What is Affiliate Marketing?

              Affiliate marketing is when you sign up to promote other people’s products (or services) for a share of the sale in the form of commissions.   As an affiliate marketer, you usually don’t need any special training or start-up funding.   Your tasks as an affiliate marketer will be to drum up traffic to the product owner’s pitch page, allowing them to convert the prospect into a buyer.  The more targeted you are with your traffic  promotions, the higher your conversion rate will be.


              There are many things you can promote as an affiliate.  On Amazon,  for instance,  you can promote anything tangible (and a few digital downloads as well).   If you want to be in the paintball niche, for example, you can include links using your Amazon associate (affiliate) ID to sell specific paintball guns, paint balls, and attire.   You can go to sites like ClickBank or PayDotCom and get a unique affiliate ID to promote an  endless supply of information products. They have everything from acne to organic gardening products. You can even become an affiliate promoting actions.  There are many Internet marketers who focus their business on getting a steady stream of traffic to take an action, such as filling out a survey online. With affiliate marketing, you don’t have to worry about developing ideas and creating products. You don’t have to deal with customer service, follow-ups or continually create more products for the marketplace. Your job is made easier by product owners who care so much about their own success that they provide a toolbox to help you with yours! The toolbox usually includes ready-made emails, web reviews, and banner ads you can use with your own link embedded in them for to help you succeed.  Most Internet marketers will eventually blur the lines of product owner and affiliate marketer. Product owners continually use their list of buyers to promote affiliate items, and affiliates often build such a good reputation in a niche that they’re urged to come out with a product of their own.

How much can an affiliate marketer earn? There are virtually no limits.  You can market to multiple niches and work as much or as little as you want to generate targeted traffic through your links.  Super affiliates can earn six figures or more, but even a beginner affiliate can often earn enough to pay the bills each month – with some change to spare!