How Does Affiliate Marketing Work?
When you join an affiliate marketing program, you are either given a unique identifying number or name or you choose your own unique identifier. No two people in the same program have the same number or name. Your link is specific to you and you alone.
The program operator then uses this unique identifier to track all the leads/visitors you send to their site. When one of these leads/visitors' purchases “You” are credited with the sale and allocated the percentage commission for that sale. 95% of affiliate programs have reliable tracking systems in place.
When you send a visitor to the program owners’ website, that visitor is “logged” as having been sent to the site via your unique affiliate link, even if they don’t purchase on the first visit, there is a chance that when they return at a later date to purchase, you can still get credited for the sale, this is because most programs use “cookies” to store information about their visitors, as long the visitor you originally sent hasn’t picked another cookie up or deleted/cleared their cookies on their computer you are still credited with the sale for that visitor.
In case you’ve ever wondered, that’s why these big-name marketers always tell you how to delete your cookies before you go to order something they are promoting. They do this for two reasons. One they want to ensure that they get credited for the sale and two, that you get the bonuses they are offering.
All programs work differently and it’s a good idea to try and find out what system your program owner is using. For example, with Clickbank® it is always the last cookie that gets the sale allocated to their account. With others, it can be the first cookie or a cookie that is for a fixed period of time.
All vendors will have guidelines that you must adhere to, make sure you read and understand them. It is no use further down the line saying you weren’t aware of their terms and conditions, most affiliate programs have a box that you tick to say you have read and understood, etc., and all vendors will refuse to pay and will not pay affiliates who do not adhere to their terms.
What are the program vendor’s terms and conditions for payment? Is there a minimum amount you have to earn in commission before they will pay you out? Is this amount achievable?
Is there a minimum criterion you have to meet in order to get paid? For example, Clickbank® has a strict Customer Distribution Requirement that you must meet before you get your first payout.
Is there a need for you to have your own PayPal account? Any vendor using the Rapid Action Profits scripts will not be able to pay you your 100% commission if you do not have a Premier or Business account verified at PayPal.
How will your vendor pay you? Do you need a bank account? Do you need a PayPal Account? Will they direct debit payments to you? How much are they going to charge you to receive your commission? Yes, that’s right! They charge YOU to receive Your Money.
We will discuss various programs in more depth in the next few pages. There is not one that is perfect, but there are some that really are better than others.
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