It is well known in today’s market that affiliate marketing is a dynamic online marketing home-based business venture which many aspiring marketers are taking hold of. This is a vibrant advertising strategy in this digital era to promote brands, businesses and markets.

The success of affiliate marketing is highly felt by business owners, marketers and consumers alike. This marketing strategy revolutionizes marketing concept with more attractions and benefits to its executor. More dynamic marketing approaches could be adopted at lower cost with higher returns. Prime ad space on other sites could be procured at a highly attractive cost instead of being restricted to one’s own website.

Phenomena of Affiliate Marketing
Any product could be advertised on the Internet by several categories of interested parties; the first is known as the advertiser; the second is called the affiliate marketer; the third is the network professional. Different roles in affiliate marketing impact the final outcomes of the business and brand for each party.

The interesting aspect of affiliate marketing is its unique phenomenon of different categories of people involved in its eventual success. Although the advertiser could procure other means or channels to promote its products or services, the established and reputed network proves to be the best choice in the market.

The Advertiser
The first party of interest in affiliate marketing is the advertiser; this is the company which is primarily responsible for searching out relevant websites to promote products and services for sales and profits. The advertiser in affiliate marketing could also display product ads on its own business, website or blog site, but this could restrict the volume of web traffic to boost sales and profits.

A dynamic advertiser would seek out other potential or viable means of marketing to promote its products and services more prominently to reach a wider scope of market. This would lead to an increased in web traffic from unexpected sources or channels that would boost sales and profits.

The advertiser is concerned with establishing the business brand in the market by casting its marketing net as far and wide as possible to gain a wider scope in brand visibility. This would require extra resources and support from various quarters without incurring too much cost in its marketing budget.

The advertiser has a very important role in the success of affiliate marketing. A good understanding of affiliate marketing is necessary before a proper implementation could be adopted for a successful execution. The affiliate advertiser must be insightful on the potentials of the products or services to be promoted in order to attract the right support in the market.

The Affiliate
Affiliate marketing requires strong support from dynamic and skilled marketers who understand the goals and objectives of the business. Such marketers are passionate and experienced in identifying the market conditions and consumer demands to grasp the market trends and sentiments. It is these affiliate marketers who are highly proactive in promoting the product or service into the market and turn the tide against the brand or business.

Affiliate marketers are actually website owners, bloggers or publishers who could assist in promoting the specific products and services more effectively than the advertisers. This is achieved through the advertising of products and services in the prime space at their web sites. Hence, the affiliate website is a highly effective or influential advertising tool for advertisers who appoint these affiliate marketers to the advertising task for any product or service rendered by the company.
The affiliate marketer plays a very important role in the success of affiliate marketing because web traffic could be directed to the advertiser’s website with a higher conversion rate and higher sales on targeted products and services promoted on the affiliate sites.

The Affiliate Marketing Network
The third crucial party in affiliate marketing is the network provider who offers a supportive platform that is common to both the advertiser and the affiliate in their quest for a successful affiliate marketing endeavor. The affiliate marketing network provider acts as a mediator between the other two parties in this online business venture where a cordial relationship should be encouraged and maintained.

Every aggressive company would have its own dynamic website which may draw in limited web traffic to its shores. Indulging into affiliate marketing for more traffic requires the advertiser to seek out a professional affiliate marketing network provider who has more resources, creativity and experience in monitoring the market response towards the affiliate products or services to be promoted by the affiliate marketer.

The affiliate marketing network provider is normally highly reputed in the industry and market to enjoy a higher market status with a wide following. This is useful in attracting potential business leads to the advertiser’s website when the latter is seen to be associated with the former through affiliate marketing.

Advertisers and affiliates need to synergize with good teamwork via the selected or appointed affiliate marketing network provider. A small service fee may be incurred but this is a worthy investment where professional services are offered to ensure a healthy cooperation for greater marketing success.

The affiliate marketing network provider offers viable marketing and advertising counsel which proves impactful on the business operations and outcomes. This would ensure that advertisers would receive higher web traffic to their sites through the apt display locations of their ads.

The affiliate marketing network also functions to crosscheck web traffic from one affiliate site to the targeted site for maximum web traffic flow to the advertiser site.

Conclusion
A good ad which is well placed in the market usually captures and captivates targeted niche markets to boost the company’s image and position in the marketplace. It may be that different sources of assistance may be required to enhance the success rate of the marketing campaigns of the advertiser.

This would require the enlistment of affiliate marketers and affiliate marketing networks with their respective skills, experiences and resources to boost sales and profits as well as brand building and image visibility in the market.

NordVPN Review
Over recent years, VPN has gone from nerdy obscurity to a widely accepted tool for online anonymity and data encryption. The rise in demand has led to a broad range of available services, varying in speed, strength of security, ease of use, and supported platforms.

