So.... What is Affiliate Marketing?
Seems simple right? Write a blog post, embed a few links and make sales. You are now a marketing guru! Not so fast my friend... this can be an effective strategy if you are providing your audience value and there are tons of industry or niche experts that make passive income from this strategy alone.
Blog promotion isn't the only tool in the toolbox. There are several ways to execute and make money from affiliate marketing. Websites, video, email, social media and influencers are all strategies that can drive traffic and make a profitable sales channel for you.
Affiliate marketing is simple in definition. An affiliate is a marketer who promotes a company's products or services to lead to sales. The affiliate gets paid when a sale is made and the company only pays when a sale is made. It's like you are a commission only sales person but you work for yourself and can sell unliited products and services rather than just one.
Understanding affiliate marketing and the players involved can be shorten the learning curve when implementing this marketing channel either as a career or for your own company. So let's jump into the deep end and get to know the people involved...
Who Does Affiliate Marketing?
The Advertiser
Also known as the seller, merchant, brand or creator. This is whoever makes the product that is being sold. Nike is an easy example, they make shoes and apparel. They are the Advertiser is this scenario. It doesn't have to just be a major brand, entreprenuers selling on Etsy or an Artist selling their work on their website can be the advertiser. Basically, if someone has a product to sell they go here.
The Publisher
Also known as the marketer. This again can be a major company, agency or indivdual. Using the Nike example, the publisher could be a single person who has a blog for sneaker heads or it could be an entire site focused on finding deals and reviews for sneakers like Sneaker Hunter or something like that. This is who is promoting the products of the advertiser. This person or company is essentially an outsourced component of the brand's marketing department. Instead of a salary, this role earns commissions for products sold from their efforts.
The Consumer
Also known as the buyer. They are the end customer. In this example, this is the person who buys the pair of sneakers from Nike based on the influence or promotion from the publisher. That action is tracked for compensation.
The Network
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How To Start Your Own Affiliate Program
Choose Your Product
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Choose Your Affiliate Marketing Management Platform
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Become an Affiliate Marketer
Choose Your Niche
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Build an Email List
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Educate Your Audience
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Increase Your Traffic
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Affiliate Marketing Strategies
Blogging
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Content Sites
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Referral Links
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Influencers
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Video
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Social Media
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Affiliate Marketing Final Thoughts
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