Good news is better when it is shared. At the core of Alison is a desire to empower people through education. Through learning, individuals are able to change their lives, that of their families and communities. The good news is that Alison is a free online learning platform that can change the course of your life. You can help spread the news through our Affiliate Programme to those in your online world. We sat down with Marian Cremin, who leads Alison’s Affiliate Programme to have your Alison Affiliate FAQs answered. Keep reading to learn more about the programme and find out how and why you can be a part of something that will empower you and those you know.
Please introduce yourself to Alison readers.
My name is Marian, I’m from Ireland and I have been working at Alison for the last 1.5 years as a Business Analyst and Project Manager. One of the biggest projects I have been working on lately is the Alison Affiliate Programme.
What is an Affiliate Programme?
Often when people enjoy something that they have purchased they will recommend that product to their friends or family. Well, an Affiliate Programme is exactly this, but you are financially rewarded for recommending a product or service to others.
How does Alison’s Affiliate Programme work?
At Alison we provide free courses and tools to people worldwide. An Alison Affiliate is someone who enjoys our platform and wants to recommend it to others while getting paid to do so. Therefore, they share links to the different resources we provide, for example a particular course or maybe a tool such as our Resume Builder. When someone on the internet clicks on the Affiliate’s link, signs-up to Alison and generates revenue, we pay the Affiliate 20%. Basically, an Affiliate gets paid for recommending Alison to others, therefore empowering others educationally while empowering themselves financially, it’s a win-win.
What should people look for in a reputable Affiliate programme and how does someone then become an Affiliate marketer?
In general, you should first think about the websites that you love using. If you want to become an Affiliate Marketer and promote products and services, it is important that you have tried these yourself and believe they are worth recommending to others. Once you have found the website you want to promote, check that they have an Affiliate Programme and ensure that the payment process suits your needs. Sometimes Affiliates are paid for their efforts while other times the company offers the Affiliate discount vouchers. At Alison, we pay our Affiliates, and they receive their earnings in instalments of 100 euro. Once you have found an Affiliate Programme that suits your needs you can register to become an Affiliate on the company’s website. On Alison, you can do so here.
Do you need qualifications to join Alison’s Affiliate programme?
No, you don’t need any qualifications to become an Alison Affiliate, there is no application process so you can join the Affiliate Programme with just a click of a button.
What support does Alison offer its Affiliates?
We provide Alison Affiliates with a Marketing Toolkit because we acknowledge that not all Affiliates are experienced marketers. This is basically their go-to guide which contains tips and tricks to get the most out of the programme. They can find suggestions on which links to share and how to utilise different online platforms to promote their links, from LinkedIn to TikTok to Email Marketing, our Alison marketing experts put together a comprehensive guide on how to do it all. Alison Affiliates have also been provided with a template pack where they can use images created by our design team to post on social media alongside their Affiliate link.
Not only do we provide our Affiliates with a Marketing Toolkit but we are also in the process of developing a new Affiliate Dashboard with cool features such as an interactive graph to track stats and a performance breakdown of the links they have previously shared so they can see what courses and tools their audience engages with the most.
We are constantly finding ways to improve the Alison Affiliate Programme so we can make it an enjoyable experience for our members.
What can Affiliates do to become successful in the programme?
Numbers never lie – track your stats! This is the Business Analyst coming out in me, but I do think the best way to succeed is to figure out what story your stats are telling you. The people who are clicking your Affiliates links, do they come from a certain country? Did more people enrol and complete a course that you shared in IT compared to when you shared a course in Health? Are more people clicking on your Affiliate links on a weekday vs a weekend? Every time you post an Affiliate link you should ask yourself these types of questions and use the answers to guide your strategy. Everything is about trial and error, but the hardest part is figuring out the most optimal combination to achieve high conversions.
What are some common mistakes Affiliates make?
- One of the biggest mistakes an Affiliate can make is not understanding their audience. It is so important to post content that your followers will find engaging. Whether you post Affiliate links on social media, in a personal blog, on an online forum or in a WhatsApp group, you must ensure you are tailoring the links you share and the accompanying messaging so that it is relevant and interesting to those viewing your content. For example, you probably don’t have the same conversations with your grandmother that you have with your best friend because you understand appropriate ways of communicating with the different people you socially interact with.
- Affiliate marketing is understanding online social cues and in response tailoring how you speak to people on the internet.
- Be personable, helpful and don’t view every online interaction as an opportunity for a sales pitch.
How can people know if the Alison Affiliate Programme is the ‘right fit’ for them?
There is no drawback to joining the Affiliate Programme, it’s quick and free to become an Alison Affiliate and we provide you with free resources to help you get the most out of the programme. If the programme interests you but you are on the fence about joining, just know there is no commitment, you can try it out and even make some money along the way while you figure out if the programme is the right fit for you.
What challenges do most people face as an Affiliate?
Sometimes Affiliates just don’t know where to start. They have joined an Affiliate Programme, they have generated Affiliate links for the pages they want to share but then they don’t know how to go about promoting these links online. Or often, Affiliates are unsure of which links to share in the first place. It can be overwhelming for people so that’s why we created an Affiliate Marketing Toolkit to guide Affiliates, giving tips for every step of the Affiliate process.
What courses or programmes should one take to become a better Affiliate?
I think one of the best courses an Affiliate can do and seems to be quite popular amongst our members of the Affiliate Programme is the free course called Master Affiliate Marketing With this Step-by-Step Guide. Having said that, there are also great courses specific to marketing on different platforms for example courses to learn more about YouTube Marketing or Twitter Marketing or general courses such as an Introduction to Advertising or Entrepreneurship. There are a large number of free courses which Affiliates can take to upskill and improve their performance.
What do you say to someone who isn’t “big” or active on social media but would like to be an Alison affiliate?
You definitely don’t need to be a social media Guru to become an Alison Affiliate. There are many platforms where you can share your Affiliate links such as WhatsApp, Online forums like Quora, you could even share courses via email with work colleagues who are looking to upskill. One of our expert marketers actually put together a guide for Affiliates on how to utilise these platforms to their advantage.
What is an Affiliate disclosure statement and do Alison Affiliates need to sign one?
An Affiliate disclosure statement is basically a disclaimer where the Affiliate is transparent with their audience, indicating that they are receiving commission for promoting a specific brand. The Affiliate doesn’t need to sign anything, but they do need to highlight their Affiliate relationship on the platform where they are sharing their Affiliate links.
What are some interesting trends in the global Affiliate industry?
Short-form video content is becoming more and more popular with many Affiliates taking advantage of platforms such as TikTok and Instagram Reels to generate leads. It is estimated that TikTok users spend approximately $110 million per month indicating that those using the App are impressionable and willing to spend.
There has also been a shift towards greater sustainability with 54% of Gen Z consumers willing to pay an extra 10% for more sustainable products. At Alison we acknowledge the importance of leading a sustainable lifestyle and therefore make courses pertaining to this subject area readily available to learners worldwide. People can find courses on Environmental Sustainability, Climate Change and even courses on following a Vegan Diet, all of which Affiliates can promote to help educate their audience.
Any last words for those interested in becoming an Alison Affiliate?
We strongly believe in providing people around the world with the resources they need to empower themselves in their personal and professional lives. By spreading the word of Alison, you can help us achieve our goal of helping others while being rewarded financially yourself through the Affiliate Programme.
We also want our Affiliates to enjoy the experience and have fun so we have lots of new features due to be released over the coming months which our Alison Affiliates will get exclusive access to. I am quite excited to see where the programme goes!
