Deeper Understanding of the Affiliate Marketing Aspect of Digital Marketing

Digital marketing is a broad term that encompasses all marketing efforts that use an electronic device or the internet. Businesses leverage digital channels such as search engines, social media, email, and websites to connect with current and prospective customers.

Digital marketing differs from traditional marketing in that it involves the use of channels and methods that enable an organization to analyze marketing campaigns and understand what is working and what isn't - typically in real time. Digital marketing is the promotion of products or brands through one or more forms of electronic media and differs from traditional marketing in that it involves the use of channels and methods that enable an organization to analyze marketing campaigns and understand what is working and what isn't - typically in real time. Digital marketers monitor things like what is being viewed, how often and for how long, sales conversions, what content works and doesn't work, etc.

Some examples of digital marketing include:

Search Engine Optimization (SEO): The process of optimizing your website to "rank" higher in search engine results pages, thereby increasing the amount of organic (or free) traffic your website receives.

Content Marketing: The creation and promotion of content assets for the purpose of generating brand awareness, traffic growth, lead generation, and customers.

Social Media Marketing: The practice of promoting your brand and your content on social media channels to increase brand awareness, drive traffic, and generate leads for your business.

Pay-Per-Click (PPC): A method of driving traffic to your website by paying a publisher every time your ad is clicked. One of the most common types of PPC is Google AdWords.

Email Marketing: Companies use email marketing as a way of communicating with their audiences. Email is often used to promote content, discounts, and events, as well as to direct people toward the business's website.

Influencer Marketing: A type of marketing that focuses on using key leaders to drive your brand's message to the larger market. Influencers can be well-known celebrities, but more often they are Instagram or YouTube personalities with a huge niche following who can help spread the word about your business or product through their social channels.

Digital Advertising: Digital advertising is a broad term used to describe the paid advertising that publishers put on their websites and mobile applications to enable them to provide you content and services for free. Some examples of digital advertising include banner ads, pop-up ads, and video ads.

Mobile Marketing: Mobile marketing refers to marketing activities undertaken on mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets. Mobile marketing can provide customers with time and location sensitive, personalized information that promotes goods, services, and ideas.

Digital marketing is a constantly evolving field, and new technologies and strategies emerge regularly. It's essential for businesses to have a strong understanding of the most current digital marketing techniques and tools to remain competitive in the digital landscape.

But there is one more avenue of digital marketing which continues to be somewhat controversial...

Affiliate Marketing: a type of performance-based marketing where a business rewards one or more 'affiliates' for each visitor or customer brought by the affiliate's marketing efforts.

The affiliate marketing industry has four core players: the merchant (also known as 'retailer' or 'brand'), the network (that contains offers for the affiliate to choose from and also takes care of the payments), the publisher (also known as 'the affiliate'), and the customer.

In affiliate marketing, the affiliate earns a commission for generating a sale, lead, or click-through to the merchant's website. Affiliates often use a variety of marketing techniques such as SEO, paid search, email marketing, content marketing, and display advertising to promote the merchant's products or services. Affiliates can be individuals or companies.

The most common types of affiliate marketing programs include:

• Pay-Per-Sale (PPS): The affiliate receives a commission for each sale made as a result of their marketing efforts. The commission amount can be fixed or a percentage of the sale.
• Pay-Per-Lead (PPL): The affiliate receives a commission for each lead they generate for the merchant. This could be a sign-up for a newsletter, a trial of a service, or any other action that the merchant deems valuable.
• Pay-Per-Click (PPC): The affiliate receives a commission for each click they generate on the merchant's website. This can be a flat fee per click or a percentage of the merchant's advertising revenue generated from the click.
• Pay-Per-Call (PPCall): The affiliate receives a commission for each phone call they generate for the merchant. This is often used in industries like insurance or financial services where a phone call is a valuable lead.

➜ There are also free to use search engines like OfferVault that make it easy to find various affiliate programs like described above spanning various different niches. 

Affiliate marketing is a popular way for businesses to increase sales and leads without having to invest in traditional advertising channels. It allows merchants to leverage the marketing efforts of others to reach a wider audience and drive more sales. 

And what most people do not realize is just how many major well known established companies use affiliate marketing as a revenue stream...

Here are the top 5 major companies that utilize affiliate marketing as a revenue stream, but are not primarily focused on the affiliate marketing niche itself like many online business opportunities:

1. Apple: Apple offers an affiliate program called the Apple Services Performance Partners Program. Affiliates can earn commissions by promoting Apple services such as Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple News+, and more.
2. TripAdvisor: TripAdvisor offers an affiliate marketing program called the TripAdvisor Affiliate Program. Affiliates can earn commissions by promoting hotel bookings, flights, vacation rentals, and other travel-related services through their unique affiliate links.
3. Walmart: Walmart operates an affiliate marketing program called the Walmart Affiliate Program. Affiliates can earn commissions by promoting Walmart products and generating sales with their unique affiliate links.
4. Target: Target also offers an affiliate marketing program called the Target Affiliate Program. Affiliates can earn commissions by promoting Target products and generating sales using their unique affiliate links.
5. Best Buy: Best Buy has an affiliate marketing program called the Best Buy Affiliate Program. Affiliates can earn commissions by promoting Best Buy products and generating sales via their unique affiliate links.

SIDENOTE: It's also a cost-effective way for affiliates to monetize their online presence and earn passive income. 

Let's take a deeper dive into this world with our friend and guest instructor Marcus Campbell who will clear the controversy... 

Click Here for Marcus's Notes

Now do you see how these major corporations -as well as everyday people- are using affiliate marketing? This is a very legitimate business model which you might want to consider especially if you do not care to dive down the rabbit hole of creating your own products then testing them til exhaustion and bankruptcy before it actually makes a profit! 

💡One not so well known place where you can find excellent consumer products to promote as an affiliate is the M4trix marketplace. There are cool tech gadgets, as seen on Tv type stuff, and lots more to choose from - Promote well and Prosper!