The "How" Of Affiliate Marketing? You Must Ask The

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I have been reading the "goings and comings" on this hotly debated topic and leaning on my 36 months of observation, research and analysis plus over $4000.00 going down the drain on marketing another person's product ( In fact I mean countless "free to join and promote with your own money programs" ) this is my findings and suggestions on the the matter :

The Post Dot Bomb Era

As reported from the findings of a recent online survey :

""And online sales continued to grow...

Here's one number that made my head spin: According to the
latest eSpending survey, holiday spending in the US came to
a record 15.8 billion dollars in 2003... That's up 37 percent
from the same period last year!""

-- courtesy of Corey Rudl,Internet
Marketing Consultant.

What the above means is that Publishers are now having a "whale of a time" from doing business online in the current climate but the information I need to pin down is, What role did the Affiliate Marketer play in the above scenario ?

How Much Did Affiliates Generate ?

How much of the estimated $15.8 billion dollars in last year's taking were as a response of Affiliate Marketing through programs such as Link Share, Trade Doubler,Icommissions, Commission Junction etc ?

Will somebody enlighten me on the facts concerning the role of the affiliate marketer in the above scenario ?

Also what is the top 100 product in the $15.8 billion turnover in online sales ?

Those product should be the ones that affiliate marketers give their closest attention to in the subsequent year when marketing on behalf of a publisher.

The "WHAT" and "HOW"

Now that we understand "how" to sign up for an affiliate network on the basis that one owns a website or is an E-marketing Promoter, by simply placing a banner or a text link on our website or in an e-mail, Is this the end of the "marketing concept" following which visitors and readers will simply click on the designated link with their credit cards on the ready ?

Have I Got News For You

There are a number of issues to be considered when taking on the challenge of selling someone else's product which should be taken into by every single individuals who joins an Affiliate program...

In order to keep this contribution between 500 - 600 words I will present the remainder under the heading "The "HOW" Of Affiliate Marketing...Pt2"

R.Urien Shaw
http://www.royanopia.co.uk/pro.html
http://www.sygnetipro.bravehost.com
http://www,royanopia.co.uk