Affiliate Marketing For Beginners in Nigeria (A-Z)

Introduction to Affiliate Marketing in Nigeria

Affiliate marketing represents an appealing online business model for Nigerians to earn income working from home.

As an affiliate, you promote products from other online merchants by placing special tracking links on your website, social media or YouTube channel.

When visitors click and complete desired actions like making a purchase, you earn a commission.

With booming internet adoption and rising consumer spending in Nigeria, affiliate programs provide simplified access to large eCommerce markets across categories like fashion, electronics, software etc.

By directing a slice of this growing commerce, affiliate marketers can bootstrap scalable income streams without needing large capital outlays for their own inventory or delivery processes.

Payment processing platforms also now make receiving earnings from foreign firms more seamless.

This guide covers practical tips for African affiliate marketing beginners on selecting lucrative niche markets, finding suitable merchant programs, generating site traffic, placing links effectively to convert visitors and tracking performance.

Affiliate marketing terms explained

As an affiliate beginner in Nigeria, I struggled to understand some affiliate jargon.

So to save you from the pain, here are some key terms related to affiliate marketing explained:

Affiliate Marketing:

Definition: A performance-based marketing strategy where businesses reward affiliates (publishers or marketers) for each visitor or customer brought in by the affiliate’s marketing efforts.

Affiliate:

Definition: An individual or entity (website, blogger, social media influencer, etc.) that promotes products or services of another company (merchant) in exchange for earning a commission on sales or leads generated through their referral.

Merchant (Advertiser):

Definition: The company or business that owns the product or service. Merchants partner with affiliates to increase their reach and sales.

Commission:

Definition: The compensation earned by an affiliate for each sale, click, or lead generated through their affiliate marketing efforts. Commissions are usually a percentage of the sale amount.

Cookie:

Definition: A small piece of data stored on the user’s browser by the merchant’s tracking system. It helps track the affiliate’s referrals and ensures they receive credit for sales made within a specific time frame.

Click-Through Rate (CTR):

Definition: The percentage of people who click on an affiliate link compared to the total number of visitors to that page. It is a measure of the effectiveness of the affiliate’s marketing efforts.

Conversion Rate:

Definition: The percentage of visitors who take a desired action, such as making a purchase or filling out a form. In affiliate marketing, it represents the percentage of clicks that result in a commissionable action.

Earnings Per Click (EPC):

Definition: A metric that indicates the average amount earned by an affiliate for each click on their affiliate link. It helps assess the profitability of the affiliate’s marketing campaign.

Lead:

Definition: A potential customer who has expressed interest in a product or service but has not made a purchase. Affiliates may earn a commission for generating leads, even if a sale doesn’t occur.

Pay Per Sale (PPS) or Cost Per Sale (CPS):

Definition: A commission model where affiliates earn a fixed percentage or amount for each sale generated through their referral.

Pay Per Click (PPC) or Cost Per Click (CPC):

Definition: A commission model where affiliates earn money based on the number of clicks generated through their affiliate links, regardless of whether those clicks result in sales.

Payout Threshold:

Definition: The minimum amount an affiliate must earn before they can receive a payout from the merchant. Once the threshold is reached, the affiliate is eligible for payment.

These terms provide a foundation for understanding the dynamics of affiliate marketing. Keep in mind that specific affiliate programs may have their own unique terms and conditions.

Affiliate Marketing For Beginners in Nigeria

Now that you know insider terms, let me show you how to get into affiliate marketing as a beginner in Nigeria.

Step 1 – Choose a Profitable Niche

The affiliate space has expanded massively beyond Amazon Associates to include thousands of companies with products craved by Nigerians from telecoms gear to betting platforms.

Choosing a niche dictates which affiliate schemes to join and informs site content tailoring. Consider:

High customer demand – Target growing categories like mobile phones, laptops, small appliances purchased routinely online

Competitor saturation – Balance competition against search volume/commercial intent for nicknames like insurance, software, entertainment

Affiliate program availability – Assess presence of schemes with attractive commission rates for sectors

Ability to create value – Can you offer useful insights on products as an affiliate beyond sales links

Here is a comparison of potential affiliate site niche ideas in Nigeria:

Niche	Demand	Competition	Programs	Value Creation
Electronics	High	High	Many	Moderate
Home Appliances	High	Moderate	Available	Good
Small Business Software	Growing	Low initial	Some	Strong
Betting Platforms	High	High	Some	Minimal

Weighing various factors, home appliances emerges as a promising candidate – routine purchases in a growing category with solid affiliate options and room for reviewers to provide buying assistance.

Step 2 – Find Relevant Affiliate Programs

Once a niche is chosen, finding merchant affiliate programs relevant to your Nigerian audience is key.

