One of the questions in the recent Affiliate Marketing Census was ‘how do you describe what you do to friends and family?’.

I don’t know whether the responents to this were full-time professionals, or the 50% who made less than £500 in 2006, but here are a few choice examples:

• “Akin to a pippa dee (or Anne Summer party without the underwear and scary bits of buzzing plastic) where you swap your house for your website.”
• “Like wearing a sandwich board offering directions and charging the destination for pointing people there.”
• “Admitting you’ve put any kind of advertising/marketing on to sites such as mine is a bit like admitting to Auntie Gladys over tea that you’re an experienced bondage porn star.”
• “I say I’m the Avon Lady. I take a commission for selling stuff.”
• “A goldmine.”
• “Pimping other companies’ products for cash.”

It seems Affiliate Marketing has something of an image problem. The press release about AOL’s recent offer for TradeDoubler, one of the UK’s largest Affiliate Networksmade no mention of affiliate marketing, instead describing them as a “European provider of online marketing and sales solutions”. Whilst this is most likely a reflection of TD’s aspirations in the wider online media world, it does continue a theme of poor understanding of the channel.

This isn’t surprising though. In my own affiliate efforts I use most of the online marketing tactics including SEO, PPC, email, and on occasionaly running affiliate programmes of my own which generate traffic which I then push, you guessed it, into other affiliate programmes.

It’s a bit like a shopping list that reads

• Apples
• Pears
• Oranges
• Fruit

The point is that for a company wanting to gain more business Affiliate Marketing isn’t a tool, it’s a way of managing your marketing partners. Typically this is on a performance only basis, with the affiliate being awarded the possibility of uncapped earnings in return for freedom over the risks and efforts they put in.

My favourite analogy is of a “commission only salesforce”. Most marketing managers eyes light up when I mention this, but experienced sales managers know different. A sales force needs motivation, training, good products at keen prices to promote, feedback on their efforts, solid marketing materials to provide a professional image, brand advertising running in parallel to create awareness, the list goes on. Don’t try to get your commissioned sales force to do your brand advertising, don’t delay payment on their commissions, don’t ever try to pull any sort of ‘fast-one’ or they will walk, and let their colleagues know why they’re walking too.

Whatever the likes of TradeDoubler may tell you about how affiliates can help build your brand, don’t ask an affilaite on a commission only structure to do that for you, they’ll just laugh. This can be a nice side effect, but that’s all.

When I describe my affiliate activities to friends and family it’s all about leads & sales.

“I drive visitors to website to buy their products and services, and I get paid a commission for it.”

Maybe it’s time affiliate marketing was moved away from marketing into the sales channel?