Many people really do not understand what makes affiliate marketing different from other marketing activities. To really understand it you need to know why (and how) it was created.
The first official affiliate marketing program was launched in 1994. That corresponds with the development of the internet and the need to reach potential customers in a different way. However it is really important to know that affiliate marketing technically did not begin there. It began when marketers and business owners started to understand the power of recommendation.
This kind of marketing is often referred to as “word of mouth”.
That simply means that people who were happy with a product they bought had a tendancy to tell others about it – providing a recommendation. Equally they also have a tendancy to talk about bad experiences too.
Marketers realised this was a very powerful method of getting more sales and there was a huge amount of research done into the hows and whys.
The core feature of why “word of mouth” marketing works is TRUST.
The fact that people tell others they already know about products they like or don’t like is 100% KEY to this method. Marketers refer to this as the KNOW, LIKE & TRUST factor.
In other words, affiliate marketing is all about the relationships that are built between people. It is about understanding INFLUENCE.
If you want to improve your affiliate marketing skills that is where you need to begin. Take the time to learn about influence and you will understand a lot more about how and why affiliate marketing works.
When I was a psychology student I studied influence and will happily pass on that knowledge. In my next blog post I will begin to explain more about the mechanics of influence so you can REALLY understand affiliate marketing.
Let me know below if this is of interest to you…..
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