If you have a website with some traffic, you can make money by having links to merchants' online shops on your site.If someone goes through your links into the shop of the merchant, and buys something, you earn commission from the sale, between 5% and 40% depending on type of merchant. Some merchants also pay for each click or each lead. A lead is a new visitor to the shop that asks for more information or prize offers.
People or companies having these links on their web-sites, are called affiliates, and the links are called affiliate links. The administrative infrastructure by the merchant that the affiliate register into, in order to get the linking code, is called an affiliate program.
To register into an affiliate program is usually free, and through the program you get freely all you need to make the linking code, to monitor the traffic through your links, and to see what commission you have earned.
An affiliate program is not a MLM program, since the affiliates only earn from sales, leads or clicks.
However, in many programs you can recruit other affiliates and earn some commission from the sales made by the recruited affiliates too. There are also common networks operated by third-part companies where several merchants use a common software and administrative infrastructure to recruit affiliates and monitor the traffic from affiliates.
These are called affiliate networks. Both the merchants and potetial affilliates register into the network, and the affiliates can find links to the online shops of hundreds of merchants to use at their web-site. Examples of affiliate networks are Commission Junction and Clixgalore.
From my experience, the best affiliate programs are for merchants selling althernative health items or items for erotic improvements. I also have good experience with programs in the fields skincare, cosmetics and hobby.
What will work best for you, will however depend upon the kind of traffic you have, and the interests of people visiting your site.
Make Money Online Fast
Affiliate Program Marketing
Friday, January 15, 2010
Dear New Affiliate, Be Picky When Choosing Affiliate Programs
Question: How do you choose an affiliate program to promote? There are so many out there. Which ones are good?
Dear New Affiliate,
There are several ways to determine whether an affiliate program is worthy. Oftentimes it looks like the Affiliate Manager has all the power, but this is a partnership. There really are thousands of programs available. Don’t sign up and promote just any of them. If you aren’t completely thrilled about the program, look 5 more minutes and you’ll find something better.
Here are some questions to ask yourself whenever you find an affiliate program you’re interested in.
Are the products something you believe in?
The products better be good. If you’re not 100% sold on the products to the point that you’d tell your best friend to buy them – then you’ve got no business signing up for that affiliate program. Keep looking for something better.
Is their website professional?
Your reputation is on the line every time you promote a product or service. If you’re sending your traffic to a website that is on free hosting or just looks unprofessional, then you’re going to lose the confidence of your subscribers. Now, many sales letters aren’t ‘pretty’ but they are grammatically correct, and everything is functional, with pictures and testimonials. So, although the website doesn’t have to be beautiful, it does need to look ‘live’.
Is their website easy to navigate?
If shoppers can’t figure out how to purchase, then there’s no point in sending your traffic there.
What are the numbers?
If you have two programs you like equally well, you can choose between them or write reviews for each and compare and contrast their benefits. Or, if that doesn’t fit into your site, then test both to see which gives you the best results.
Free trial?
Any product that offers samples or service that offers a free trial deserves a look. If you can offer your website visitors a sample of any sort to get them hooked, you’ll have much higher results than trying to convince them that the product is good.
Are there any tools to help you?
The best affiliate programs go above and beyond in their tools and resources section. Not only do they provide the standard text links and buttons and banners, but you also have solo mailings, articles, and even product feeds. These are the affiliate programs that ‘get it’.
Once you find an affiliate program that you love, it’s still smart to continue to test the results. Just because you think it’s great doesn’t mean you visitors will. Continually look at the statistics to see how much traffic you’re sending and if any of it is converting. If you’re not getting results and you’re sending a lot of traffic, then you might want to look at a new program.
Make Money Online Fast
Affiliate Program Marketing
Dear New Affiliate,
There are several ways to determine whether an affiliate program is worthy. Oftentimes it looks like the Affiliate Manager has all the power, but this is a partnership. There really are thousands of programs available. Don’t sign up and promote just any of them. If you aren’t completely thrilled about the program, look 5 more minutes and you’ll find something better.
Here are some questions to ask yourself whenever you find an affiliate program you’re interested in.
Are the products something you believe in?
The products better be good. If you’re not 100% sold on the products to the point that you’d tell your best friend to buy them – then you’ve got no business signing up for that affiliate program. Keep looking for something better.
Is their website professional?
