Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate Marketing is the process of earning a commission by promoting other people’s (or company’s) products. Affiliate marketing is the process of earning a commission by promoting other people’s (or company’s) products. "The Beauty of Affiliate Marketing is that you don't have to invest the time and effort to create a product to sell. You can begin selling something as an affiliate once you have a platform to sell it on."
Affiliate marketing overlaps with other Internet marketing methods to some degree because affiliates often use regular advertising methods. Those methods include organic [search-engine-optimization|search engine optimization (SEO)], paid search engine marketing (PPC - Pay Per Click), e-mail marketing, content marketing, and in some sense, display advertising. On the other hand, affiliates sometimes use less orthodox techniques, such as publishing reviews of products or services offered by a partner. Affiliate marketing is commonly confused with referral marketing, as both forms of marketing use third parties to drive sales to the retailer. However, both are distinct forms of marketing, and the main difference between them is that affiliate marketing relies purely on financial motivations to drive sales. In contrast, referral marketing relies on trust and personal relationships to drive sales. Affiliate marketing is frequently overlooked by advertisers. While search engines, e-mail, and website syndication capture much of the attention of online retailers, affiliate marketing carries a much lower profile. Still, affiliates continue to play a significant role in e-retailers marketing strategies.