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Affiliated Marketing
More and more web sites have followed Amazon and CDNOW's lead and are
inviting other Internet sites to earn money through an affiliate banner or
link back to them.
How do these affiliate programs work?
You might think that affiliate marketing works something like
this: someone clicks on, let's say, an Amazon link or banner on an
affiliate site and buys a book. The affiliate site will then earn a
commission, usually 5% to 25% of the sale. Well, that's right, but remember
to read the fine print. Amazon will pay commission only if the particular
book bought is listed on your site. CDNOW only pays with a credit applied to
purchasing their merchandise. Most e-commerce sites won't pay an affiliate
commission until it reaches a certain amount, say $100. Each e-commerce site
is a little different, so it's important to learn what's being offered up
front.
The affiliate marketing trend supposedly began when a woman
mentioned to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos that she wanted to sell books about
divorce on her web site. This got Bezos to thinking about how to do this.
Today, Amazon has over 200,000 affiliates who are paid up to a 15% commission
by Amazon.
Getting started as an affiliate is simple. First read the rules of the site
you would like to be associated with and earn commissions from, then fill
out their form and insert the necessary HTML code on your web page.
Affiliate programs makes the most sense when they're targeted. If you are a
well-respected leader in the graphic design industry, it would be a good
idea to list your favorite graphic design books on your web site. If you
write Internet marketing articles, you might include your favorite Internet
marketing books. I think you get the idea.
An affiliate program is really a win-win situation for everyone. A link or
banner doesn't cost anything, and it provides an easy link or resource for
the online shopper. Affiliates never have to create, sell, or ship a product
and e-commerce sites are provided with a great source of traffic.
To make any money, you'll need at least 100 click-throughs a day. Content
will drive users to your site. If you are not a talented writer, hire one.
If you don't have a budget for this, compile stories from Reuters, AP or a
syndicated news site that will interest your audience.
Many sites such as
Search Engine Watch.com
or WebPromote.com
do a terrific job of using e-newsletters to push content and create awareness for the
affiliate partners and the products they're associated with. If you have an
e-newsletter, use it to promote your affiliates and what they can offer your audience.
If you are serious about getting an affiliate program started, you might try
Commission Junction,
a third-party, web-based affiliate marketing provider
that establishes these relationships between retailers and affiliate web
sites, tracks and reports the online transactions, and manages the
accounts. The best part about Commission Junction is that it is free for
the affiliates. E-commerce sites pay a one-time fee to receive access to a
world of affiliates.
Affiliate marketing is the hottest trend in Internet marketing. In fact,
many companies are hiring Internet professionals to handle only affiliates
on the Web. It's an inexpensive marketing strategy that can provide a
terrific return on investment.
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