|
Affiliate_Program_Primer
| Affiliate Program Primer
© 2004, John Calder http://www.TheEzine.net
Ever since Amazon launched what is perhaps the most well-known,
but not the first, affiliate program in 1996, other merchants in
every business category imaginable have followed suit. And even
though many webmasters have earned money from these programs
ever since, there are still a lot of questions to this day about
affiliate (also known as associate or referral) programs. So
maybe it's time to revisit some basics for new or soon-to-be
Internet marketers.
An affiliate program is, at the bottom line, a commissioned
sales job. Like the Fuller Brush salesman of old, you are an
independent representative of a company, offering their products
or services to potential customers. When one of them buys, you
get a percentage of the sale. But, in the high-tech version, you
have a few very powerful advantages over the classic
door-to-door sales rep.
To start, you can represent multiple products from more than one
company at a time, on as many web sites as you own, in as many
markets as you choose. You don't have to travel anywhere, yet
the web puts you in front of a worldwide market. This gives you
an incredible diversity of products, markets, and
"neighborhoods" to sell in, all from right in front of your
computer screen. You could possibly make multiple sales at one
time, yet you never have to deal with door-slammed-in-your-face
rejection. On the Internet, you don't always even have to make a
sale to earn a commission. Some affiliate programs will pay you
if someone just clicks on a link at your site, fills out an
application, or even asks for more information. And here's the
best part - your web sites work for you around the clock, every
day.
Commission rates vary by type of product. Physical goods (that
have to be shipped) tend to pay lower rates than products like
software or ebooks that can be digitally delivered. However, 5%
of a $2000 TV is more than 50% of a $50 ebook, so you have to
remember to look at the big picture when deciding what affiliate
products to offer. For best affiliate sales results, you'll want
to offer products and services designed to appeal to the target
audience of your web site. For example, it makes no sense to
place affiliate links to mechanic's tools on a cooking site,
while it makes perfect sense to place them on a site about
restoring cars.
There are several ways to join affiliate programs. Some
companies operate their own program, and you will apply through
the company web site. But many merchants choose to operate
through an affiliate network. These third-party companies offer
sign-up, tracking, payment, and overall affiliate program
management services to merchants and affiliate marketers. A few
top names are Commission Junction, LinkShare, and Clickbank.
Just search for "affiliate program" or "affiliate network" and
you're bound to find more.
Your sales and clicks are tracked by software. It's your
responsibility to make sure your links follow the guidelines
stated by your merchant or affiliate network. Some browsers,
ad-blocking software, link cloakers, and coding techniques (such
as frames) can prevent the tracking links on your site from
working properly, and you may not get credit if one of your
clicks leads to a sale. Most all affiliate marketers sooner or
later run into this, and when it happens, it's not intentional,
so don't feel victimized. Technology is very good, but it's not
perfect.
For almost every Internet marketer, affiliate marketing offers a
fast and inexpensive way to get started in an online business.
These programs can help you generate income while you learn the
ropes and work towards developing your own product or service,
if that's your goal. And yes, you can even become an affiliate
for the Fuller Brush Company!
About the author:
John Calder is the owner/editor of The Ezine Dot Net. Subscribe
Today and get real information YOU can use to help build your
online business today! http://www.TheEzine.Net
The Ezine DOT Net RSS
feeds are available.
(You may reprint this article in full in your newsletter and/or
web site)
|
|
| |
| |
