Affiliate Marketing Definitions - What is Affiliate Marketing

[Linda Buquet]

I just discovered a new command for G - at least it's new to me and I never knew it was an option.
Use define: to find definitions of terms on the web. Here's what G found for "define:affiliate marketing"

Thought these affiliate marketing definitions may be helful info for some n00bs.

(Also partner, pay for performance, performance-based, referral-based or revenue-sharing marketing) a revenue sharing partnership between a merchant and one or more affiliates, where the affiliate is paid a commission for referring clicks, leads or sales to the merchant website. www.shareresults.com/about_us_glossary.php

Affiliate Marketing is a widespread method of promoting a website, in which an affiliate is rewarded for every visitor, subscriber and/or customer provided through his efforts. It is a modern variation of the practice of paying finder's-fees to individuals who introduce new clients to a business. Compensation may be made based on a certain value for each visit (Pay-per-click), registrant (Pay-per-lead), or a commission for each customer or sale (Pay-per-Sale).
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affiliate_marketing

A risk-free form of advertising in which a company pays its Affiliate partners a commission for sales and/or leads generated through the Affiliates marketing activities. www.webbloom.com/Help_Centre/Glossary/

This is a system of revenue sharing between one site (the affiliate merchant) which features an ad or content designed to drive traffic to another site (the advertiser). The affiliate will receive a fee based on the amount of traffic generated. internetworld365.com/Content/Pages/Glossary.aspx

Affiliate marketing is the use by a Web site that sells products of other Web sites, called affiliates, to help market the products. Amazon.com, the book seller, created the first large-scale affiliate programme and hundreds of other companies have since followed. adoofa.com/services/services_glossary.asp

A system of advertising in which site A agrees to feature buttons from site B, and site A gets a percentage of any sales generated for site B. It can also be applied to situations in which an advertiser may be looking for marketing information, rather than a cash sale. Popular among startups with very small marketing budgets. expedite-email-marketing.com/internet_marketing_glossary_internetmarketingterms definition.htm

Revenue sharing between two web sites. Affiliate site normally provide free advertising for an ecommerce site and compensation is based on performance ie sales, clicks, registrations, or a combination of all. positioning-search-engines.com/glossary.htm

A business relationship with a merchant or other service provider who allows you to link to that business. When a visitor clicks on the link at your site and subsequently makes a purchase from the merchant, you receive a commission based on the amount of the sale, a referral fee or a pay-for-click fee. showtheworld.com/glossary.htm

A system of selling products or services in context over the Internet that allows online merchants to promote their goods or services within the content of tens of thousands of Web sites. Affiliate marketing allows merchants to pay their affiliates based on performance. getrichfree.com/glossary_of_terms.htm

If you find any other good affiliate marketing definitions post them here in the
5 Star AFFILIATE MARKETING FORUM.

[Meg]

Thanks Linda, I too was not aware of what "affiliated marketing" exactly meant. After going through your post, I have a lucid knowledge about it, and now i'll definitely search for more information about it and once I get it i'll make sure to post it here.

[Stephanie Harris]

This will be an especially useful topic for me if it helps me come up with a concrete answer when family and friends ask "what exactly do you DO online? What do you mean affiliate marketing?" There's nothing like stumbling through your own job description so that everyone wonders if you just made up your whole career and you're actually just sitting at home in your pjs all day (which may not be too far from the truth, but doesn't mean we're not still doing that "online thing" while in the pj's

Does anyone else have this problem? How do you describe what you do to non-industry people?

[Linda Buquet]

"There's nothing like stumbling through your own job description so that everyone wonders if you just made up your whole career"

Steph you ALWAYS give me a chuckle! But I know many people have a problem describing what we do. In casual conversation I don't even try to explain affiliate marketing. I just say I have an Internet Marketing company. If they want to know more then I say I do consulting for several online retailers like: and drop some names. If they are family or someone I want to take the time to explain it to and they want to know more I ask if they know what affiliates are. Then I ask if they've ever been on a site that sold books for Amazon. So then I explain thats what affiliates do, sort of like outside sales people online. Then I tell them I facilitate partnerships between merchants and affiliates and help both sides learn to increase revenue online.

BUT the short answer is always just Internet Marketing or Internet Marketing Consultant. That just typically gets big eyes, then a vacant stare and a "that sounds cool."

[James Martell]

To me, affiliate marketing is simply a relationship between two webmasters, -- one who agrees to pay the other, for referred sales or leads.

If someone asks me what I do, I tell them I am a publisher. (and a happy one at that)

[Linda Buquet]

Great definition James! Wish more people really keyed into the relationship part. For far too many I think it's just about money and stats and they don't build on the relationships that could make it even better!

[affiliatetools]

I think Linda That you take affiliate marketing from one side,
Affiliate marketing are salespersons that help their target audience to take decisions about products or services according to their experiences or knowledge. Your readers can know the merchant web site but they do some search to get third party to advice them and make more information about the product taking in consideration that we are using internet and we have not any idea about the merchant.

[HeyLanny]

I think James hit it on the head the best. Affiliate Marketing should become a passion for a product, service and its supplier. The two need to work together.

One meeting the needs of the other with each understanding that they have the same objective but need to use different methods to obtain satisfaction.

You begin with a courtship, develop into an engagement and if it looks like a good relationship it is time to propose.

Many small companies have built on this until they were at the place of a merger.

HeyLanny

[JerseyGirl]

Thanks for the info on the definitions. What I liked best about what you found was the fact that the definitions were plain and simple.

And for the record Stephanie, I have tried everywhich way to explain to non-industry people, (like my family and friends) what it is I do, and still get a blank stare right back.

[Amelie K]

Well now this is helpful, thanks for the affiliate marketing dictionary!