Do you know what your strong suits are? Have you experimented with different methods of affiliate marketing? Do you have access to a CPA Network or affiliate marketing platform that provides you with multiple avenues for which to pursue success in affiliate marketing? Or do you, as is often the case, have but one option in front of you where a network offers you a commission for selling something and nothing else.

What I’m really asking is whether you have options to succeed as an affiliate marketer. There are, in fact, many sub-divisions within the world of affiliate marketing but not every affiliate network provides you with access to the various tools and offers that allow you  to test these different sub-divisions out. Let’s take a look at a few of these options and describe how they appeal to different skill sets. Who knows, when you’re done reading, you may end up re-thinking your strategy.

Pay per click, or PPC, marketing requires that a user click on an advertisement in order for that ad to generate revenue. This form of marketing is primarily used as a

promotional method for those working with an affiliate network (Cost Per Click would be the equivalence for an advertiser). With PPC, the affiliate would promote a CPA offer (cost per action – pays a set amount when a user takes an action such as a purchase, completing a survey etc) offer by purchasing traffic on a pay per click basis. The primary idea here is to generate more revenue from the offer you promote than you spend promoting it. This can also be viewed as arbitrage. Having a strong understanding of marketplace data is important as it will allow you to select the appropriate offer and pair it with a vertical where there is a positive value equation. An ability to track, manage and analyze financial or statistical data is critical here.

Content Locking is a type of affiliate marketing that is performed by barring access to specific content and requiring that a user interact with an advertisement before moving forward. Content Locking is often referred to as pay per download (PPD), file locking or link locking. Conceptually, they are all the same. In any case, a good CPA network should provide you with a variety of options that range from a landing page creator to control over how your content locker behaves. As a marketer, you would benefit from understanding trends within the market place and being creative. If you can understand what is in high demand and deliver it, users are likely to complete offers on your content locker in exchange for access to the restricted content. If you are creative, you can create high quality content that entices users to complete an offer.

An affiliate marketing paltform should also have the ability to provide you with access to lead generation offers. Although the term “lead” can apply to a vast majority of things, it is narrowed to describe specific verticals when we associate it with lead generation. Lead generation refers to offers that cover spaces like auto insurance, home insurance, mortgages, loans and all other financial instruments. While many skills can help in the world of lead generation, many successful marketers tend to be skilled at search engine optimization (SEO) and are able to create a portal site that leads to specific offers. If this sounds like something you’re good at, you may want to look deeper within your affiliate marketing platform to find lead generation offers.

Traditional CPA Marketing tends to cover CPA offers and promotional methods that are not in any one specific sub category. CPA marketing is rather inclusive and is generally understood to imply that incentivizing users to interact with the ad is not allowed (that is reserved for Content Locking and associated methods). If you’re working with a CPA network then you’re already engaged in this type of marketing.

The above list is by no means an inclusive of all affiliate marketing sub categories or the skill sets that you require in order to succeed. However, the idea here is to stimulate thought and encourage you to explore whether the different categories within affiliate marketing. An affiliate network with options is one that allows you to grow as a marketer. At CPAlead, we’re very proud to be recognized as a leading affiliate marketing platform that delivers multiple options and opportunities to our users. Remember, you can’t find the right fit if you aren’t willing to explore different options!