Which one is better to promote affiliate on social network direct to affiliate or to our website first

The old and considered normal practice by many affiliate marketers was to dispatch the prospects direct to the merchant's site. But it is becoming increasingly a common and recommended practice to send your prospects first to your site where they are presented with a review and then directed to the merchant's site.

The benefits of this are numerous, for one you get credit on your site in terms of site visitors. Say you are running a PPC campaign for a particular affiliated product, instead of putting the merchant's URL as the target you put your site URL. The visitor can be presented with a short review or even be offered a bonus to entice them to click through and make a purchase. Not only will this increase your traffic but the conversion rate too.

The second benefit if executed properly is building your own list. you make the same offer of a bonus as above but this time you ask for a sign up before dispatching your prospect to the merchant's site. Or you can simply ask them to return after making a purchase and complete an opt-in form to claim their bonus. It's your efforts in the beginning that gets the ball rolling in the first place and its only right that you should be rewarded with future potential sales generated through an email campaign instead of just the onetime commission you would get if the prospect is sent direct to the merchant's site.

I hope this answer the question as to what would be the best procedure to follow when it comes to promoting oneself as well as the affiliate product one wishes to make commission on.