Affiliate Marketing is the association of an individual with either a business or service/s. The individual promotes a product or service generating traffic to the business holder's website.
The affiliate’s objective is to drive internet traffic to the vendor to obtain a sale.  Once a sale takes place the affiliate earns a commission which is predetermined  between the affiliate and the vendor.

Referral Marketing is a very common method of generating traffic to an individual's website. There are many forms of referral marketing used on the internet today proving to be a very effective advertising method. With the outpour of forums, social networking and blogs, referral marketing has risen to new heights. These such avenues provide an individual or group to effectively advertise their product or service for minimal or no cost. This is also known as 'word-of-mouth' advertising. Referrers are rewarded by way of a points system or cash for obtaining referrals. Affiliate marketers are able to promote their desired product/service without owning their own website.

Affiliate Programs are programs designed by a business or company to sell products. The program differs with each business but essentially they have the same goal and that is to sell their product. The seller/s builds a program fitted out with different resources to provide affiliate marketers the necessary tools and materials enabling them to better promote their business. The tools commonly provided with affiliate programs are splash pages, text ads, banner ads, pre-written emails, pop-up windows and pop-under windows all revealing the sales pitch. The seller provides the affiliate incentives to gain as many referrals to boost their potential income.

Social Network Sites are taking the internet by storm. Social networking sites are a way to keep in touch with people who share the same interests as you from all around the world. People of like minded or related issues can connect and converse about any topic they feel like sharing or raising. Facebook, MySpace, Bebo are all social network sites. Businesses and companies are all jumping on board which has revolutionised the way advertising campaigns are being promoted. These companies are able to connect and interact with people from all around the world giving a more personalised service. Businesses encourage affiliate marketers to join social network groups as it is a cost effective source of 'spreading the word'. Another popular social network site is Squidoo, designed for people looking for information. Some business entrepeneurs have studied social networking behaviours and to their credit have been able to write books on this topic. For more information visit....Squidoo Secrets.