Generally speaking, VPN products allow users to secure their internet data shared through public networks, ensure their web activity remains private and help bypass geographic content restrictions online. They differ from proxies, which hide IP addresses but do not encrypt data, therefore still exposing users to potential surveillance and hacking. VPN products create encrypted “tunnels” between users’ computers and host servers, giving much more robust protection from various kinds of online threats.

Some vendors take the basic VPN service and take it to the next level by adding extra layers of functionality, incorporating additional web security services and presenting outstanding usability. NordVPN stands firmly in this camp. Among its many features, you can find a huge network of servers optimized for specific purposes, an automatic kill switch in case of connection interruptions, a double encryption option, and a DNS leak resolver. On top of that, NordVPN has a strict no-log policy, facilitated by being located in Panama, which has no mandatory data retention laws.

Highlight features:
● 790 servers in 57 countries (updated weekly)
● No data logging
● Up to 6 simultaneous connections
● Automatic kill switch
● Ultra secure encryption (OpenVPN, SSTP, PPTP, L2TP/IPsec, and IKEv2/IPsec protocols)
● Compatible with most operating systems, including Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and Linux
● P2P sharing allowed
● Double data encryption for increased anonymity
● Onion over VPN servers
● Unlimited bandwidth
● 24/7 customer support
● Accepts major credit cards, PayPal, Paysera, Webmoney, and Bitcoin
● Dedicated IPs available on request
● Free security extras (encrypted chat, secret notes, and a selection of proxies)
● 30 day money-back guarantee

Installation & Interface

Once you create an account, further setup is a simple download-and-install process. The company’s website provides a comprehensive set of download links and tutorials for all supported operating systems and devices.

The NordVPN client for Windows is an elegant, lightweight application that lets you select servers by country or by connection type. After choosing a suitable server, you can simply tap on the connection button at the top to connect. Overall, it’s a great client for new VPN users who want security and anonymity without complicated settings and configurations.

Servers & Locations

NordVPN has servers in 57 countries around the world. Some of these locations include the United States, Canada, Brazil, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, Lithuania, Russia, South Africa, Singapore, and Australia.

Depending on your needs, you can choose ultrafast servers for streaming video content or using P2P networks, Double VPN or Tor-over-VPN connections for enhanced anonymity, Anti DDoS servers to avoid denial-of-service attacks, or just any regular server to hide your IP address, encrypt your communications, and prevent anyone from tracking your online activity.

Privacy & Security

NordVPN keeps neither usage nor session logs. The only data NordVPN gathers about users is their email address, username, and payment information. Using an anonymous email and payment provider like Bitcoin, which NordVPN accepts, in combination with Tor-over-VPN and double encryption options, even the most security-conscious users can feel thoroughly protected.

For those who mostly care about security, NordVPN recommends OpenVPN and IKEv2/IPsec encryption protocols. OpenVPN is the default option in NordVPN’s Windows and Android apps, using the military-grade 2048-bit SSL encryption, while the even more secure IKEv2/IPsec is the latest addition to the company’s security protocol family, set as default for iOS and Mac OS apps. It uses 3072-bit encryption and the Perfect Forward Secrecy system, which generates a unique private encryption key for each session.

Windows users may find the SSTP protocol the most stable, but it hasn’t been independently audited and is therefore advisable to use at your own risk. The PPTP and L2TP/IPSec protocols are older and far less secure, so they should be used only when security is not the primary concern or when the newer protocols are not supported on older hardware.

The NordVPN service also prevents unencrypted queries from DNS servers with a special DNS leak resolver tool, which makes sure all queries are secure and protected.

Performance

The biggest concern with VPN services is how much it will affect your browsing experience. To test this, we used the Ookla speed-testing service while connected to a Wi-Fi network. Connecting to the server closest to us geographically produced a rather insignificant drop in the download and upload speed.

Then we experimented with a few random European servers, getting mixed results ranging from around 5 Mbps to the record 50.14 Mbps on one of the Swiss servers, which was actually higher than our download speed with no VPN.

As expected, the download speed on US servers was noticeably lower due to the geographical distance, averaging around 2 Mbps. However, there is a selection of faster servers optimized for streaming, which deliver better results. If you are simply browsing the web, you will notice little to no performance degradation. You can also try a few tricks to increase the VPN speed, such as adjusting your encryption level or switching from Wi-Fi to wired connection.

Website & Support

NordVPN has a stylish and well laid out website, providing a wealth of information on product features, pricing plans, available servers, and customer support. The company offers 24/7 live chat support, email support, and a ticket submission system.

The website also offers a number of free extra tools such as encrypted chat, web proxies, and even a special YouTube proxy, which allows watching all YouTube videos without any location-specific restrictions.

Pricing

A one-year subscription to NordVPN costs $69, which is merely $5.75 per month–one of the best deals on the market, considering the added security features and service usability. Monthly billing is more expensive and will cost you $11.95 per month, but there is also a reasonable compromise option of six-months subscription for $42 ($7 per month).

