subject: What Is Affiliate Marketing ? [print this page] If you have taken a look at the world economy these days you know why most people are looking for additional sources of income and this not only holds true for people with pink slips but also those who are employed at the moment. Quite simply, getting a secondary source of income gives people a modicum of security which they would lack with a job in this day and age of uncertainty. And one of the best ways to make money online is through affiliate marketing.
So, it is not surprising to see more and more people trying to get an answer to the question what is affiliate marketing?
Affiliate marketing is collaboration between an online merchant and the owner of a website or affiliate. The terms of the collaboration are simple the website owner is paid for marketing and/ or selling the products on the online merchant's website.
However the question is not so much as to what is affiliate marketing rather a more important question is how can it help you to make money online.
When you enroll for an affiliate program a small advertisement will be placed on your website and each time a visitor clicks on that advertisement you will be paid for it. However with some companies you may only be paid if the customer buys a product from the online merchant after clicking the ad placed on your site. Of course if you are paid per sale you will make more money than the paid per click programs. Another way to make money through affiliate marketing is with pay per lead programs, in these programs you are paid each time a visitor to your site registers with the merchants' website through the advertising placed on your site.
Affiliate marketing is a mutually beneficial situation for both the marketer and the online merchant. The affiliate makes a decent amount of money without doing anything. The online merchant on the other hand gets free advertising and does not have to go through the hassle of marketing and selling on his own.
Of course there are some down sides to this story as well, for instance there is chance that the affiliate may find means to click on the advertisement and cheat the online merchant if a pay per click program is in place. Another draw back is that if the affiliate uses inappropriate means to attract visitors the online merchant will lose some potential clients and may even have to do some damage control to save his reputation.
Now that you know what is affiliate marketing the next question is who to work with? As an affiliate you will have to put in a fair amount of research before you sign up with online merchants. Now usually most merchants will pay the affiliates but it would certainly be worth your effort to find out about the merchants who pay the maximum commission in your niche.
