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Introduction to Affiliate Marketing
by Maurice Bandcroft
http://123sitepromotion.com/
What is Affiliate marketing? Affiliate marketing is
also synonymous with the following terms: associate
marketing; associate programs, bounty programs;
revenue-sharing, referral and partnership programs.
Originating in the USA several years ago with Amazon.com,
affiliate marketing has quickly gained acceptance in North
America as a viable and effective method of obtaining
online screened and targeted site traffic, ongoing revenue
generation and building consumer credibility.
This explosive growth and acceptance of affiliate marketing
is also rapidly expanding into the European and Asian
business community, including being translated into
numerous languages.
Associate marketing or associate programs are simply
revenue sharing arrangements established by sponsor
companies selling a variety of online products and
services. Web site owners are financially rewarded for
sending referrals or customers to the business in numerous
ways.
Financial compensation results to the website owner when a
referral goes directly to the sponsors site and completes
the sponsors terms of acceptance.
Terms of acceptance could include that the referral do any
of the following: visiting a site, completing an
application or obtaining a quote, registering for a free
newsletter, downloading and installing software or making a
consumer purchase.
The subsequent payment for the lead or referral are defined
by the sponsor, and can range from a simple one time click
through payment or a fixed commission rate, to a multi-
tiered payment scheme resembling a MLM matrix that includes
potential revenue from future lifetime purchases made by
referrals of referrals.
Regardless of the payment method chosen, an equitable
affiliate program results is a Win Win Win financial
situation for all parties involved. The Sponsor receives
additional site traffic and potential revenue from a new
member; the Webmaster(s) receives revenue for providing a
qualified lead; and the site visitor finds what they were
looking for, at an acceptable price.
There are currently hundreds of thousands of Affiliate
programs available, ranging from corporate sites such as
Wal-mart to individual entrepreneurs promoting a single
publication, and new competition is arriving daily. To help
find complimentary Affiliate programs for your website or
general information purposes, several free directories such
as Associate Programs at http//www.assoicateprograms.com/
and Refer-it at http://www.refer-it.com/ maintain ongoing
catalogues of new, existing and deleted affiliate programs.
These directory sites also contain a wealth of affiliate
information, proven marketing tips and techniques, consumer
ratings of programs and links to supportive software. The
Associate Programs directory has links to thousands of
archived and informative articles and includes a popular bi-
monthly newsletter that includes the latest affiliate news
and global success stories.
The Refer-it site ranks thousands of listed affiliate
programs with a four star rating, that is extremely
accurate concerning the reliability and integrity of each
affiliate program offered.
RECOMMENDED Reading: If you are serious about pursuing the
power of affiliate programs, Register for a free 5 day
email course by Ken Evoy on becoming an internet superstar.
His Affiliate Masters course shows you how to dramatically
boost your income from affiliate programs by following
simple, easy to follow instructions.
All the information is free, and the expert advice can be
applied to any affiliate program.
To take the course, send a blank e-mail to
tams@sitesell.net.
About the author
Article by Maurice Bandcroft, a specialist on various
Internet marketing and advertising promotional
opportunities. For more articles on web site promotional
possibilities and revenue generating ideas, subscribe to
the 123 Site Promotion newsletter.
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You may freely reprint this article on your website or in
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