Affiliate marketing question(s) for a beginner. Experts please help if can.?
1. Once I put a “link” to the product on my blog website, do I earn commission for each product that is sold or just the first one?
2. My web site is unknown. How do I attract an audience?
3. Why do I need to go through a 3rd party affiliate network like clickbank or commission junction in order to promote products? Do they take part of your commission away? Can’t I just work directly with the vendors?
Thank you 
1) Normally, you will earn commission from every sale of a product that comes through your link. The affiliate network, whether it's clickbank or CJ or shareasale or whomever, will send you checks on a published schedule for your sales. Nice thing is - that's ALL you have to do. You don't need to turn in orders, handle money and payments and orders - just cause traffic and sales through your site.
2) You'll need to get your site known. One way is to answer questions here and on other forums and include in your profile or your posts, your signature box, including the address of your website. IMPORTANT: When you answer questions, give the best answer you know how to give, and as thorough as you know how, because you want people to know that you KNOW what you're talking about. Then, they will possibly want to know more and click on your site. So, it's good for you AND it's good for them..
3) As I mentioned in answer #1, by going through the affiliate network, you don't have to deal with anything except marketing of your website that has the links to the product. If you deal directly with the product provider, (which you CAN DO), then you have to be responsible to the provider for your orders, collections of money and payments, refunds, etc., etc., and so on.
The small amount the networks charge before your commission is WELL WORTH it to you, as you do your job and they just send you money.
While you can deal directly with the product provider, some of them won't deal with you because you're unknown and - frankly, may not pay for goods ordered, or follow through and deliver to your customer. The affiliate network makes sure there aren't problems either with you getting your money, or with the customer getting his/her product.
It's a very, very good system, and I've been using it for several years.
powered by Yahoo Answers
December 31st, 2008 at 11:20 am
1. It depends on the affiliate deal you've got. Some will give you a commission as long as the visitor has the cookie saying they visited your site first on their computer. Figure a few weeks for them.
2. Could write a book about that. Actually did. But focus on writing cool stuff. Get on Plurk or Twitter and make some friends. Do a little PPC if you can afford it.
3. They do take part of the commission away. But working directly with vendors is a royal pain. You'll have to work out a full affiliate agreement, etc. with them. Unless you have a lot of traffic, I'd hold off. Someday when you're getting 10,000 visits an hour you can negotiate your own deals
References :
Ian Lurie
http://www.conversationmarketing.com