| What is Affiliate Marketing? | | | | When starting your internet business through affiliate |
| It is a very popular business model to follow because | | | | marketing there are five steps to follow to ensure |
| it is probably the lowest cost method of starting an | | | | success: |
| Internet Business. The concept called Affiliate | | | | 1. You must first find a niche market that interests |
| Marketing is very simple in that you sell or promote | | | | you if possible, and is of sufficient size to sustain |
| someone else's service or product in return for a | | | | growth. |
| commission or fee. | | | | 2. Thoroughly research the niche for problems or |
| This business model exists in many forms, and are | | | | deficiencies. |
| commonly called Affiliate Programs. You join the | | | | 3. Research the available affiliate products and |
| Affiliate Program that the Merchant is operating that | | | | services for something that will rectify the deficiency |
| is selling the particular product you are interested in | | | | or solve the problem. |
| promoting. The most common types of programs | | | | 4. You must promote the product or service. |
| are as follows: | | | | 5. Initially there is no need for a website, but there |
| 1. Pay per click - each visitor you send to the | | | | are advantages of having one as you can presell the |
| merchant's site will earn you commission. | | | | product or service as well as start collecting targeted |
| 2. Pay per lead - commission will be paid by the | | | | opt-ins to your own list. |
| merchant for each lead sent to his website. | | | | The requirement for your own website is something |
| 3. Pay per sale - each sale made at the merchant's | | | | that needs careful attention as it will be the way to |
| site will earn you commission. | | | | develop and grow your own targeted list to which |
| Each one of the above returns a certain payment for | | | | you can promote other affiliate products and grow |
| delivering the click, lead, or sale. By far the largest | | | | your business. |
| number of businesses online work on the Pay per | | | | Creating a trust between you and your customers, |
| Sale system | | | | as well as your partners, is of prime importance to |
| Although this business model is considered to be the | | | | your business. This trust will serve you well as your |
| simplest way to start your Internet Business, it does | | | | customers will consider you to be their specialist in |
| not necessarily mean there is less effort required to | | | | the chosen niche and continue to buy from you in |
| become profitable. All it really reflects is that since | | | | the future. Do not think for one minute that without |
| this is not your own product,you will not have any | | | | it you will be able to succeed. Affiliate Marketing, as |
| costs related to the development, presentation, sales | | | | well as any other business model, relies entirely upon |
| copy, delivery, merchant services, and the like, for | | | | the trust that you painstakingly build over a period of |
| the product. The main cost that you will incur will be | | | | time. |
| the cost of the promotion of the product. | | | | |