There are many different types of marketing affiliate programs that businesses offer to consumers. The most common type is through ad placement on a website that sends potential customers directly to the business. An advertiser in this situation would either receive a set payment every time a consumer clicks on the link or get a commission off of sales, depending on the program type. Another type of marketing affiliate program would involve independent salesmen or saleswomen for companies that do not have retail operations.
The most common types of marketing affiliate programs are found on almost every single website in cyberspace. Ads and banners that appear on webpages are normally paid placement spots by businesses that are seeking new customers. Under a pay-per-click program, the revenue earned by the website owner depends on how many visitors he has monthly. Larger companies within certain industries may pay up to $50 US Dollars (USD) per click whenever it generates a qualified lead. On average, advertisers pay anywhere from .05 to $1 USD per click.
Other types of marketing affiliate programs pay advertisers a straight commission whenever consumers make a purchase after clicking on a sponsored link. Different industries pay vastly different percentages, and newer Internet businesses will often pay the highest commissions in order to attract advertisers. These types of affiliate marketing programs have a large impact on an independent website's overall value since some owners can make substantial paychecks from affiliate advertising alone.
Some Internet marketing affiliate programs are fully automated by the major search engines. If a consumer had recently visited an online shoe store, for example, a tracker embedded in other websites could access that information. The software program would then display an advertisement from a shoe store affiliate within its network so that the creator would have a much better chance of making a sale. This type of technology is available for almost any product or service.
Businesses also use various forms of marketing affiliate programs within the real world as well. Instead of hiring employees, many companies instead choose to pay representatives a commission every time they tell a consumer about their product and it leads to a sale. This is especially popular within the prescription drug and wholesale industries; it is sometimes the business's only means of making direct sales. Other companies simply pay associates a set amount for providing qualified leads or contact information for consumers who are likely to buy a certain product.
