Affiliate marketing remains to be a renowned marketing strategy, both for publishers and advertisers. In simple terms, affiliate marketing is described as an agreement between a site owner and a merchant. The affiliate (website owner), promotes the merchant’s products and services on his website or through other media such as email marketing. In return, the affiliate receives a commission for every sale generated through his link. Here are the top 3 reasons why affiliate marketing is great.
Cost-Effective and Low-Risk
Many businesses have embraced the concept of affiliate marketing because of its cost-effectiveness. Contrary to other forms of advertising, the merchant only pays the affiliate once he delivers results. These results are determined by various parameters such as a sale, click-through or lead. Affiliate marketing is also ideal for small startups since it is a low-risk investment.
With other types of advertising, one would be required to pay the costs upfront with no guarantee of measurable results. With affiliate marketing, you only incur an expense when a purchase is made. This is to mean that your investment always earns you a considerable return.
Brand Exposure
One of the secrets to a successful advertising program is brand visibility. Affiliate marketing allows you to market your product or services on hundreds of websites giving you the ultimate brand exposure. An increase in brand visibility translates to increased revenue.
Moreover, affiliate marketing benefits merchants by offering targeted prospects. Most affiliates only market the products and services, which are likely to appeal to their site visitors. The affiliate understands his audience, therefore, he takes offers that are best suited for them. For the merchant, this means that your product is advertised to a relevant demographic.
Easy Tracking and Transparency
With affiliate marketing, merchants can track the progress of their marketing strategy. It is achieved by assessing the purchases made, click-through rates and page views among other parameters. By monitoring the performance of your campaign, you can identify the areas to invest in more efficiently.
Affiliate marketing offers a win-win situation for the merchant and affiliate. Merchants get to enjoy a wider market to advertise their products or services. Besides, this platform gives you direct access to your target audience.
On the other hand, affiliates can quickly make immense profits. Typically, you can generate income without incurring any production costs or inventory expenses. The best part is that you can join most affiliate programs for free – hence, you do not have to pay for startup costs.