Affiliate programs allow bloggers and marketers to refer people to buy a product and in exchange receive a percentage cut of the sale. Affiliate, or referral programs, as they are sometimes called, are usually open to anyone though sometimes they require an application. They typically pay anywhere from 5–50% and can be lucrative if used well.
Many companies operate affiliate programs online and you can check directly with companies in your niche either by searching their website or simply by contacting them. There are also more general affiliate marketplaces and sites like Amazon that can be applicable to virtually any niche.
When you sign up to an affiliate program you are usually given an affiliate code and special affiliate links for products. When you use those affiliate links in place of a plain uncoded link, a small tracking code, called a cookie, is placed on the user's computer. If they then go on to make a purchase, the sale is associated with your account and you receive a cut. The cookies have an expiration date on them, and if the user has already visited the product site of their own volition or through another affiliate link prior to clicking your link, then the referral usually won't count.
Most affiliate systems have specific terms of use that you should read and follow. Typically the terms prohibit certain uses including spam emails and practices like registering domain misspellings of the product and using URL forwards. In other words, you should only be sending referrals in a sensible, honest way!
Most affiliate programs are what's known as single-tier, meaning that you refer someone and then you receive a commission. Multi-tier affiliate programs take into account users that you refer who go on to become affiliates themselves and refer a second tier of customers. Multi-tier programs usually pay a lower percentage but offer the additional benefit of a greater number of commissions and the potential of bagging a first-tier referral who goes on to become a big affiliate.
If you are referring customers to purchase a subscription service, you should also check if the commission percentage is paid on the first month or on all months. Programs paying ongoing commissions can start small but really build up into a steady and reliable income stream.
Using an affiliate program can take many forms. The simplest is to grab the affiliate link and a banner ad and place the banner on your site much like an advertisement. In fact, if you are having trouble selling your ad spots this can be a good interim measure to fill the space. While this can prove effective, it is generally not the best way to create affiliate income.
A second method for using affiliate links is simply to replace any link to a product with an appropriate affiliate link. For example, if you happen to mention a book in passing, you could link up that book to its Amazon sales page, complete with your Amazon affiliate code and anyone following the link would potentially earn you some cash. This can be a much more effective method of earning affiliate cash as it's far more transparent and relies on readers clicking links they are interested in. It's particularly effective on product-oriented sites such as a blog about iPods where users are not only interested in the products but likely to make purchases.
By far the most effective way to earn affiliate income, however, is through personal recommendation. For example, a blog post about a new service where you test out the product, point out its merits and failings, and substitute in affiliate links is likely to be the most effective way of sending traffic that converts. This is of course mostly the case when the product or service is good and you truly endorse it.
Recommendation relies largely on your reputation and objectivity. If readers feel your recommendation holds weight, they are likely to convert based on your opinion. This can have great effects in income but is a doubleedged sword as you are effectively staking your reputation on every recommendation you make.
Building up a strong reputation can take a while, but once achieved effectively makes you both an expert and a celebrity, at least amongst your readership. Just as ad companies have long used celebrities to endorse their products, you too can lend your personal weight and receive financial benefits for doing so.
Our website is not responsible for the information contained by this article. Webworldarticles.com is a free articles resource thus practically any visitor can submit an article. However if you notice any copyrighted material, please contact us and we will remove the article(s) in discussion right away.
This article was sent to us by:
Lane Shorman at
02172011
1. Are you using WordPress as a CMS
All articles in this directory are property of their respective authors. Additionally, read our Privacy Policy
© 2010 WebWorldarticles.com - All Rights Reserved. Partners: Gunblade Saga