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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!
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