July 12th 2008 10:14 am
What is affiliate marketing?
I’ve been exploring affiliate marketing as an alternative to my day job. I’ve mentioned in my previous post that this is one of the ways to make money online. For those who are new to this, see below to get a grasp on what this is about.
What is affiliate marketing?
In the Definition of Terms page that I have created, I defined affiliate marketing as the process where an affiliate drives traffic to a merchant’s site. The affiliate then gets a commission when a sale is made. This simply means that the affiliate is rewarded by getting a share of the profit when the affiliate helps the product owner sell the product.
So, how exactly do you earn as a an affiliate marketer?
The following are the steps to earn as an affiliate marketer:
1. Sign up with an affiliate marketing program. Some affiliate programs or networks allow anyone to be an affiliate. In some, only those who have purchased the product can be an affiliate. One of popular website for affiliate programs is Clickbank.
2. Get an affiliate link to the product site. This usually contains the product website plus a tracking number or your user name. The tracking number or user name is used to determine who gets credit for the sale.
3. Promote the product using any marketing tools and techniques. This can range from email marketing, investing on pay per click, banner ads, etc. This is the part where the affiliate helps the product owner sell the product.
4. Get a commission when a sale is made using your affiliate link. If a visitor purchases the
product using your affiliate link, you get credit for that sale.
From the three steps outlined above, the third one is your biggest task. How you promote the product is entirely up to you. Some setup a blog, create some sort of a testimonial, or simply tell their friends about the product through email. Some product owner even give their affiliate some sample emails, tips and some freebies to help them promote their product.
An affiliate is rewarded at least 50% of the sale. Your job is just to promote the product and drive traffic. It is the product owner’s job to promote the product, generate traffic, handle inventory and sales, manage customers, etc. So, getting at least 50% of the cut is a great deal!
Affiliate marketing is a win-win situation for both the product owner and the affiliate. The product owner gets more traffic and sales while the affiliate gets a share of the profit.
I hope this post helped you learn something about affiliate marketing. 
Successful affiliate marketer wannabe,
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