Affiliate marketing is the process of earning a commission by promoting the products of another individual or firm. The affiliate simply finds a product they like, promotes it, and earns a portion of the profit from each sale they make. Affiliate links from one website to another are used to track sales.
Because affiliate marketing distributes product marketing and creation tasks across parties, it is able to tap into the skills of a wide range of people for a more successful marketing approach while also rewarding contributors with a cut of the profits. Three parties must be involved in order for this to work:
Seller and product creators.
The seller, whether a solo entrepreneur or large enterprise, is a vendor, merchant, product creator, or retailer with a product to market.
The affiliate or publisher.
Also known as a publisher, the affiliate can be either an individual or a company that markets the seller’s product in an appealing way to potential consumers.
The consumer.
Whether the consumer knows it or not, they (and their purchases) are the drivers of affiliate marketing.
Because affiliate marketing distributes product marketing and creation tasks across parties, it is able to tap into the skills of a wide range of people for a more successful marketing approach while also rewarding contributors with a cut of the profits. Three parties must be involved in order for this to work:
- Sellers and creators of products.
- The advertiser or affiliate.
- The customer.
Seller and product creators.
The seller, whether a solo entrepreneur or large enterprise, is a vendor, merchant, product creator, or retailer with a product to market.
The affiliate or publisher.
Also known as a publisher, the affiliate can be either an individual or a company that markets the seller’s product in an appealing way to potential consumers.
The consumer.
Whether the consumer knows it or not, they (and their purchases) are the drivers of affiliate marketing.