To become an affiliate manager, you will need to develop an understanding of Internet marketing and affiliate programs as well as various types of social media. While some employers may want you to earn a degree in business or Internet marketing, you may be able to receive training as an affiliate manager on the job. In some cases, affiliate management companies may be able to assist you in your quest to become an affiliate manager by offering proprietary training programs that you can attend to learn more about affiliate management.
Affiliate marketing programs provide companies with a low risk way to market their goods and services online by partnering with website owners. The website owners run advertising for the advertiser. The advertiser only pays the website owner for results: Typically this means that the website owner receives a commission on the sale of any goods or services sold through advertisements posted on his site. To become an affiliate manager, one will need to learn how to recruit website owners who are willing to participate in a companies affiliate program as well as manage his employer's relationships with these website owners.
If you want to become an affiliate manager, you will want to get a job with the company that does significant business on the Internet. It is a good idea to have a history in working with online retail as well is at least some basic understanding of web coding, design and graphics. While you may not be responsible for actually managing website content, having some knowledge of how your company's website and e-commerce service works can be a big help when working with affiliate management programs. Your employer may be willing to send you to continuing education classes that can train you in affiliate marketing.
Some companies manage their own affiliate programs, this can require a lot of work for an affiliate manager but can also save the company a considerable amount of money in commissions and fees paid to third-party affiliate management programs. If you become an affiliate manager for a company that prefers to keep its program in-house, work to develop your management and negotiation skills. This is important because you will typically be required to work with various departments within your company in order to keep your affiliate program running smoothly. For example, you will need to work with the IT department to ensure that the affiliate enabled shopping cart works properly and with the accounting department to make sure that all of your affiliates are paid in a timely fashion.