Marketing an affiliate program is an ideal business. There is no physical product to handle so you don’t need carry a supply of the product you sell. Therefore, your inventory costs are zero! You don’t have the hassles of dealing with the public. The merchant deals with all customer issues such as, inquiries, fulfillment (mailing out product), and refunds. And last, but not least, you are not tied down. My articles, websites, blogs, ads, and banners continue to work just as hard regardless of whether I’m at my computer or on vacation.

So, what exactly is an affiliate program? An affiliate program is a method of making money on the Internet. You register as an affiliate with a company (called the merchant) that provides a product for sale. There is usually no charge to register. Your only job is to refer people to the merchant’s website. Each time one of your visitors buys a product from the merchant, you collect a commission. The merchant is responsible for developing the product, negotiating the actual sale (through their website), handling the payment collection, sending out the product, and handling any problems. Your commission can vary according to the merchant and product but generally ranges between 30% and 75% of the sale price. You do not need a merchant account, nor do you need to have any sort of checkout procedure or shopping cart. Your only responsibility is to send people to the merchant’s website, they take care of the rest.

You don’t even need a website to participate, although it is an advantage if you have one. You can refer visitors to the merchant’s website through blogs, ads, forums, user groups, or email. You are only limited by your imagination. Do not, however, use spam to generate visitors! That is a sure way to get banned from affiliate participation, and possibly be prosecuted under the law.

Most people start out making money on the Internet through affiliate programs. One of the most appealing features of an affiliate program is how quickly you can begin to make money. Once you sign up as an affiliate, you can start making money right away! It is the easiest, cheapest, and quickest method to ramp up an Internet business.