Affiliate Marketing

What do I need to know about this type of marketing?

As you first start out on your online journey, this type of partnering can be really pretty cool and give you some good results (earn you some online sales and cash in your bank account).

So what is it?

It’s sort of like the old boys network in some ways. What you do is this.

You fins other businesses on the internet who are willing to share their products and services with you. In fact it can be a two way street.

1. You agree to promote their products and services on your website
2. They agree to promote your products on their website

Both of you agree to pay the other a commission for every item that is sold if the customer was sent to either your or their website by each other.

Typically, website A advertises a product belonging to website B on website A. The customer clicks the ad on website A (it could be a banner or a product link or anything like that) and is taken to website B. So now it’s up to website B to do a good job of trying to persuade the customer to buy one of their products website A just promoted… confused?

Affiliate marketing can be managed using your existing contacts in your business network, for instance if you have friendships with other businesses selling products that compliment yours, then you can exchange banners whereby you show one of their banners on your website and vice-versa. Often it’s reciprocal, none of the ‘folding stuff’ is exchanged, it’s just one business helping another.

..or you can sign up with an affiliate network

Affiliate networks are places you can go to an join their ‘club’ whereby you can create banners and other linking objects and in return you agree to pay anyone a commission if they either send customers to your website (payment per click) or you can agree on a set commission payment if a product is purchased on your website by a customer that came from a website that displayed your ad.

The best way of course is to pay your affiliate partner when a purchase is made. That way everyone wins and there is no room for skulduggery!

Affiliate networks are very compliant with strict rules as to how to advertise and organise your affiliate marketing program, so it’s pretty safe and well regulated.

You can try: (do a Google search for ‘affiliate networks Australia and you’ll have more choice than you can poke a stick at)

• Commission Monster
• Clicks Galore
• A guide to affiliate networks in Australia
• Clickbank

As with anything, do your homework and review these sites and get a feel for what it takes to become an affiliate and open up the possibilities to creating income online selling other people’s products.

Check out Ezine Articles for some good advice on affiliate marketing:

• Affiliate Marketing
• affiliate marketing explained
• affiliate
• affiliate marketing images
• marketing
• a marketing partner
• incoming search terms affiliate marketing
• affiliate network australia
• affiliate marketing networks
• affiliate marketing incoming search terms