7. Unleashing an Affiliate Force

Affiliate marketing is pure performance advertising. Affiliates are partners who promote your business by linking to your site, and they are paid for the results they achieve. (Amazon.com is an example of a merchant who supports a huge affiliate force.) You pay affiliates for clicks, leads, or sales. Or any combination of these. Who wouldn’t want to pay only for guaranteed results?

Top affiliates are some of the savviest marketers on the Internet.

They have to be. Their success determines their income. They’re battling against your competitors to win consumers’ business for you. And they’re competing against the other affiliates in your program. If affiliates want to eat, and eat well, they must stay on top of ...

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