Affiliate programs?

[jjblond]

I am new to all of this and just to trying to muddle my way through everything. .

My question is: Are the affiliate programs for people who have a website and want to be an affiliate for ( say toyrus?) or are they programs for people who have something to sell and want affiliates to help sell their product. ? or both??

Thanks for you help and sorry for the simplicity of the question.
Just trying to figure things out.

-J

 

[Larwee]

jjblond, here is a link to a 5 Star thread that covers this in great detail. Read it and I am sure everything will become very clear to you http://affiliate-marketing-forums.5...wbie-affiliate-forum/6774-what-affiliate.html

 

[jjblond]

Thanks

Your link did help. Thank you for your help.
To make sure I understand correctly.
If somebody is going to have a website and be an affiliate for multiple merchants.
They would need a website and affiliate software to help manage/operate their website and affiliates.

Would the software help keep track of all customers who link through your page to the merchants? That is.. would the program set up the sign-in page, etc, and keep track of everything.
The thought can get a little overwhelming. ( or it is just getting late for me! )

 

[Linda Buquet]

Hi Jaime

Welcome to 5 Star. It can be a little hard to wrap your mind around at 1st.
Affiliate programs are for both sides of your 1st question, but in your 2nd post you are getting the 2 confused somewhat.

"If somebody is going to have a website and be an affiliate for multiple merchants. They would need a website and affiliate software to help manage/operate their website and affiliates."

The merchant is the one that needs the affiliate software (or an affiliate network) to manage and track affiliate activity. You the affiliate don't need affiliate tracking software.

NOW I'm going to keep this very simple. There are tons of options and it can get much more complicated than this but in VERY simple terms...

Your main job is to get traffic and send it to the merchant through the affiliate links they give you. The merchants tracking software tracks impressions, clicks and sales. You log into the merchants software to view your impressions, clicks and sales.

Hope this helps and best of luck!

 

[jjblond]

Thank you for your reply. I am so grateful this forum!


I want to make sure I understand completely.. you stated:
"If somebody is going to have a website and be an affiliate for multiple merchants. They would need a website and affiliate software to help manage/operate their website and affiliates."

Okay that seems simple enough, but if...
You log into the merchants software to view your impressions, clicks and sales. , then...

Does the affiliate website need software or do they just go through the merchants software. Or do they use both?
Does the affiliate software manage/ operate their website and then they log into the merchants software to view the impressions, clicks and sales.

So I am thinking:
The affiliate has a website and affiliate software. They log into the merchants software to view impressions, clicks and sales. This information is transfered back to the affiliates software to be managed and organized.

I hope I am understanding this. It is hard to be new to all this and ask questions that are so obvious to everybody else, but I am very motivated to do this and want to absorb as much information as possible and make sure I understand everything.

Thanks again for all your patience and understanding. It is a great thing that you do!!!

 

[Larwee]

You misunderstood.

The following that you saw was just a quote of what you said: "If somebody is going to have a website and be an affiliate for multiple merchants. They would need a website and affiliate software to help manage/operate their website and affiliates." But the actual statement that you made is not correct.

As an affiliate you do NOT need any software. Everything is handled by the merchant or affiliate network. They handle the tracking and make reports available that you can read. No software is needed by the affiliate.

 

[jjblond]

I tell you!!! I should have drank my coffee before posting this morning!!
( now you guys know what my husband deals with on a daily basis!! haha)

Okay. So.....

I dont need any of the affiliate software, unless I am the merchant( which I am not), sooo...

Get the website, get affiliate links and then just go!

I am sure I will have more questions later, but they would require different posts!!
Thanks again for all your help.

 

[Larwee]

You have it right now.