If Wikipedia is any indication, then "affiliate marketing" is just what I say it is.... ; )
At least two Wikipedia entries cite their definitions of affiliate marketing based upon my research for Revenue magazine. And that, my friends, is somewhat thrilling news for this writer pounding out words in her basement.
The Wikipedia definition for affiliate marketing is quite extensive, and one I'd highly recommend for anyone interested in learning more about what affiliate marketing is and how it works. Note that it references far more sources, including some of the leaders in the affiliate marketing space, than just myself. Here's an excerpt, with a link for the full description:
"Affiliate marketing is a web-based marketing practice in which a business rewards one or more affiliates for each visitor or customer brought about by the affiliate's marketing efforts.
Affiliate marketing overlaps with other internet marketing methods to some degree, because affiliates often use regular advertising methods. Those methods include organic search engine optimization, paid search engine marketing, email marketing and in some sense display advertising. On the other hand, affiliates sometimes use less orthodox techniques like publishing reviews of products or services offered by a partner.
Affiliate marketing -- using one website to drive traffic to another -- is a form of online marketing, which is frequently overlooked by advertisers. While search engines, e-mail and RSS capture much of the attention of online retailers, affiliate marketing carries a much lower profile. Still, affiliates continue to play a significant role in e-retailers' marketing strategies..." Wikipedia's full definition of affiliate marketing
There are so many ways to use affiliate relationships to boost revenue for your online content. Most online merchants offer them through a link at the bottom of their home page (usually the "partner," "affiliate" or "associates" link). Sign up is free, and then you're granted access to the merchant's collection of pre-made banner ads, coded links and so on to post on your own site.
Indeed, I first met Gather's founder, Tom Gerace, when he served as a source for an article I was writing about BeFree, an affiliate community where Gerace cut his online marketing teeth. Thanks to his inspiration, today my Gather.com blog page is an affiliate of several online merchants, including American Express, Amazon.com and RealtyTrac.com. (If you click on the links, you'll see a sample of what a coded link looks like. Know that affiliates for these programs don't get credit for clicks...though some programs do offer per-click payments known as PPC.)
If my content relates to one of the merchants that I'm affiliated with, I'll post a coded link instead of a regular link. And, voila, if the person clicking the link takes an action on the merchant's site, then I get paid a commission. It's that easy. I feel good helping readers easily find related products, and my bottom line -- and Wikipedia cred -- gets a nice boost for the effort.
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Comments: 20
Thank you Chick J., donna h. and Lyn O.. It's so nice of you to drop by. Affiliate marketing is easy enough to integrate into any site, include blogs. My goal here is simply to educate as many as possible about this opportunity.
And cybergwen, thank you so much for your thought-provoking comment. Indeed, affiliate marketing got its start with the "bad boys of the Internet": adult content websites. However, the adult industry was simply ahead of the game -- as it has been on so many Internet developments, ranging from live video online, to subscription programs online, to good old sales of subscriptions through a sales force of affiliates.
Unlike pyramid schemes however, the sales force only gets paid when it makes a sale or gets its visitors to take a certain action (like subscribing to a newsletter or signing up as a member). There is no "down line," although some affiliate programs do allow you to recruit your own sales force (known as tiers) and get some payment for their sales.
Legitimate programs would never require a fee from you or any possible "second tier" for the "privilege" of selling their items. Training you is the cost of the merchant doing business in an Internet- and social-networking-driven world.
Thanks for explaining so well. I wonder how things work sometimes. You do very well.
Reputable merchants would never allow their affiliate sales force to use this method. Federal regulations, known as CAN-SPAN, spell out that anyone doing direct e-mail marketing must also include their complete contact information in the form, allow for easy opt-outs/unsubscribes, have a subject line that accurately reflects the content, and should have a double opt-in process to get on the mailing list in the first place. Affiliates that do not follow these guidelines when doing their own e-mail marketing campaigns are setting themselves up to be shut down by the merchants they work with.
Spamming is NOT an affiliate marketing activity. It is, however, an activity of those working often overseas or who are dealing in shady activities on the Internet.
I hope this explanation gives you a deeper understanding of how this process works.
You're right about that Rebecca P. Anyone offering extraordinary commissions is bound to be suspect, as there may be a likelihood they'll never get around to paying the sales associates that have actually done all of the selling work. I've seen this with affiliates promoting gambling sites promising big payouts to affiliates that bring gamblers to their sites, but not delivering on that promise. (And since gambling online isn't allowed in the U.S., the gaming affiliates have nowhere to turn to actually ensure they get paid.)
P.S. Your Quick Tortellini with Spinach & Garlic recipe sounds incredible! I'm also delighted to see your Fiddlehead & Mushroom Saute. I tried fiddleheads (the baby fern leaves) for the first, and only, time during a mushroom-themed seven-course meal at a James Beard-awarded restaurant in Dundee, Oregon. What a fun way to make use of all that nature has to offer.
The man that runs the site has made over $1m and is posting his techniques so that others can copy his success and make as much as he did.
Great link. I'm sold. ; )
The internet has exploded the opportunities of affiliate marketing. As you mention above all you need is a special link from the parent company and presto you are ready to start making money by promoting your link.
Amazon rose to the heights it is today with the help of affiliates and many of those affiliates are rich today because of Amazon. Affiliate marketing is a win-win situation. The parent company gets free advertising and support from it's affiliates and only has to pay out when a sale is made. The affiliate is able to sell and promote high quality products and services without ever having to handle, create, or ship the product.
I love being an affiliate and so does my bank account :)
If anyone would like more information on affiliate marketing please read my free report called: How to Get Rich with Affiliate Marketing