Business-to-Business Internet Marketing, Fourth Edition - Lifecycle ...

Developing Internet Partnerships 253
based on the particular product purchased. You also get the benefit of
an e-commerce store on your site, along with the legitimacy of the
Amazon brand.
You become an agent or an Internet reseller for Amazon. You need
not fill the order, collect money, or deal with customer service because
Amazon handles all that. Since the company is so good at it, your Web
site visitors have a positive buying experience through your site. It is an
Internet variation of the old drop shipping model used by mail order
companies. A mail order company would offer a product it did not
manufacture and make an arrangement with the manufacturer to ship
the product from its warehouse directly to the customer. The mail order
company, as the middleman, would then bill the customer and pay the
manufacturer.
Affiliate marketing is so uncomplicated and easy for both parties
that it is possible for everybody to be a winner. There is little risk on the
part of either the affiliate program sponsor or the affiliate. Setting up
links is technically simple and inexpensive, and the very nature of the
Web makes these links easily traceable. An affiliate can be as aggressive
or passive as desired in promoting the sponsor’s products. In some cases,
the affiliate’s primary objective may be to enhance a Web site’s service
component, so the added income from the program is just an added
benefit. Other affiliates may be looking for a fast, easy way to get into
e-commerce or improve an established operation by adding an increased
product line.
From the site visitor’s perspective, an affiliate program is an added
benefit. The visitor can now purchase products or services directly from
your site. If those products and services are relevant to your site’s topic
area, then the visitor’s experience is enhanced.
Business-to-Business Affiliate Programs
Affiliate programs were first developed for the business-to-consumer
market, but they have grown dramatically in the b-to-b space. In fact,
the affiliate program model can easily be adapted to meet the needs of
the b-to-b marketer. Suppose you are a marketer of financial services
and you target business prospects. If you were part of the Amazon.com
Associates program or another Internet bookseller’s program, you could
select appropriate books in the financial category and sell them on your