What
is LinkShare, And Do I Need To Use It?
What is LinkShare, And Do I Need To Use It?
Online affiliate marketing is one of the most effective, cheapest
and fastest ways to promote merchandise. With millions of people
getting access to the Internet everyday, there’s a great chance
for a merchant to introduce his products and services to a wider
market, thereby, maximizing his revenue.
Likewise, affiliate marketing is an excellent way to generate full-time
income for a home-based affiliate marketer. For someone who is jaded
of going through a grueling eight-hour work routine, affiliate marketing
offers a great opportunity to earn big without wearing himself out—physically,
mentally and emotionally.
In affiliate marketing, both parties are benefited since as the
merchant earns from each item sold, the marketer likewise earns
a commission.
If you are interested in affiliate marketing but are finding it
hard to look for affiliate programs, affiliates or merchants, you
can start by checking sites of various affiliate networks. Many
affiliate programs in the Internet are being offered through an
affiliate program network, which acts as a link between the merchants
and individual affiliates.
Among the most popular is LinkShare, it is through it that merchants
and affiliates meet. LinkShare maintains and manages affiliate marketing
programs for a great number of merchants with various kinds of businesses,
products and services. It also has over 6,000 affiliate site members
in its network. It gains profit from the set-up fees, monthly account
maintenance fees and commissions.
Joining networks like LinkShare can be of great help in establishing
your online marketing business. Whether you are a merchant or an
affiliate marketer, you need to research well on your partners in
order to choose the best for you.
LinkShare provides the facility of acquiring access to a large
network of advertisers (merchants) who offer their affiliate programs
to publishers (affiliates) who are willing to promote their products.
In the same manner, it gives the merchants access to a large network
of affiliates who are searching for affiliate marketing opportunities.
LinkShare is especially beneficial for an affiliate in choosing
his partners since he can find his options all in one location.
It would be easier for him to compare products, commission rates
and other benefits given by the merchant. The merchant usually just
waits for interested affiliates to sign up in his affiliate marketing
program but being in the network increases his chance to promote
his products to a larger market, thus, maximizing his potential
to gain huge profit.
To help you decide whether to use large affiliate networks such
as LinkShare or not, let us try to look deeper into its positive
and negative sides. The primary advantage of LinkShare to you as
an affiliate is convenience.
As earlier mentioned, you find different pieces of information
about your choices simultaneously all in a single location, so you
save time and effort looking for affiliate programs or merchants.
It’s also easier to track your business partner’s performance
through monthly reports and statements, as well as its sales and
commission rates, so you know whether the affiliate program is still
worth continuing. If you have signed up for several affiliate programs,
you can check all your statistics for each merchandiser you are
affiliated with by logging in just once.
LinkShare helps you manage and maintain all records of your visitors’
click-throughs and sales transaction. It takes care of your commissions
and gives it to you monthly in lump sum. Especially when you have
more than one merchant partner, it would be easier for you to manage
your accounts and track your earnings when you are affiliated through
a marketing program network.
Furthermore, every information you get is accurate and secured,
so you are protected from all the risk you might encounter. Above
all, you can enjoy LinkShare’s benefits for free. You just
have to go to their site and register your website. Instantly, you
get access to a great variety of affiliate programs available for
you.
So, what’s on the negative side? Although, it is indeed helpful
to join affiliate marketing networks such as LinkShare, there are
some disadvantages, too.
For one, merchants offer lower commissions to affiliates who partner
with them through the third party program network. This because
they still have to pay for the use of service and the technology
provided by LinkShare.
Direct partnership with the merchant cuts costs of advertising
through the network and so the affiliate has bigger potential to
earn more. Moreover, it is possible that your payment may be delayed
for a month or more since program networks would pay you only after
the advertiser or the merchant has paid them.
Do you need to use LinkShare or other networks? It depends, actually.
You can opt for direct partnership with the merchant, but this choice
is not applicable all the time. There are a lot of merchandisers
who offer their affiliate program only through affiliate program
networks and thus, you have no choice other than joining the network
to get into the affiliate marketing program.
So you are faced with “take it or leave it” situation.
But LinkShare and other program networks are not that disadvantageous.
After all, whether you join it or not, earning big would depend
more on your promotional strategies and persistence.
About the Author Ramachandra Bhat is
the webmaster and owner of http://www.pushbutton-profit.com.
To learn more about how to make money online, but don't know where
to start?... for solution visit http://www.pushbutton-profit.com/pips.html
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