by Marie
(Winnipeg)
To me, the concept of an affiliate market has always seemed confusing. The whole merchant and publisher relationship and their affiliate network are a little too technical for me. It sounds easy in black and white and when you read about it, it looks like a piece of cake but, in reality it's like a labyrinth! I get completely lost.
One of my colleagues left her job recently and started her own affiliate marketing setup. She was actually the publisher and the merchant was another party. I am not constantly in touch with her but, the little I do know tells me that she doing pretty well.
She is basically an affiliate for Asian handicrafts and artifacts. In simpler words, I think it means that she attracts customers to buy that stuff and gets commission for it. She does so by writing good write ups and stories and promoting the link.
Still, I know it sounds easier while saying it than it actually is. Of course, no work is trouble free and making money is never a laid back job. It involves continuous work pressure and tireless efforts.
Basically, whether we know it or not, we encounter examples of affiliate marketing every day on the internet. Every time we buy some product or service, through another website, the middle party gets a percentage of that sale. It is actually a smart and profitable way to make money, provided it is done intelligently.
Usually, affiliate marketing is a good bargain in the sense that you don't have to face the risk of losing a lot. Mostly people are satisfied with the results.
The key to success is to attract the right kind of potential customers who are almost certain to make purchases. The tracking down of referred customers is an important skill. There seems to be a lot of help out there for hunting down the right customer.