The Affiliate Marketing Concept: How it Works and What to Benefit

Affiliate Marketing: Understanding the Concept and the Needs to Join the Programme A new era of marketing has enveloped the entire business world. Today, the popularity of your business or the size of its warehouse no longer matters. What matters the most is your customer base. Unless you have solid influx of customers, that generate turnover for your business, you’re in trouble. Consequently, businesses all over the world are fashioning out strategies to building a strong, consistent customer base. Not just in a limited geographical settings, but in an expanded frontiers that make it possible for a single business to have active customers online – from various countries around the globe. Affiliate marketing has made this possible. But what’s affiliate marketing, how does it work, and what are the benefits of the program? Affiliate Marketing Defined Affiliate marketing, otherwise known as network marketing or referral marketing, is essentially a commission-based marketing business. It involves registering with a company to sell its products in return for a commission. The commission is based on personal sales that an affiliate marketer makes, or sales generated by a marketer’s downline. Simply put it: affiliate marketing is a process of selling a company’s products or services for a commission. It offers what is called ‘sell without selling’ or ‘earn from home income’ opportunities, whereby you sell someone’s product and get paid from the comfort of your home. How Does Affiliate Marketing Programme Work? There are a number of affiliate programmes ranging from Amazon Associate to Google Affiliate Network to Commission Junction to ShareASale. Before anything, decide which programme you want to go for and sign up to get a link of the affiliate product. Once you choose an affiliate programme, and get the URL of the product, you can start promoting them on your website or blog. That means you start the tough job: marketing. Anytime you create content, relevant to the product or service you are selling, you should drop the link of the affiliate’s product for your prospective customers to click through. The aim of dropping the affiliate link of the product or service you’re promoting is to get customers and prospects to click the affiliate product you mentioned on your platform. You get your commission when customers visit the advertiser’s website and buy their product. The pay usually comes at the end of every month. Benefits of Joining Affiliate Marketing Programmes Start with low income capital Unlike a traditional brick and mortar business, which requires huge amount of capital to secure, build, or rent a location, affiliate marketing is different. You don’t need a million dollar cash to power your business. All what you need to kick-start an affiliate marketing business is a little start-up capital to buy the necessary tools. That’s one major benefit of affiliate marketing. It gives you the opportunity to own your business as Robert Kiyosaki said, ‘Network marketing gives people the opportunity to build their own income-generating asset with low risk and financial commitment.’ Freedom In traditional businesses, you work under strict bureaucracies in small, fenced offices controlled by a boss. That means your time is dictated, your schedules are configured and your freedom is limited. Also, in most cases, your boss will not recognize your hard work and commitment, and, at the end of the month, hands you “a take home pay that may never take you home.” Whereas in modern businesses, such as the affiliate marketing commerce, you not only have the freedom to work at your stipulated time; you have the flexibility to work from the comfort of your home as well. Residual income What job or business gives you the opportunity to earn even when you’re not working? Definitely not a brick and mortar business. If you take a day or two off from a traditional business, no one will visit your shop or buy your product. But do you know that you can earn residual income in affiliate marketing? The programme offers that opportunity. You can put up a nice plan, or teach your downlines a strategy that works and keep receiving money even when you’re in the Bahamas for holidays. Global network By its name, network marketing involves connection and relationship with people. You associate with your downlines, relate with your customers and prospects. This helps you build connection with people who could be valuable asset to you now or in the future. Affiliate marketing is ever growing. Millions of people are subscribing to the business not only because it is profitable, flexible and easy to start, but because it’s the business of the future. “The future of network marketing is unlimited, says Brian Tracy. “Soon it will become one of the most respected business methods in the world.”