Online marketers can sell their own products but with affiliate marketing, third party products are sold. Affiliate marketers, often referred to as affiliates, match buyers with sellers and do this often via online media channels. Even though affiliates present products from others, the road to these sales can be distinct. Therefore, some affiliates first sell their own product and then make an upsell to an affiliate product, where others simply focus on the promotion of products from others.
The questions whether affiliates have to sell their own products online depends on the products the affiliate plans to promote. The most successful affiliates operate in markets they know a lot about. As such, they can easily provide information and answers to the most appropriate questions consumers may have. Targeting of the right market is easier for those who know and understand the market. This is mainly because potential buyers feel comfortable with those who have the answers to their questions.
Affiliate marketers may consider creating their own information marketing product. Such products contain insider knowledge to achieve specific goals. Several information marketing products contain both information as well as an external toolkit. This toolkit may contain affiliate products from third parties. This way, competition is little and promotion of third party products is easier.