Ad Networks vs Affiliate Networks, What’s the Difference?
Ad Network or Affiliate Network Which One Do I Need?
Well, the truth is you might need both!!
Depending on the needs of your business and whether you are someone with an established website or, someone with a product to promote, the use of ad networks vs affiliate networks can be confusing.
So let’s try and unwrap the confusion and see what each one does and how you can profit from it.
Just before we get to the money let’s define what Affiliate Marketing is and how Ad Networks and Affiliate Networks fit into it.
What is Affiliate Marketing?
Affiliate Marketing can be described as a form of (you) promoting someone else’s product, and when a specific action has been completed the promotor, (you) get paid a commission by the owner of the store or product.
Ad Networks provide a platform for you (the promotor) to buy traffic for your adverts (of other businesses’ products) to be shown on websites or apps, with the aim of getting a sale, or an action to take place.
Affiliate Networks are places where businesses that own/manufacture a product place their products and look to have affiliates promote them in exchange for a commission when a specific action is achieved. i.e. customer buys a product.
Ad Networks Vs Affiliate Networks
Why You Need to Know the Difference
If you are a person with a well-established website, then as the publisher of that site you might want to have people run adverts on your site, for which, they pay you to be there.
An Ad Network will work for you here as they partner with hundreds if not thousands of businesses who want to advertise their products on relevant (and sometimes not relevant!!) websites.
If, on the other hand, you are an Affiliate Marketer promoting other businesses’ products then you might well use both an ad network ( to buy ad space and run your campaigns), and an Affiliate Network as the place to find the products that you want to promote.
So let’s now take a look at each one and see how both Ad Networks and Affiliate Networks function, to do this we will be looking from an affiliate marketers perspective, and concentrate on:-
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- How it Works
- How to Promote On It
- How to Earn Money from It
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How Does an Ad Network Work?
Ad Networks are designed to deliver ads to a wide audience, often using targeting options such as demographics, location, and interests to reach the desired audience.
They deliver these ads using complex algorithms which are designed to target the most relevant ads to the most relevant users, and you can use a variety of differing types of ads, a few of which are, push, pop-under, page push and banners.
You can choose to target a wide range of demographics with your Ad Network campaigns, these include but are not limited to, GEO (Country) device type (mobile, desktop or both) browser type, IOS or Android (or both).
Most Ad Networks offer at least a dozen or more different targeting options, so defining your audience is made as precise as possible.
Ad Networks typically work on a CPC (cost-per-click) or CPM (cost-per-impression) basis, where promoters (you) pay for clicks or impressions on their ads.
Ad networks offer a highly scalable way for businesses to reach a large number of potential customers, often at great speed.
Step by Step
How to Promote On an Ad Network
Choose an Ad Network: You need to do your research to find the ad network(s) that best suit your niche and target audience. There are plenty out there so don’t be afraid to take your time.
Select an Offer: Some Ad Networks will be promoting certain offers for you to run campaigns on, you can choose one of them or you can look on an Affiliate Networks site for products to promote that fit your expertise, skillset and niche.
Create an Ad Campaign: Once you have chosen your offer/product, create a targeted ad campaign that includes ad copy, images or videos, and targeting options such as demographics, location, and interests.
Set a Budget: Determine your budget for the ad campaign and set a bid for the cost-per-click or cost-per-impression model. This will depend on the Ad Network you are using and the competition for the targeted audience.
Launch Your Campaign: Once you have created your ad campaign and set your budget, launch it on the Ad Network platform. Monitor the performance of your ad campaign regularly and make necessary adjustments based on the results.
Optimize Your Campaign: As your ad campaign runs, you will need to analyze the data and optimise it for better performance.
This might include adjusting your targeting options, ad copy, and bid amounts to improve the click-through rate and conversion rate. Or, if it’s not working don’t be afraid to end it and rethink the campaign.
Track Your Conversions: Most Ad Networks have built-in data tracking systems to show you how your ads are performing, however, if you use several Ad Networks then you might want to consider using a Data Tracker Company, that can provide a more in-depth evaluation of your conversions, data and traffic.
Broadly speaking this is the order that you need to run to promote products or services on an Ad Network.
