So is affiliate marketing all about discount codes? Well simply, no… partner with the right affiliates through the right networks, utilising functionality that suits your relationship with them then the sky is the limit. Affiliates can be capable of delivering huge quantities of traffic that generates valuable revenue all at rates of commission set to suit your marketing strategy and return on investment (ROI) goals. However in my experience many merchants find when their affiliate marketing is scrutinised the majority of it comes from discount codes. Often these merchants don’t understand affiliate marketing and haven’t invested sufficiently to allow this aspect of their online marketing to flourish or have simply left it to go stagnant. Like everything in business affiliate marketing must be invested in and then maintained if it is going to become a serious part of your strategy.

So are discount codes good or bad for online merchants? This really is impossible to give a general answer. Discount codes can be great for some and terrible for others. They can keep customers coming back to your site time after time and they can also kill off the perception of exclusivity that you have spent so long to building up.

So why should I be concerned about affiliates using discount codes? Well if all affiliates do is provide your customer with a discount on a purchase they were going to make anyway (because the affiliate has a well optimised affiliate discount code site and your sites checkout shows you accept discount codes) then you are potentially giving up valuable revenue unnecessarily!

The important thing to remember is your business needs a marketing strategy that considers all the the relevant factors. Is you aren’t familar with any of the concepts then you should seek advise from someone who is.