Affiliate Marketing is a term that may have many different definitions depending on how it is used. Having worked within the walls of Online Marketing for over 12 years now, let me provide you with some additional insight into what Affiliate Marketing is. Its important to note that when discussing the term Affiliate, I’m specifically talking about online, as opposed to all the Affiliate Marketing that goes on in the offline world.
The classic definition of an “Affiliate” is sales or lead generation driven by an “affiliated party”. The affiliation is generally created by way of an Affiliate Network or finding ways to reach out and work directly with the advertiser. Affiliate Marketing takes many kinds of forms depending on the context that its used.
Affiliate (Publisher): This is an affiliate who either by having a list of his or her own, or by virtue of driving leads through PPC, SEO, or Media buying. Online Marketers, who can drive traffic (or sales), use Affiliates (3rd parties) to drive volume to a third party. In other words, they will market the services of an online advertiser in the hopes of earning a commission from a sale or a lead.
Affiliate (Advertiser): Online Advertisers use these Affiliates as a way to broaden their current media buying efforts outside of their own company. They typically will use an outside service (such as Commission Junction) or software (such as Direct Track) to facilitate the relationship between themselves and the Affiliate.
Affiliate marketing is a quickly growing element of overall online marketing, and growing at a very rapid pace. Understanding the different roles that an Affiliate plays is step one in both understanding this market, and eventually winning in it. I write about all kinds of affiliate related articles at http://www.rebel-marketer.com and I kindly invite you to view my work there.
Scott Rewick