All plans provide unlimited bandwidth on up to six devices, including smartphones, tablets, and even routers. If you protect your home router, it covers all devices connected to it, freeing up the remaining five connections for other locations. All for as low as $5.75 per month.

Verdict

To conclude the review, we are seriously impressed with the power and efficiency of NordVPN’s services. Straightforward enough for beginners and offering enough solid features for the most security-conscious users, it is truly one of the best VPN products on the market.

When you start learning about internet marketing, you’ll find that there are a lot of different subjects for you to tackle. These include the likes of SEO, of social media marketing, of writing press releases and more. You’ll have to learn about autoresponders and email marketing, about how affiliate marketing and about link building.

But something that often gets overlooked is video creation. This is strange, bearing in mind that video can have an incredibly profound impact on your brand’s visibility as well as your sales and is one of the most effective ways to stand out.

So why do people tend to ignore it? One possible answer is simply that it is too complicated and difficult for many people to understand – so they’d rather just overlook it!

Why Video is SO Important for Your Internet Marketing

But it’s this ‘difficulty’ that makes video production such a powerful marketing tool. Simply put, anyone can create a blog and anyone can create a sales page. When you build either of these things, you could still just be someone working from their Mum’s basement.

Video creation on the other hand requires expertise and expensive equipment. To make high quality videos, you will need a good camera, a great lighting set-up, a good microphone, editing software and know-how. All of this communicates that you are a serious business with serious money to invest and that professional sheen is what will inspire trust in your visitors.

What’s more, is that video allows you to talk directly to your audience and to use both your own voice and music to persuade them to make a purchase. Video is naturally more engaging and it makes people feel as though they know you, all of which is incredibly useful from a marketing perspective.

When creating video there are several ways you can use it as part of a marketing campaign. One is to add a video to your homepage or your sales page. Either of these things will help you to immediately grab attention and increase conversions. Another option is to create a YouTube channel. This makes it very easy to reach a big audience and can even be highly profitable on its own. A video getting 100,000 views a month can easily earn you in the region of $200!

How to Get Started

To get started, you will need to invest in a small amount of equipment. You need a camera with good autofocus and the ability to record in at least 1080p at 30fps (ideally better on both fronts). Even more important is good lighting, so invest in a soft box or another professional lighting solution.

Sound is also very important. A H1 pocket recorder paired with a lav mic will make a big difference at a low price point. You’ll then need to edit all this together in a piece of editing software such as Adobe Premiere Pro.

It all sounds a lot but trust me, it is more than worth the investment in terms of what you’ll get back out of it!

When it comes to internet marketing, a great number of people end up missing the forest for the trees. We’re repeatedly told how effective it is to run email marketing campaigns, to flood the net with content and to use PPC but what we’re not told nearly so often is just how important it is to have a strong brand and a real purpose for existing.

You’re not stupid. You know the difference between a spam site and a site that offers real value.

And you also know that the sites that offer real value are the ones that do the best on Google. Big sites like The Verge, IGN, Mashable, Buzzfeed, Forbes, The New York Times… these aren’t spam sites that flood the web with content and keywords. These are big brands that provide real value and that have real authority.

If you want to get to that point, then you need to create a brand of your own that is similarly high quality and that can gain the trust of your audience and of Google.

Where Do Brands Start?

This begins by understanding where a brand begins. A brand is not a logo and a brand is not a website. Your brand is your ‘mission statement’ and your ‘value proposition’. A brand is a commitment to a certain standard and a reason for existing.

Your brand needs to be unique and it needs to be exciting and cohesive. If you get this right, then it will make all the difference when it comes to your marketing.

Think about something like The Art of Manliness. This is a website with a very clear reason to exist that is communicated very loudly and effectively throughout the entire site. It’s not just there to make money, it’s there to preach a message and to help modern men to feel more manly and to become more capable.

This then informs every smaller decision across the site. Everything from the logo to the content is selling the same dream and this has a very profound effect on visitors.

Know Your Audience

What effect is that? Simple: it immediately communicates to the visitor whether they want to be there or not.

If you search for ‘How to Raise Testosterone’, ‘How to be More Alert’ or ‘How to Smoke a Pipe’ and you find The Art of Manliness, then you instantly know what the site is about and what kind of content you can expect from it. That single difference then means that you will be considerable more likely to sign up if it’s something that you’re interested in.

What’s more, is that you’ll know there aren’t that many sites exactly like this one out there. It’s a rare and interesting topic and for the right visitor, it will have an instant appeal.

The power of a strong brand goes well beyond that though. It will help you to be more recognizable across different social media platforms, it will make your visitors more loyal (they’ll feel like they’re joining a movement) and it will mean that potential partners take your brand more seriously.

THIS should be your priority as an internet marketer.