Networks vs Direct

• Affiliate networks like Awin, ShareASale, FlexOffers aggregate programs across sectors
• Direct programs run solely by the merchant e.g Jumia, Konga

Desirable Program Qualities

• High commission rates – Typically 5-15% per sale or action
• Established brands – Credibility and name recognition
• Nigeria payment handling – Local affiliate acceptance, Naira payouts

Assessing Applications

• Program approval criteria may require site traffic/sales levels
• Time to join, payment frequency/threshold checks
• Dashboard access, affiliate creatives and promo tools provided

Program List	Category	Commission	Brand Reach
Jumia Associates	General eCommerce	Up to 50%	Very High
Konga Affiliates	General eCommerce	8%	High
Truehost Nigeria	Web Hosting	Up to 10%	Very High

Join a handful of complementary programs aligned to chosen niche at first.

Ramp up merchant partners once initial sales prove the model.

Step 3 – Build Traffic to Affiliate Site

Creating an affiliate site is easy, driving engaged visitors to it challenging but vital. Employ varied organic and paid tactics:

SEO and Google Discover

• On-page optimization for target Niche keywords
• Link building from Nigerian consumer interest sites
• Informational intent and commercial keywords

Social Media Marketing

• Curated visual content on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook
• Leverage influencers with paid partnerships
• Content and affiliate links via Channels

Quora Answers

• Provide helpful responses to appliances queries
• Links back to site content and recommended deals

Google/Facebook Ads

• Targeted promotions to appliance intenders
• Retarget site visitors with special deals

Content Creation

• Blog comparisons, buying guides and deal alerts
• YouTube appliance reviews and Ounboxings
• Podcast episodes with industry guests

Funneling even modest visitor traffic allows testing affiliate promotions and revenue extraction.

Lower cost organic and social should precede paid channels if possible.

Step 4 – Monete Traffic with Affiliate Links

Placing tactical affiliate links and tracking their performance transforms general visitors into affiliate revenue.

Identifying Profit Zones

Determine pages with highest visitor purchase intent to priorities affiliate links rather than sitewide scattering:

• Product roundups and comparison posts
• Best/worst appliance attributes or models
• Specific product pages especially latest releases
• Posts on seasonal deals events like Black Friday

Link Placement Principles

• Contextual links match surrounding content
• Descriptive anchor text conveys products
• Links integrated smoothly in paragraphs

Creative Promotions

• Banners for exclusive deals timed with buying seasons
• Discount codes and vouchers for email subscribers
• Limited-time price alerts across social media

Performance Tracking

• Use affiliate network dashboards
• Understand conversions by source, creative and content vertical

Continuous experimentation with positioning, messaging and types of affiliate links bears over time to lift conversion rates based on reader behaviour.

Step 5 – Track and Optimize Performance

Monitoring affiliate channel statistics highlights best practices to amplify through iterative testing.

Key Conversion Metrics

• Click through rates on links and creatives
• Visit-to-action percentages e.g. signups, purchases
• Return on investment by source and tactic

Optimization Opportunities

• Higher performing content formats, creatives and calls to action
• Sites, posts and products delivering conversions
• Readers responding better to exclusive deals, discount promos

Evolution Over Time

• Expand content for high ROI topics
• Pursue additional partnerships and traffic avenues
• Build email lists, loyalty programs beyond affiliate links

A data-driven view of acquisition funnel and revenue breakdowns guides smarter content plans and affiliate link placements. The learnings also inform whether to remain focused on a single niche or diversify into complementary sectors.

Step 6 – Tips for Affiliate Marketing Success in Nigeria

By combining the right mindset, strategic planning and sustained execution, affiliate earnings can become a significant income stream over time in Nigeria. Here are concluding tips for beginners:

• Pick a niche aligned to local demand – Evaluating size against competition narrows focus
• Vet merchant partners thoroughly – Check reputability, commissions, tools and payout handling
• Funnel traffic efficiently not just aggregate eyeballs – Visitor intent conversion matters more
• Experiment extensively with creatives/placements – Optimize promotions through testing
• Monitor program analytics closely – Unpack crossover between content, links and action driving revenue
• Reinvest to perpetuate the flywheel – Expand on what works, diversify tentatively

While affiliate marketing appears simple on paper, standing out demands creativity crafting valuable experiences using the commercial content at your disposal.

This allows bootstrapping online revenue growth in Nigeria by piggybacking on major eCommerce ecosystems flourishing locally and abroad.

Key Takeaways

• Affiliate marketing enables earning commissions promoting established online merchant brands without major capital or operational investments upfront
• Matching affiliate programs to high-demand niches with solid monetization schemes optimizes relevance
• Driving targeted visitors through SEO, social media and ads aids testing affiliate link conversions
• Strategic experimentation with link placements, creatives and messaging lifts conversion rates
• Performance tracking and optimization doubles down on tactics proven to monetize readers
• Reinvesting affiliate earnings to deepen audience relationships and broaden traffic sources compounds growth

With the expansion of African eCommerce, Nigeria’s youthful profile and rising internet penetration, affiliate marketing represents a promising digital economy livelihood if core engine parts are crafted thoughtfully early on.

Read also:

• 11 Best Affiliate Programs in Nigeria
• How To Start Affiliate Marketing in Nigeria Without a Website
• How to Master CPA Affiliate Marketing in Nigeria
• Shopify Affiliate in Nigeria: What You Need To Know
• Whogohost Affiliate Program: What You Need To Know
• How To Get Started as Namecheap Affiliate in Nigeria