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Affiliate marketing is a process where the merchant will pay a portion of their sales revenue to an affiliate if the sale is a result of the affiliate's promotion of the products and services offered by the merchant. This is sometimes known as a referral program.
Affiliate marketing is one of the fasted growing sales processes since it is extremely cost efficient and is easily quantifiable for the affiliate and the merchant. Also there are other players in the process that can profit as well, such as the affiliate network and sometimes consultants.
The main benefit for merchants in this process is the opportunity to advertise their products or services to an audience much, much wider than the merchant could market too on their own. This will therefore increase the opportunity for sales and higher earnings. This opportunity increases as the merchant obtains more and more affiliates.
It is also a big time saver for many merchants. Without having to focus so much time on promotion, the merchant can turn his/her attention to other important areas of his/her business. Saving time, money and effort. The marketer will also benefit from all the customers that click through the links of his website and purchases a product or service.
Entering the market as an affiliate is as easy as following the 3 steps below and starting your journey to unlimited income potential.
1. Start by finding something that you are interested in or perhaps feel passionate about. You can then focus on a specific area that you know a lot about, since this will bring out your best and allow you to show your visitors your expertise in the field. This will gain trust and encourage them to buy products you are promoting.
2. Next you will need to search for merchants or products that relate to your interest and create a top level website on the topic. Make sure you consider the commission structure and conversion rate on any product you choose to promote on your website.
There are a number of affiliate networks and providers that will provide you with profitable products and information on theirs conversion rates and sales statistics. Take your time with this, picking a lemon at this stage will spell failure for the whole promotion.
3. At this point you will be ready to promote your products. Everything you need has already been chosen and the website is build. Stay creative and flexible and be willing to embrace new ideas. You should now be on your way to making more money than you might have imagined - and probably enjoying every minute of it.