It must be said though that this is a simplified list. There are many technical aspects of running affiliate offers on Ad Networks.
You should expect to spend hundreds rather than tens of dollars, learning the ropes, but, with consistency and application, you can learn more in-depth techniques and profit very nicely from becoming a better Affiliate Marketer.
Step by Step
How To Earn Money From an Ad Network
Ad networks typically work with both publishers (website owners who want to sell ad space on their site), and advertisers (you the affiliate marketer who wants to promote a product).
To make money as an affiliate marketer there are going to be some challenges for you to overcome.
Although most ad networks will give you a demo video of how to launch your first campaign and make it look easy, be careful, you might end up spending way more of your first budget than you think!!
The list above gives you the basic outline as to how to get started, but you will need to learn about testing products with split tests, and multiple creatives (different ads with different text and images to see which works best), and that’s just the beginning!
The real key to making some green from an ad network is to do your research well before you start thinking about launching campaigns. Here are some things to consider before you launch.
Know Your Target Audience: Identify your target audience and their needs, interests, and preferences. This will help you create a more effective ad campaign that resonates with them.
Choose the Right Ad Network: Choose the Ad Network that best suits your niche and target audience. Some ad networks are more effective for certain types of products or audiences, so choose carefully.
Set a Realistic Budget: Determine a realistic budget for your ad campaign based on the cost-per-click or cost-per-impression model. Consider the competition for your target audience and adjust your bid accordingly.
Select the Right Offer: Choose an affiliate offer that aligns with your target audience’s interests and needs. But just as important, one that pays a decent commission and gives you the best chance of making some money. Make sure it’s a quality product or service that you believe in.
Craft Effective Ad Copy: Write compelling ad copy that grabs your audience’s attention and communicates the value of the product. Use clear and concise language and include a strong call to action. there are dozens of sites and articles to help you write great copy, be sure to use them.
Create Visually Appealing Ads: Use high-quality images or videos that showcase the product and resonate with your target audience. Ensure your ads are visually appealing and fit the Ad Network’s guidelines.
Test Multiple Ad Variations: Create multiple ad variations and test them to determine which ones perform best. This will help you optimise your ad campaign and improve its effectiveness.
Create An Email Capture: You will need an effective email manager to make sure that you capture those valuable email addresses from everyone who lands on your pages.
Optimize Your Landing Page: Ensure your landing page is optimised for conversions and provides a clear call to action. Test different landing page variations to improve their performance.
Monitor Your Ad Performance: Regularly monitor the performance of your ads. You will need to learn to analyse data to alter your ad spend accordingly, or even stop a campaign if it is just not working at all.
Track Your Conversions: Use conversion tracking tools to measure the success of your ad campaign and determine the return on investment. This will help you optimize your ad campaign and improve its effectiveness.
By considering these ten things before launching an ad campaign as an affiliate marketer, you can create a more effective and successful campaign that drives traffic and conversions to your offer and ultimately make money.
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How Does an Affiliate Network Work?
An affiliate network can be looked at as a collection of items that different companies and businesses want to sell, a bit like a market where lots of stallholders gather in one place to sell their goods and services.
Generally speaking, these goods and services will be gathered together in groups known as Verticals. Verticles are described as a group of products that all fit into one niche, for example, fitness.
So, if you own a fitness brand or maybe a fitness video course that you want to sell, you would list it with an Affiliate Network and get affiliate marketers to sign up with you to promote your product in exchange for a commission payment to the affiliate marketer when one of your video courses is sold to a consumer.
The company or person that owns the fitness tutorial will advertise things like commission rates and most will provide the marketer with some tools like pre-made logos and banner ads for the marketer to use in their sales campaigns.
They will also provide the marketer with an ‘affiliate link’, which is a unique piece of code or ‘link’ that the marketer will use in their campaigns.
This link, when clicked by a consumer, tells both the fitness tutorial owner and the marketer when someone buys the course and thus triggers the commission payment to the marketer.
Depending on the viability of the offers available, the marketer will look at all the fitness courses and choose one or maybe more than one to promote.
Step by Step
How to Promote From an Affiliate Network
In principle to make money with an affiliate network, you might follow the above steps for an Ad Network, but there are a couple of steps you need to take before getting to your campaign.
