Information marketing is a business model established around the sale of information. It is one of the easiest forms of internet marketing and has turned into a booming business. As ebooks and digital publishing technology have taken off, so too has information marketing.

Information marketing works in much the same way an affiliate marketing business works. Business owners choose a niche to specialize in. They build a website supporting their niche and they publish an abundance of content to market and promote their website.

Information marketers make their money selling information products like ebooks, reports, online courses, teleseminars, and workshops and so on. Though they likely give away articles, reports and smaller packages of content much like an affiliate marketer would to build their list.

Affiliate marketers make their money by promoting the products of others and earning a commission. Where an affiliate marketer can really profit is by writing information products or having them created and using the product to simultaneously promote their affiliate products and/or services. This promotion is generally accomplished by including relevant affiliate links in the information product itself.

As an affiliate marketer you can sell your information products for a profit or you can give them away. It largely depends on your goals and how you integrate the two business models. It should also be noted that you’re not limited to simply creating reports and ebooks as information products.

While reports and ebooks are both easy to create and market, you can use other information products if they better suit your audience’s preferences and/or your skills and personality.

You can create:

* Videos
* Online courses
* Teleseminars
* Software
* Podcasts
* Even blueprints and tip sheets can be useful.

However, you choose to share your information with your audience, combining these two business models packs a powerful and profitable punch.

Publishing content like an ebook or a report helps boost your credibility as an authority in your industry. It positions you as an expert in your field and it provides a valuable resource for your audience. Sprinkle a bit of your personality in your information products through stories and anecdotes and you have tapped into most of the triggers for making a buying decision.

Couple the purchasing triggers with the fact that content is the perfect platform to presell the need for and benefit of various products and services and you have a winning combination.

Information marketing and affiliate product sales go hand in hand quite nicely. Take a look at your content plan and see where you can capitalize on the combination business model of information and affiliate marketing.