If you have been looking for ways to make money online, then chances are that you have come across affiliate marketing. The concept of affiliate marketing began in 1989 with an individual name William J John. However, it remained unused until early 2000 when Amazon picked it up. Since then, affiliate marketing has become one of the most used techniques for internet marketing. So, what is affiliate marketing? In this article, we will tell you everything you need to know about affiliate marketing. Now without further ado, let's get started.
What is affiliate marketing?
Affiliate marketing is an online advertising technique where companies partner with third-party publishers to market their products/ services and generate leads and traffic. Third-party publishers are known as affiliates and earn a commission for every successful lead that converts.
As pointed out earlier affiliate marketing began way back in 1989 but remained unknown until 2000 when Amazon adopted the concept by creating an affiliate marketing program. Affiliate marketing can actually be described as a pay for performance form of marketing.
Digital marketing, cookies, and analytics have made affiliate marketing a billion-dollar industry. This is because companies are able to get data that allows them to know the number of visitors directed to their website and how many converted. As a result, they can accurately track to know how many links have been converted and pay affiliates what they deserve.
It is important to note that not all affiliate marketing programs are not just for sales, some are for clicks, free trials, and downloads. Most affiliate marketing programs are free to join. This means that you don’t have to worry about high startup up costs. It is thus a great choice for people who want to make money online and don’t have starting capital. If done right, you can turn affiliate marketing from side hustle to your main source of income.
How does affiliate marking work?
Affiliate marketing begins when an affiliate joins an affiliate marketing program. Upon joining the program, the merchant's software generates a unique link that you can use in places where you want to promote the merchant's products or services. If you have a blog, you can place the links there.When a visitor clicks your affiliate links, the link will generate tracking cookies in the visitor’s browser. This will enable the merchant to know the affiliate that helped to bring the customers. Most cookies have a duration of between 24 hours to 60 days. This means that if the visitor buys anything from the merchant’s website then you will earn a commission.
When the customer clicks the link, he/she will be redirected to the merchant’s website. When the customer makes a purchase, the affiliate tracking system will record all the details of the purchase. The merchant will then verify all sales to determine whether they are legitimate. If the merchant establishes that all your sales are genuine, you will receive your commission payout.
Final thoughts
If you are thinking of becoming an affiliate marketer and want to know more about it, we hope that this article has been helpful. Affiliate marketing is highly recommended for people who want to make extra income online. It is easy to start and doesn’t require huge initial capital. The pay is also good and consistent.
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