Are Affiliate Programs Sensible?
Are Affiliate Programs Sensible?
By Denise Hall (C) 2003
Have you ever wondered how "the big guys" earn so much money on
the internet? Sure, some of them have huge advertising budgets,
which puts small business owners at a disadvantage.
But some of the biggest names today started out just like you
and me. They had low advertising budgets and fumbled their way
around the internet trying to get visitors to their websites and
sell their products.
Even though they had terrific products, they couldn't sell them
if no one knew about them. They put on their thinking caps to
find the easiest and least expensive way to get visitors and
make sales.
They finally came up with a plan that would benefit not only
them, but others as well. If they could get other people to
promote their products and websites, they could earn more money.
And so, Affiliate Programs were born! What a concept! A better
way to get visitors to a website and sell more products!
They offer their visitors the opportunity to "partner" with
them, often for free, to help sell their products. And many of
them offer two-tier affiliate programs.
So if I sign up as an affiliate I can get others to sign up
under me as my sub-affiliates. I earn a commission for sales I
make directly to my customers. But I also earn a smaller
commission for sales that my sub-affiliates make.
It's a winning situation for everyone! The "big guy" made money
because he sold his product. However, he might not have made
that sale if it wasn't for my advertisement. And I made money
because I advertised his products.
The concept of affiliate programs is really not so new. It's
similar to selling cosmetics or other products for many
well-known companies.
For instance, I have no idea how to invent a new cologne, but I
know how to sell it. Therefore, I could sign up as a
representative for a cosmetics company. They, in turn, would pay
me a commission for selling their products.
Why would they do that? Because they can't possibly reach all
the potential customers by themselves.
By becoming an affiliate for someone who knows much more about
computers and digital products than I do, I have the advantage
of selling quality products that I can't create myself.
And they have the advantage of their affiliates doing some of
the "leg work" for them because they can't possibly reach all
the potential customers in this vast internet world.
A few of the large companies on the internet today that offer
free two-tier affiliate programs can be located at the following
links:
http://www.moneyhome.com/cgi-bin/i.pl?c=a&i=69
http://www.marketingtips.com/sr .x/775957
http://www.mywizardads.com/cgi-bin/ra.cgi?adminid=253&id=559
http://www.rtdwebsolutions.com/i/clickthru.cgi?id=dmh0226
http://QuickPayPro.com/x/qpp.cgi?adminid=1946&id=40550
http://www.ListFire.com/5159 (For this last one you sign up for
ListFire and get your free copy of Web Army Knife. Then you can
sign up to become an affiliate for free.)
The next time you visit a website offering products you like,
check to see if they offer an affiliate program. Even if you
don't wish to place an order for a product at that time, you can
sign up as an affiliate.
In the future when you do order you may be able to use your own
affiliate URL and give yourself the commission. Most companies
allow this procedure.
In the meantime you can let your customers know that you have
new products available, as well as affiliate programs for them
to join. It's a great way to get backend sales.
So there you have it! The reasons for affiliate programs and why
it makes sense for people to sign up. By offering well-known
products on your website or in your ezine you are in a win-win
situation and can potentially earn big money like the "internet
gurus."