advanced tech skills, a large team, or even a lot of time. By focusing on the essentials and leveraging the right tools, you can create an affiliate program that drives sales and grows your business.?

In the same vein, it's important to also keep in mind that starting small is still starting. Don't be intimidated by the thought of building an affiliate program from scratch.?

To make the process even easier and more efficient, consider partnering with RedTrack.

Our platform simplifies affiliate program management by providing tracking and accurate attribution, automating layouts and offering personalized support to help you run and grow your program?

Take the first step today, and explore how we can help you launch and grow a successful affiliate program.