Affiliate marketing provides a no- to low-cost way to earn money from Internet sales.
Affiliate marketing is a strategy in which a company recruits individuals to sell its products or services. Affiliates sign up at the provider's website, are given a unique link to the provider's site and get credit for any sales that result from prospective buyers clicking on that link and buying from the provider. Affiliate marketing offers many advantages to those interested in selling another party's products or services.
Quick Startup
One advantage to this strategy is that an affiliate marketer can begin selling a product or service immediately; an extensive installation process is not required. By simply placing a link to the provider on the affiliate's sites or in other places such as an email sent to those connected with the affiliate, the sales process can begin.
Wide Selection
Thousands of products are available for affiliate selling. There are several websites dedicated to linking potential affiliates with providers, including Commission Junction, Affiliate Scout and Affiliate Programs. You can search for programs by criteria such as the type of items being sold and the amount of affiliate commissions paid.
Low Risk
Many affiliate marketing programs are free, so your only risk in becoming an affiliate is the time you invest in promoting a product or services. The product or service provider makes doing business with them easy. The provider handles taking orders, fulfilling those orders and collecting money. You get paid simply by promoting their products and services. Most providers pay monthly.
Flexibility
You can work as an affiliate marketer any time you choose; your time investment is your decision. You also can work from any location that has an Internet connection.
Promotional Tools
Most providers offer you a variety of tools to help you promote them, such as a banner you can place on your website, email marketing templates and articles you can syndicate and link to their site using your affiliate link. They also provide you with a way to track important statistics, such as the number of people who click on your affiliate link each week and how many of those people buy those products and services.
Picking Good Programs
If the advantages are appealing to you, decide what type of products and services you would like to promote and compare providers by looking at how much you make on each sale, what type of promotional support they provide and the reputation of the provider.
Tags: products services, Affiliate marketing, affiliate link, affiliate marketer, link provider, Most providers, product service