Affiliate Marketing - The Basics
By Kathleen Gagne Imagine that
you could earn commissions on a popular brand-name product just
by placing a link on your website or in your email. That, my
friends, is "Affiliate Marketing"!
OK... So it's not quite that simple, but it doesn't have to
be much more complicated either.
Let's start with a few definitions. An advertiser, or
merchant, is the company who is selling a product. An
affiliate, sometimes referred to as a publisher or partner, is
another person or company who assists in the promotion of the
product and earns a commission for doing so. (That could be
you!) In between is the account management service that
partners the advertisers with the affiliates and keeps track of
the sales and commissions.
If you want to become an affiliate, you first need to choose
either a product you want to sell, or an account management
service. You will end up with both, but the choice of one will
determine the choice for the other. If you choose the product
first, the advertiser will direct you to the account management
service that they already work with. If you choose the account
management service first, they will provide you with a list of
merchants that they do business with.
To see if your favorite product or company offers an
affiliate program, go to their website and check the menu bar
or the bottom of the screen. Look around for the word
"affiliate". Click on that link, read about their program and
requirements, and fill out their application. Some companies
require specific types of websites to place their links on.
They will email you all you need to know to get started.
If you don't know what specific product you would like to
promote, or if you want to promote several, I recommend
browsing the participating merchants on the account management
service's website.
Try to stick to products or ideas that you are familiar with
and passionate about. It will be much easier to market to your
visitors if you can add value to the link you want them to
click on. Personal recommendations or stories will get way
better results than just a banner or solo text link. Give them
a reason to "click here".
Welcome to the world of Affiliate Marketing! Good luck with
your new venture!
K.C. Gagne is a work at home mom who dedicates herself
to providing Website Solutions for other small
business owners. She also manages her own Life Balance
website targeted toward WAHMs.
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