What is an affiliate?
It is a term that describes a link between a company and an individual, who refers products or services to others.
A merchant is the supplier of the goods, the company.
The affiliate is the middle person. The one who makes the sales happen and is the direct link between the merchant (company) and the customer.
Where to start
If you want to get into affiliate marketing there are many programs that will make it very easy for you.
The popular program you may of heard about is commission junction. You can get a free affiliate account and select any merchants you would like to promote.
Before you join any programs you need to think about how you are going to sell the products or services.
This is what I advise
Get yourself a website. Plan it with the products or services you will be selling in mind.
You must spend time planning your marketing campaign. Making sure you are able to generate quality traffic.
Your marketing campaign will involve:
Research into keywords for your chosen niche
SEO (search engine optimization) both on site and off site
How much money can you earn?
If you don't sell anything then you wont make any money. You get paid commission.
This is why your marketing campaign is very important. If you get it wrong you are off to a non starter.
When your site and marketing campaign is launched. All you need to do next is paste your affiliate code on your site. Then you are all set to go.
