It is not unusual for the online business world to be seen by many as different, freaky, and even exotic. We ourselves often say that we live in a parallel reality. Yes, it is an environment that works with other rules. But we work with people, so the recommendation, the word of mouth, the live sale always works …
Traffic is your visibility. If there are no people who see your showcase, who visit your website –or wherever you show your proposal–, obviously, your business has a problem. How do those precious visits arrive on the Internet? In 3 ways: as natural traffic (from Google, our social networks …), through paid advertising or because someone recommends us.
When you achieve that visibility, the other two elements of the digital business equation come into play:
- Have a good system for converting visits into customers, that is, a more or less sophisticated sales funnel to show your proposal.
- Offer a product or service that really solves a problem or fulfills a desire or meets a need for those people.
An online business could not exist without these three great axes being well oiled and working. They are the 3 great pillars on which digital entrepreneurs pivot: attract, convert and satisfy .
A piece of the puzzle
We spend the day recommending things to others and receiving recommendations (this or that movie, this or that restaurant…). Affiliate marketing is word of mouth brought to the digital environment and, therefore, plays its part both in providing visibility and in facilitating the conversion to sales.
Technically, affiliation is an action that involves two parties: an owner of a product or service (or info-product) and a collaborator (or affiliate). Between the two there is an exchange of value in which the producer gains visibility (or traffic) thanks to the affiliate and the latter receives financial compensation in return.
Affiliate marketing has been in vogue for years. Think of all the online stores that have grown into niche businesses that are simply “distributors” or “affiliates” of large suppliers (for example, Amazon). Or when you come across a promotion that says (affiliate link) or a banner on a blog. This has been, and is, one of the great business models on the internet.
Affiliate marketing has often been compared to advertising. Both are systems where you “pay for traffic” or “earn a commission promoting someone else’s product.” And both are ultra effective.
But what drives us is a different vision of affiliate marketing . The one that occurs between producers. A relationship in which both parties establish a collaborative relationship with the objective of greater benefit, both for their businesses and for their audiences .
