What is Affiliate Marketing Programs?
Google says, “Affiliate marketing is a marketing practice in which a business rewards one or more affiliates for each visitor or customer brought…”
But let me tell you what affiliate marketing is exactly. Affiliate marketing is web promotion that allows any online business to connect with website owners (known as publishers or affiliates) through affiliate marketing programs. Members earn money by creating business, traffic and leads for the merchant business. Merchants selling products and services online or looking for other affiliate business usually use one of the payment methods listed below for affiliate marketing program commissions:
Cost Per Click (CPC)
CPC refers to how much income a publisher earns each time a visitor clicks on an advertising link on their website. For example, a publisher can place image- or text-based ads on its website. When a user clicks on one of the ads, they are directed to the advertiser’s website. Each click is registered by the advertiser’s tracking system and the publisher is paid a certain amount based on the CPC.
Cost Per Lead (CPL)
CPL refers to how much income a publisher earns each time he or she makes a lead for an advertiser. For example, the publisher might place an ad on his or her website for a real estate site. When a visitor clicks on the ad link, he or she is directed to the advertiser’s website, where they can register for an account. If he/she decides to register, a lead has been made and the publisher is paid a certain amount based on the CPL.
Cost Per Sale or Acquisition (CPA)
CPA refers to how much income a publisher earns when a visitor clicks on an ad on their site and then completes a particular action. For example, a publisher could place a text link or banner from an advertiser on its website. When a visitor clicks on the ad, they are directed to the advertiser’s website. He or she may then be asked to fill out a form or conduct a survey. When he or she completes the survey or form, the activity is finished and the advertiser pays the website owner a certain amount based on the CPA.
Below are the 6 Highly Profitable Affiliate Marketing Programs:
- Commission Junction
- Amazon Associates
- ShareASale
- Google Adsense
- LinkShare
- Clickbank
Commission Junction
Commission Junction is great for start-up affiliate marketers because it’s easy to get involved and because there’s a wide range of projects you can sign up for. Commission Junction is essentially a warehouse or marketplace with thousands of different companies that have their own affiliate marketing programs.
If you are part of Commission Junction, you will need to apply to each and every affiliate marketing program you are involved in. A few programs are harder to reach than others, but the good news is that there is a wide selection to choose from to ensure that you can always find something that suits your interests or your site.
Amazon Associates
The Amazon affiliate program is also well suited for beginners, as it is an easy task to get involved. An added bonus is that when you promote a product that comes from Amazon, you will have the huge brand name behind which you stand, which makes it easier to sell a product.
The downside of Amazon affiliate marketing programs is that their tracking cookie only lasts 24 hours, which means that if someone clicks through from your site, you will not receive a commission if they don’t make a purchase until the next day. As a result, it is usually better with relatively inexpensive products that people would buy without much hesitation.
ShareASale provides access to more than 3300 individual affiliate marketing programs for merchants in various vertical markets, including home and garden, food, and apparel. The network has smaller brands than many of its competitors, but some affiliate partners pay high payments: The stationary company Tinyprints offers 10 percent commission on sales or $5 USD per lead, while PerkStreet Financial Commissions pays up to $50 USD per sale.
Google Adsense
Google Adsense is not actually an affiliate marketing program, but it’s another tool you need to legitimize a website or blog. Because ads are created based on the content of your site (if you’re leaving the latest system that displays ads based on separate user browsing histories), you’re sort of dictating what types of services or products you want to promote. If you can choose a niche market with a high CPC, you can earn a few dollars over time!
Just like Commission Junction, LinkShare provides access to affiliate-marketing opportunities from a number of companies, including Buy.com. The LinkShare Web site has an easy-to-view publisher dashboard that keeps you up to date on the latest offers from your merchant staff and provides real-time access to your revenue information. According to the website, commission rates typically go up to 20 percent.
ClickBank
ClickBank used to be one of the flashlight holders for affiliate marketing programs. However, very few starters find it difficult to familiarize themselves with the system. This is because the products sold on ClickBank are mainly online services, eBooks or software programs. Therefore, you will need to advertise things a little differently than physical products such as clothes from Amazon or eBay. Above, you can sign up for ClickBank immediately and start promoting one of the products of your choice.
