An affiliate program is a relationship with an on-line
merchant where the affiliate earns a commission for referring potential
customers to the merchant’s site, which subsequently results in a sale.
Over recent years the number of Affiliate marketing programs
has increased dramatically. This is due to several reasons. Firstly, an
increase in the number of people seeking a work-from-home, low start-up cost
business. Secondly, the attraction to the merchants of having an army of
salespeople selling their products has meant that more and more merchants are
offering such schemes. Thirdly the increase is partly due to the ease with
which it is now possible for most people to have a web presence. Some affiliate
marketing schemes even provide completed web pages that only require simple
personalization and the site can be up and running almost immediately. Sadly,
another factor having its influence is the false impression created by some
marketers that the Internet provides the means to get rich quickly and easily
with a minimum of effort. Some skilled affiliate marketers earn thousands of
dollars a month. Some of the reasons why you should consider such a scheme are
No experience required
No stock to purchase
Low set-up cost
No premises to rent or buy
Can be operated from home
No sales experience needed
No goods to ship
Potentially good income
Addressing a world marketplace
Operates 24x7
So, what factors do you need to take into account if you are
just starting out as a newbie affiliate?
What commission does the affiliate program pay?
Commission rates vary considerably depending upon the type
of product chosen. These can range from, say, 5% on a range of garden products
to 50% and over on ranges of eBooks. Initially, you should consider the high
paying rates usually to be found on books and software.
How frequently are the commissions paid?
The frequency of commission payment varies from company to
company. Determine whether your selected affiliate schemes pay weekly,
bi-weekly, monthly or quarterly. Some
companies require a minimum accumulated amount of commission before making a
payment.
What form of tracking cookies does the company operate?
Tracking cookies, which have a set like, are used by the
marketing company so that they can trace a customer back to you as an
affiliate. Often purchases are not impulse buys, consequently the longer the
life of the cookie, the greater chance you have of earning a commission. The life
of a cookie can range from several days to several years.
Does the affiliate program cater for second purchases and beyond?
Some schemes pay commission only on the product that you are
promoting. Better schemes credit you with a commission on any future products
that the customer you introduced subsequently makes. If you can, therefore, opt
for this latter group, and check that this applies if the customer, in future
goes directly to the merchant’s site.
Does the merchant supply attractive promotional material?
What marketing materials are available on the merchant’s
site? As nearly all affiliate programs are free to join you can easily gain
access to the resource pages of your intended merchants. Examine the quality of
the material. Do they provide free gifts for you to offer? Do they offer any
means of branding ebooks so that you can stamp your affiliate identity on them?
Do they respond to emails?
A future relationship between you as an affiliate, your
customer and a merchant of your choice, can be partly dependent upon the ease
with which you, can communicate. Send the merchant an email with a question
about their affiliate scheme and look at how you are treated. Discount the
affiliate if there is a delayed reply, or worse still, no reply at all.
How popular is the merchant’s website?
Alexa at www.alexa.com carries out a continuous process of
site ranking. And will tell you how your merchant’s site ranks in popularity
against all of the other sites on the web. Ranking somewhere between 100,000
and 500,000 might be considered ideal. A
word of caution here, however. If the ranking is below 100,000 there may
already be too many affiliates associated with that merchant. If the ranking is
greater than 500,000 it could just be that you have come across a new product
where you have a chance to make money as one of the first affiliates. Always
examine the product in detail, and do a Google search to find any adverse
postings. Join the forum at www.warriorforum.com and post a topic asking the
members if they have any experience of the merchant. Again, a word of caution.
Be aware that any glowing report may be coming from an existing affiliate.
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