Vetting Affiliates

[mandy]

Online entrepreneurs usually have several goals in mind for their businesses. Perhaps they're looking to reach an untapped market, thereby bringing an existing product to a new audience. Or maybe they're trying to bring some sort of convenience to consumers. The bottom line, however, is that e-tailers want to make money. And, if they can do so without a significant output of resources, all the better.

That's where affiliate programs come in to play. No doubt you've heard about affiliates, but if you're still not quite sure what, exactly, one is, or how it can boost your bottom line, it's pretty easy to get up to speed. Affiliate programs (which are also sometimes referred to as affiliate marketing and associate programs) provide online businesses with rewards and incentives — generally monetary — for sales and customers their efforts provide. In short, it's a commission system.

For example, perhaps you own a Web shop that sells wine. You could team up with another site, which would be your affiliate, that sells corkscrews, wine glasses and decanters. After working the details out with the affiliate, you'd add a link to the affiliate's site from your own. In this case, every time a visitor to your site clicks that link and purchases a corkscrew from the affiliate site, you get a cut of the proceeds...

full article: http://www.ecommerce-guide.com/solutions...hp/3681776