Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Affiliate Marketing

About Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is an Internet-based marketing practice in which a business rewards one or more affiliates for each visitor or customer brought about by the affiliate's marketing efforts.

Affiliate marketing is also the name of the industry where a number of different types of companies and individuals are performing this form of Internet marketing, including affiliate networks, affiliate management companies, and in-house affiliate managers, specialized third party vendors, and various types of affiliates/publishers who promote the products and services of their partners.

Affiliate marketing overlaps with other Internet marketing methods to some degree, because affiliates often use regular advertising methods. Those methods include organic search engine optimization, paid search engine marketing, e-mail marketing, and in some sense display advertising. On the other hand, affiliates sometimes use less orthodox techniques, such as publishing reviews of products or services offered by a partner.

Affiliate marketing using one website to drive traffic to another is a form of online marketing, which is frequently overlooked by advertisers. While search engines, e-mail, and website syndication capture much of the attention of online retailers, affiliate marketing carries a much lower profile. Still, affiliates continue to play a significant role in e-retailers' marketing strategies.

The content of this article is taken from wikipedia.org

Make Money with Affiliate Programs

How To Make Money With Affiliate Programs

If you are looking for a way to make money online through an e-business, affiliate programs might be a great option for you. What exactly is an affiliate program? An affiliate program is simply a way for a business to sell a product or service. Affiliates sign up to market items through websites and e-stores. Affiliate programs are a great way for business to expand their consumer base and sales revenue and a great way for individuals to earn money online.

Types of Affiliate Programs

There are many different types of online affiliate programs, ranging from those run by small business to large corporations. Some affiliate programs allow you to work directly with a business, while others offer a wide range of products and services from a number of different companies. Some of the best-known affiliate programs include eBay, Amazon.com, LinkShare, and Commission Junction. Investigate the various types of affiliate programs before deciding which is best for your needs.

How to Join and Affiliate Program

1. Start by signing up at the affiliates you have selected. This can usually be done by visiting the affiliate program website and clicking the "Sign Up" link. In most cases, you will need to provide contact information and the URL of your website.

2. Once you are enrolled in the program, you will receive a unique affiliate ID that will allow you to earn commissions on your sales. This affiliate ID will usually be included in the URL of each product you sell, allowing the affiliate program to track your sales statistics.

3. Start marketing products on your website. Choose items that are relevant to your website topic. If your website is focused on pet products, choose a variety of pet-related items that you feel will appeal most to your viewers.

The Advantages of Affiliate Programs

Affiliate programs offer a number of unique advantages to both businesses and online marketers. By providing an affiliate programs, business gain substantial online exposure and sales by allowing others to sell their goods and services. Affiliate programs provide a significant source of income for website owners and allow websites to featured customer targeted products.

If you are looking for an online business opportunity that requires minimal hassle and few start-up expenses, affiliate programs are an excellent choice. Some of the major benefits of starting an affiliate e-business are:

Low Start-up Costs: Most affiliate programs offer free sign-up, and some even provide a personalized website where you can sell items. In many cases, the only expense you will incur are website hosting fees, which vary depending on the size of your website. Fortunately, affiliate programs offer an excellent return on you investment.
Low Hassle: Because you are simply selling products and services provided by another business, you don't have to deal with stock, inventory, customer service, and distribution. Your only responsibility is to market your site and sell products. The affiliate network deals with all of the tedious details.
Fast Results: One of the greatest benefits of affiliate programs is that they allow marketers to start earning money quickly. A simple website can be set up in a matter of hours, allowing you to start selling quickly and efficiently. By marketing your website online through search engine optimization, e-marketing campaigns, and weekly newsletters, you can quickly start to make money with affiliate programs.


*** this content is taken from http://www.affiliateprograms.com/