Basics of Affiliate Marketing

Whether you realize it or not, if you've been on the Internet today, you have encountered affiliate marketing. If you have ever "clicked thru" one site to order something from another, the first site probably received a portion of the sale. For instance, independent booksellers have limited shelf space for books. But they can offer their customers an almost unlimited inventory of titles by affiliating with companies like Amazon or Powell's. The more orders, the bigger the affiliate percentage.

Visitors to your site are interested in lots of things that may or may not be related to your product. But when you know your customers well, it's simply a matter of affiliating yourself with sites that offer what they want. What you receive is just a small percentage of the sale, but it adds up, especially when you consider that all it costs you is a link on your web page. And usually, the more sales your affiliate makes from your "click thru" traffic, the bigger your percentage will be.

The key to success in affiliate marketing is being able to track referred customers. As an affiliate manager, you want a system that reliably tracks what you want, with minimal effort on your part, and without affecting the performance of your site or server. Over the last few years a variety of technologies and strategies have been developed in an attempt to improve accuracy, convenience, and flexibility.

There are at least half a dozen methods, but by far the most preferred method is Cookie Tracking. It's popular because it makes tracking affiliate-referred sales so convenient, without negatively impacting your site. This system writes a small text file, called a "cookie," to a user's browser when they click on an affiliate link. When you are the referring affiliate, the cookie holds your ID, so that at the merchant's order page, you get credit for referring the sale. One drawback is that many computer users disable cookies, although most choose not to, since their favorite sites require them. One bonus is that the merchant can save the information, so that even if a customer buys long after clicking through your site, you still get credit for the sale.

Affiliate marketing, at its best, is a win-win scenario. It's an easy way to offer your customers more of what they want, while you benefit, both in terms of building goodwill and making money.

Matt Bacak became "#1 Best Selling Author" in just a few short hours. Recent Entrepreneur Magazine's e-Biz radio show host is turning Authors, Speakers, and Experts into Overnight Success Stories. Discover The Secrets http://promotingtips.com

---

Affiliates Go To School!

It has been said that only 2% of affiliate marketers... Read More

Affiliate + Blogs = Money

I've been an affiliate for a long time, trying different... Read More

Are You Making These Costly Affiliate Mistakes?

There are many ways to generate sales, but there are... Read More

Affiliate Alternative; Google Adsense

The Rise and Fall of Affiliate ProgramsAffiliate programs were once... Read More

Are You Building a Business or a Downline?

A common mistake *A LOT* of affiliates make is to... Read More

Internet Affiliate Marketing 101 - Its All About Relationships

So you've found the perfect affiliate program, you've signed up... Read More

How To Create Your Own Successful And Profitable Affiliate Program

Most of the truly successful marketers have three competitive advantages... Read More

Heres Why Affiliate Marketing Is So Lucrative

There are people who think of the world as a... Read More

Affiliate Programs : Golden Opportunity or Waste of Time?

Now that the idea of doing business over the internet... Read More

Mining For Gold With The Best Affiliate Programs And Hitting Pay Dirt

Colin McDougall tinkered around with affiliate programs earning a few... Read More

9 Ways to Catapult Your Affiliate Marketing Career

Affiliate marketing involves the promotion of a website by a... Read More

How to Monetize a Free Website

For some time now I have been aggressively marketing my... Read More

7 Ways To Increase Your Affiliate Commissions

Suppose you could launch an online business in the next... Read More

How to Grow Your Affiliate Marketing Business

Affiliate marketing is a large business in the internet today... Read More

All About Affiliate Networks

Over the course of my Internet marketing career, a significant... Read More

Reselling - Money On The Side

The other night I had dinner with a friend who... Read More

9 Steps to Success in Affiliate Marketing

1.Join an Affiliate Program: Join programs that interest you personally.... Read More

Internet Tip of the Week: Reality Check

Every time you turn around it seems you see another... Read More

Get the Big Dogs to Affiliate with You

Have you ever tried to launch an affiliate program? If... Read More

Launching Your Affiliate Program Correctly

To any Internet Marketer these days an affiliate program is... Read More

How to Join Affiliate Programs ? Affiliate Marketing

The first thing you may be wondering before you join... Read More

Promoting Affiliate Programs through Personal Recommendations

Publishing articles online is a highly effective way to increase... Read More

Webmaster Plans To Increase Affiliate Earnings

Affiliate programs are a great way to earn an income... Read More

Affiliate Marketing Step... Set Yourself Apart from the Rest.

I'm sure you've heard the expression, "This is where you... Read More

Affiliate Programs: Why They Work and Why They Don?t!

Here it is in Black and White:Don't make the same... Read More

Make Sure Affiliate Programs Pay for every Sale

When joining affiliate programs there are many decisions you have... Read More

11 Awesome Ways To increase Your Affiliate Commissions!

Let me ask you a simple question. "Now that you... Read More

Affiliate Marketing Or Market Your Own Products?

How should you organize your online business?Affiliate marketing seems to... Read More

Affiliate Programs

Are you having trouble creating new product offerings from scratch?... Read More

How To Earn Residual Income The Lazy Way

I've got a confession to make... what I am about... Read More

Five Knockout Affiliate Tips

Here are five "hook em in the jaw" affiliate tips... Read More

Whats A Niche and Can I Find One Too?

When I came upon that little word -- Niche --... Read More

Preparation - the Way to Success

I have two questions to ask you. One. How much... Read More