Volume Number: 15 Issue Number: 8$ Column Tag: NetProLive@ Becoming an AssociateX by Todd Staufferr %It's more than just Amazon, you know VYou want to make a little money on your Web site, don't you? Many of us do, even if we Zaren't getting the sort of hits that Excite, Netcenter and iVillage are getting on a daily Tbasis. You may have already signed up as an associated for a service like Amazon.com Qor Barnes and Noble's online site, since they've been advertising their associate Rservices for quite some time. But did you know that there are many other associate >services and banner exchange programs that can make you money?›}What It Means to AssociateÙ YBefore we get deep into them let's talk a little about what it means to be associated. In Rmost cases, associate status means you're granted a commission on sales that occur Uthrough some online venue. The idea is for you to creatively and uniquely advertise a Sparticular product or a specific e-commerce site. Take Amazon.com, for instance. In Pthat case, you're asked to advertise particular books on your site, then link to QAmazon.com for the sale. If readers click your link to Amazon, then buy the book, you'll make money. SWhy offer associate programs? Two reasons. First, it's free-to-low-cost advertising Tfor many of these e-commerce sites. After all, they've just convinced you to place a Llink or banner on your site and they haven't promised you a dollar up front. WThe reason this works, though, is that your Web site may be uniquely situated to sell a Tparticular product. If you run a site about health and beauty, for instance, you may Xhave a decent amount of traffic that would be interested in buying cosmetics online. But Wif you're only getting a few hundred unique visitors a day, the e-commerce site doesn't Wreally have time to visit the site, decide on the correct amount of advertising banners Mto buy from you, then check the click-throughs, call you to renegotiate, etc. VIf they offer an associate program, though, then you're responsible for getting signed Oup - they just create the program and track your progress. Like any distributed Lmarketing scheme, the e-commerce site now has hundreds or thousands of sites Upouring thousands or millions of hits into their e-commerce site. In return, they pay Qabout 3-5% in commissions - not bad for what might amount to most of their entire advertising budget.$ WNot that it's a bad deal for you, either. If you don't run a Web site that gets 250,0000 [hits a day - but it's still a good site with a nice design and good info - then you deserve< Sa little action, too. If you repeatedly send buying customers toward the e-commerceH .site, the small kickbacks can start to add up.^ QAre there any rules? Usually each individual program will have stipulations. Somej

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