I am an Affiliate Marketer. I make my living (and a pretty comfortable one at that!) by doing what I love - Affiliate Marketing. But it occurred to me that those of us in the business forget that many people do not know the Affiliate Marketing definition.

As I thought about this, it dawned on me that there are actually more than one Affiliate Marketing definition, depending on one's vantage point.

One Affiliate Marketing definition is the one we tell our friends. "Affiliate Marketing is the business process where one person acts as the commissioned salesman (me - the affiliate) for a person with a product they would like help promoting on the internet (your merchant.)"

But for those of us in the industry or aspiring to become successful in the industry, there is a second Affiliate Marketing definition. For me this Affiliate Marketing definition is the one that describes a "successful" Affiliate Marketing business.

In this Affiliate Marketing definition, the business is run like a business. Scheduled tasks are completed adhering to a schedule, time is managed wisely. The business represents only those products which really benefit their customers and the merchants behind those products help their affiliates to become successful in any way they can.

Maybe I'm idealizing here but what I really want to convey is this. If you're in Affiliate Marketing or you want to be, learn right from the beginning to run your business like a business. I don't mean you have to be insane about it - part of the reward for being your own boss is to be able to be as flexible as you would like to be.

But you need to remember, this is a business. Treat it like such, stick to it and you'll become successful.

That is my Affiliate Marketing definition.

John Mann has been a full time affiliate marketer for almost four years using Google Adwords and Yahoo PPC marketing on a regular basis. For more information like this on a regular monthly basis (No SPAM!) Sign Up for his monthly newsletter "The MannMade Newsletter" By Clicking Here You'll get free AdWords eBook Reviews and information as well as information on Keyword Research and Affiliate Marketing.