Affiliate Program PrimerWritten by John Calder
© 2004, John Calder http://www.TheEzine.netEver since Amazon launched what is perhaps most well-known, but not 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 bottom line, a commissioned sales job. Like 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 sale. But, in high-tech version, you have a few very powerful advantages over 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 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 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 best part - your web sites work for you around 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 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 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.
| | Affiliate Programs Make Your Dream ProfitableWritten by Terry Nicholls
Marketing affiliate programs is one of most profitable ways of making money on Internet!It's exciting, challenging, and very, very rewarding. What Is An Affiliate? According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, affiliate means to associate as a member. So, as an affiliate, you associate yourself with company who's product you want to sell. What Are Affiliate Programs? Affiliate programs, also known as associate programs, are set up by companies so that you -- affiliate -- can sell their product and receive a commission for each sale. Many companies have more than one product available, giving you a variety to offer your visitors and a greater chance of making money. What Makes A Good Affiliate Program? The most important thing to look at is product offered. You need to be enthusiastic about it so that you can recommend it honestly. That's why it's a good idea to actually use it, if possible. At very least, you want to make sure that product delivers good value to your customers so they will be happy when they buy it and will then rely on your recommendations for other products. Important Features Some points to look for: - How quickly do they respond to E-mail inquiries?
- Do they have an affiliate agreement on their site that you can read before signing up? A few companies don't let you see this agreement until after you've signed up, requiring you to cancel your account if you don't agree with terms.
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