Affiliate marketing is a wide-spread strategy used in Internet marketing where a merchant or webmaster rewards affiliates for their marketing efforts which direct potential clients to the website where they view a sales page and if sufficiently impressed with the product they may make a purchase. Affiliate marketing, AM for short, is the act of selling a product for a commission and if it is done correctly the rewards can be huge and of course you can work from home.
This type of marketing has made a terrific impact on the Internet marketing scene, particularly on those companies which started in the early years of e-commerce. It is the most cost effective sort of marketing there is, and is indeed incredibly efficient.
It has now become normal practice for companies to include affiliates in their marketing plans, as it offers a very attractive online channel with complete precision and accountability.
Affiliate organizations are varied and include individuals, organizations and businesses, networks, management companies, third party vendors, and other affiliates that promote the products and services of their partners.
Affiliate marketing really is an excellent system. You never have to touch a product, carry stock, or arrange deliveries. And when the customer makes a purchase you get paid. Network marketing is an extension of AM and also involves selling a product for a commission, but in addition it focuses on bringing other resellers (or affiliate marketers, distributors or representatives) into the program as well.
AM is not difficult work, but the marketer does need to have a clear understanding of what she or he is aiming to achieve. It is definitely a good way to build a business that can potentially become a full time job. To be an affiliate of third party companies like Commission Junction or Clickbank costs you nothing. The affiliate’s objective is to sell or get leads for someone else’s service or product. Because this form of marketing is attractive many people are drawn in to the business and it has therefore become very competitive
As an affiliate you begin by placing ads for your chosen product on your Web site and/or in suitable advertising sites. When a user clicks on the ad, your visitor will go to the Web site where the product is described and they can learn of the potential benefits the product or service will provide for them. The affiliate marketer is performance driven because he or she is paid only when the merchant has achieved the predetermined goal This goal can be anything that a merchant has to get done, for example getting conversions (convincing the customer to buy his product), accumulating data, leads generation, getting feedback or anything at all. The whole idea of affiliate marketing is based on the “No cure no pay “-principle.
Generating extra income has become much easier although very competitive. Thousands of the more popular products are marketed on the internet every day using affiliate marketing strategies. Most companies and vendors make use of affiliates to sell their product or service, there-by greatly increasing their turnover and at the same time the affiliate is able to earn money.
Will it cost you anything to join? Most affiliate marketing programs being offered today are absolutely free of charge. So why settle for those that charge you some dollars before joining. Ask questions first before you join an affiliate program. Do a little research about the choices of program that you intend to join into. Get some answers because they will be the deciding point of what you will be achieving later on.
Does the affiliate program also pay for the hits and impressions besides the commissions on sales? It is important that impressions and hits are also paid, as this will add to the earnings you get from the sales commission. This is especially important if the program you are in offers low sales to be able to hit ratio.
LinkShare is especially beneficial for an affiliate in choosing his partners since he can find his options all in one location. It would be easier for him to compare products, commission rates and other benefits given by the merchant. The merchant usually just waits for interested affiliates to sign up in his affiliate marketing program but being in the network increases his chance to promote his products to a larger market, thus, maximizing his potential to gain huge profit.
Among the most popular is LinkShare, it is through it that merchants and affiliates meet. LinkShare maintains and manages affiliate marketing programs for a great number of merchants with various kinds of businesses, products and services. It also has over 6,000 affiliate site members in its network. It gains profit from the set-up fees, monthly account maintenance fees and commissions.
Likewise, affiliate marketing is an excellent way to generate full-time income for a home-based affiliate marketer. For someone who is jaded of going through a grueling eight-hour work routine, 
A relatively new method of generating income in the age of the Internet is called affiliate marketing. It is an option for making money that a great many site owners have adopted, with a great deal of success.