Many of the available affiliate networks have a myriad of offers available to you at any one time. Some specialise in particular verticals, for example, fitness, nutra, or adult content so you need to find the one that suits your niche best.
Here are a few of the top affiliate networks you can browse through:-
This list is by no means exhaustive, it is just a few suggestions for you to get started. there are as mentioned previously dozens if not hundreds of affiliate marketing networks, and you will need to do your research to find the one that’s right for you.
Find the Right Affiliate Network: Your first step is to find an affiliate network you can comfortably work with, one that offers a good range of brands and products, preferably in your niche or area of expertise.
Sign Up: As easy as this might seem it is not always the case. Networks like ClickBank are free and pretty easy to join you don’t even have to have a website.
In the opposite corner, you will need plenty of established website traffic and relevant content if you want to join any of the programs on CJ Affiliate.
Once you have signed up though, you can then go ahead and select your product/s to promote and then follow the steps in the above-mentioned Ad Network routine.
Step by Step
How To Earn Money From an Affiliate Network
As with the promoting from an affiliate network section you can follow the same steps. Before you do though, check out the affiliate network’s other services.
Some have built-in methods of running your ads and looking at and evaluating their performance. Bear in mind though. that this is not their speciality and you may well want to seek the assistance of a pure ad network for the best results.
Things to Consider Before You Get Going
At this point, you might feel you have read and absorbed enough to just crack on and make a few bucks.
Before you do though it’s with taking a moment to consider these few things.
What Do I Know About?: Ask yourself where your expertise is. If you run a fitness blog there is no point in trying to promote something like a SaaS product, as you might be a bit short of knowing the target audience for a software product.
How Much Will I Need to Get Started?: As much as you are told so many times on TikTok, Twitter, Facebook and Youtube that you can get started for no money I need to tell you some bad news it just isn’t true.
To run any campaign or offer unless you already possess a huge mailing list or a large social media following you are going to need some cash because there really is no such thing as a free lunch.
Expect to burn through anywhere from $500 to $1000 before you start to see any real results, there is a steep learning curve here and that means spending money to learn.
What Do I do Now?: Research, research, and more research! Learn as much as you can about affiliate marketing, ad networks, verticals, and best locations for certain products the list is endless, but the more you know before launching your first campaign the better off you will be.
Take a look at our articles on Tools you Need for Affiliate Marketing, Best Ad Networks, Best Web Hosting and Best Data Tracker. these should give you a good start in your research.
Cranking it Up a Notch
As I have already said, there is a steep learning curve to affiliate marketing and none of it comes for free.
However, once you have mastered the basics of creating and running campaigns for your niche then the world is your oyster. Yes, it is possible to make hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars as an affiliate marketer but you have to be patient.
You need to learn the art of when to quit. Some campaigns just won’t work the way you think they will and having the nerve to call it quits is a great asset for an affiliate marketer.
On the other hand, learning when to really throw the kitchen sink at it is just as important a skill. Being able to crank up a campaign, increase your budget and throw in more creatives at the right time are all part of the game, so when you feel the time is right go for it!!
What’s the Alternative?
Affiliate Marketing certainly holds a lot of promise for those entrepreneurial types who are able to focus and see things through, and the rewards can be substantial as can the losses.
If you don’t want to spend your money on ads and all that is associated with it then you could start a Blog or YouTube channel and try to do all of this with organic traffic. That is to say that you have to figure out how to get traffic to your site without paying for it.
There are many methods to do this and plenty of ‘gurus’ out there to tell you how (for a small or mostly hefty fee) but it still takes work and dedication to achieve the desired results.
Wrapping Up
To close off this article I want to first say that everything you have read is by no means exhaustive. It is just a fraction of the things you need to know about Ad Networks Vs Affiliate Networks, and how to recognise, use and monetise them.
I have other articles on this Blog for you to refer to that will help deepen your understanding of what the game is all about. Please feel free to browse my site and my thanks for doing so.
That said, I have to admit that there can be great joy in learning and exploring the world of Affiliate Marketing, you will be surprised by some of the big brands you find that run affiliate programs.
With some time and dedication just about anyone can find success in Affiliate Marketing and I wish you all the best in your journey of discovery.