Basically, it's using Social Networking sites to help promote yourself, the products you have created, or an affiliate product you would like to promote.

A Social Networking site is a place where people online gather into communities. And, in these communities, they share things with other members, usually information, or links to sites where useful or interesting information can be found. There are more Social Networking sites than one person could possibly count. There are the ones that are well known, like Squidoo, Twitter, MySpace, Facebook, StumbleUpon, and Digg. Add the dozens of dozens of Social Networking sites that aren't as well known yet, and the list can almost seem endless.

And overwhelming. With all the sites out there, many affiliate marketers find trying to figure out how to use them all to be a daunting task. So they ignore them, and focus on promoting products in other ways. And they miss out on all of the benefits that come from Social Marketing.

With Social Marketing, You Don't Have to Rely on Search Engines

An affiliate marketer can't afford not to figure out how to use search engines to their benefit. But, no matter how hard you try, good results aren't always assured, so your business shouldn't rely on the traffic you get from search engines. And, with social Marketing, it doesn't have to. By making the most of Social Networking sites, you can rest assured that even if your Search Engine Optimization efforts aren't quite working the way you would like them to, you can attract traffic (and reach potential buyers) from other sources.

Social Marketing Helps with Search Engines, Too

Not that you should stop caring about your search engine rankings in order to focus exclusively on Social Marketing. As a matter of fact, Social Marketing can help you rank better in the search engines. For example, say you have a site promoting an affiliate product. The more links there are pointing back to that site, the more the search engines will love you. And you can create those back links by submitting your sites web address to StumbleUpon and Digg, mentioning your site (with the link) at Twitter, creating a Squidoo lens (that has a link to your site in it) in the same niche, and so on.

Social Marketing is Easy and Inexpensive

Who doesn't like things that are cheap and easy? And Social Marketing is both. In fact, in most cases, Social Marketing is free. It won't cost you anything to sign up for a Twitter or StumbleUpon account. And you don't have to pay a penny to create a Squidoo lens, or submit a link to Digg.

Also, Social networking sites want people to sign up and start using them. So they try to make it as easy as possible. In most cases, you can sign up at a Social networking site and start using them immediately. In others, it might take an hour or two to get the hang of things. But, once you do, there is no stopping you.

Social Marketing is one of the fastest and most affordable ways to promote anything, including affiliate products. And it can be a quick way to give your affiliate income a boost.