Affiliate Programs - An Effective Online Marketing Strategy

Ever since Amazon introduced the concept of affiliate partnerships, affiliate programs have grown to become the most popular way to promote products and services online. The beauty of this concept is that regardless of one's geographical location, it is possible to promote diverse products and earn a commission on each sale. The main advantage to the producer or manufacturer of the product is the kind of exposure and reach they get, building their brands across the Internet.

Because of its popularity, today there are a number of affiliate guides available, which help in product selection, product promotion methods, website building, etc. in addition to a variety of other tools that will ensure success online. It makes sense to choose products that relate to one's existing business website so that it is complementary, helping to convert the visiting traffic into customers.

How Affiliate Marketing Works

In affiliate marketing, both the merchant of the product as well as the affiliate partner benefit mutually. After the products relevant to one's existing business have been identified from a reliable source like ClickBank, etc. the first step is to sign up with them and then browse around short-listing products that appeal. Some of the best affiliate programs provide free sign ups and reasonable commissions. Affiliate programs offer three kinds of commissions. While some pay per click, others pay based on number of sales or leads. Affiliate programs of choice ensure that the customer referral cookie stays active for 60-120 days so that the affiliate can earn a commission for all sales made via that link within 120 days.

A major factor in the success of the affiliate marketer is keyword research with the help of a keyword tool. The right keywords help in determining which products and niche markets are the most profitable. This is important in terms of traffic generation, since no traffic = no sales. Keywords are instrumental in bringing traffic to the affiliate's website via the search engines.

Freedom To Promote A Variety Of Products

The happy part of affiliate marketing is the freedom to sign up for as many products as one wants. Of course, it is essential to select the right products - especially those that are in demand and are likely to generate substantial profits since that are the whole aim of affiliate marketing. Also, affiliate guides emphasize the need to develop multiple sources of income so that even if one affiliate product is withdrawn, there are others that can be offered to the customer so that they don't go away without buying anything.