This one’s for the marketing peeps, the ones who want to master the digital world and understand the world of marketing at their fingertips. And if you are any of the above or all for that matter, this blog is definitely for you.
Hello and welcome to this digital space, today we’re diving into the world of digital marketing and one of its most popular subsets – affiliate marketing. So, what is affiliate marketing? Isn’t it the same as digital marketing? Well, you’re not wrong, but you’re also not completely right!
Now if you’re a beginner to the word “affiliate marketing”, you’re going to want to listen carefully. Don’t worry, it’s super easy to understand. Think of digital marketing as a big apple pie that has a mouth-watering combination of various ingredients, such as SEO, PPC, social media marketing, email marketing, content marketing, and much more. Each element adds a unique flavour to the apple pie, making it a delicious treat for the consumers. Affiliate marketing is a slice of this pie.
It’s a small but essential part that adds flavour and richness to the overall experience. In affiliate marketing, an individual or business promotes another company’s service or product on the former’s platform and the latter earns a commission for each sale or lead generated. The more affiliate networks you have the more your company grows in worth.
So, while both digital marketing and affiliate marketing are part of the same pie, they are different wholes that fulfil different desires. Digital marketing covers a wide range of marketing activities that use digital channels to promote a product or service, whereas affiliate marketing is a specific form of digital marketing that focuses on promoting a particular product or service in exchange for a commission. They are complementary to one another.
To understand this better, let’s use a relatable example. Let’s say you run a lifestyle blog or instagram page and have partnered with a popular online retailer that sells eco-friendly products. As an affiliate marketer, you promote their products on your blog and earn a commission for each sale made through your unique link.
By leveraging your influence and expertise as a blogger/ influencer, affiliate marketing allows you to earn income by recommending products and driving sales for the retailer. It benefits both you as an affiliate marketer and the retailer, as they gain increased exposure and customers through your promotional efforts.

So now you know the difference! Go ahead, mix, match and experiment. Have fun with your marketing strategy – because in the end, that’s what it’s all about!