Your reputation is on the line every time you promote a product or service. If you’re sending your traffic to a website that is on free hosting or just looks unprofessional, then you’re going to lose the confidence of your subscribers. Now, many sales letters aren’t ‘pretty’ but they are grammatically correct, and everything is functional, with pictures and testimonials. So, although the website doesn’t have to be beautiful, it does need to look ‘live’.
Is their website easy to navigate?
If shoppers can’t figure out how to purchase, then there’s no point in sending your traffic there.
What are the numbers?
If you have two programs you like equally well, you can choose between them or write reviews for each and compare and contrast their benefits. Or, if that doesn’t fit into your site, then test both to see which gives you the best results.
Free trial?
Any product that offers samples or service that offers a free trial deserves a look. If you can offer your website visitors a sample of any sort to get them hooked, you’ll have much higher results than trying to convince them that the product is good.
Are there any tools to help you?
The best affiliate programs go above and beyond in their tools and resources section. Not only do they provide the standard text links and buttons and banners, but you also have solo mailings, articles, and even product feeds. These are the affiliate programs that ‘get it’.
Once you find an affiliate program that you love, it’s still smart to continue to test the results. Just because you think it’s great doesn’t mean you visitors will. Continually look at the statistics to see how much traffic you’re sending and if any of it is converting. If you’re not getting results and you’re sending a lot of traffic, then you might want to look at a new program.
Make Money Online Fast
Affiliate Program Marketing
Dear Affiliate Manager, 7 Ways To Tell If Your Affiliate Program Stinks
Question: Why aren’t my affiliates promoting my affiliate program? And, how do I get more to sign up?
Dear Affiliate Manager:
I can tell you in a heartbeat whether or not your affiliate program is attracting loyal, motivated affiliates. It’s easy. Just put yourself in your affiliate’s shoes. If you’re not creating loyalty in your affiliates, they’re going to look for a better program to promote, and you’ll be left in the dust.
Now that I’ve got your attention, let’s go through some key components of making your affiliate program attractive to affiliates, so they don’t start shopping around.
1. Reputations are on the Line.
Of course, number one is quality. Do you have quality products and customer service? An affiliate’s reputation is on the line every time we consider promoting a product or service. If your products are junk or you’re making our referrals upset in any way – we’ll drop you faster than something *really* hot.
2. Lay the Money on the Table.
It’s not just about the percentage commission. That won’t motivate and make loyal affiliates, but, it is a start. Are you talking 5%? Then, unless you offer millions of products at great prices and have a solid reputation, you’re not going to be getting a whole lot of affiliates.
3. Who’s getting credit?
Show your affiliates that you value them by setting long cookies and they’ll keep sending you traffic. How long are your cookies? The longer the better.
4. Closing the Deal.
If your affiliates are sending you traffic, I hope you have a newsletter (or ecourse) on that sales page for two reasons. 1. It means you’re smart and know how internet marketing works, and 2. It means that the affiliates get more than one chance to close the deal, because you’re going to be following up with the lead and closing the sale for us. This shows us that you take your business seriously – a very important indicator.
5. Like Frosting on the Cake.
Assuming all things are equal, if your program is two-tier or residual, you’ll have affiliates lined up to promote you.
6. Are you even trying?
There is nothing more frustrating than joining an affiliate program that you’re really excited about, logging in and seeing … nothing but a couple of links. No content, no ebooks, no videos. Zip. This is especially disappointing if you know the author or owner is sending out a weekly newsletter. Share your articles with your affiliates, allow them to be rebranded, and I guarantee you’ll get loyalty.
7. That’s just Rude.
Almost more insulting than not providing any content is providing ‘leaky’ articles. Yes, I have seen affiliate programs that so “generously” provide articles for their affiliates. But, the articles had plugs for their other programs in the body of the article. Now, I’m not naming names, but I do feel that’s pretty cheap to be stealing from your own affiliates.
Those are just a few ways to tell if your affiliate program stinks.
I hope you read and reread this advice. Treat your affiliates like partners and they’ll plaster your link all over the web. You’ll have affiliates lined up to promote every new product you offer, and they’ll sing your praises every chance they get.
Make Money Online Fast
Affiliate Program Marketing
Dear Affiliate Manager:
I can tell you in a heartbeat whether or not your affiliate program is attracting loyal, motivated affiliates. It’s easy. Just put yourself in your affiliate’s shoes. If you’re not creating loyalty in your affiliates, they’re going to look for a better program to promote, and you’ll be left in the dust.
Now that I’ve got your attention, let’s go through some key components of making your affiliate program attractive to affiliates, so they don’t start shopping around.
1. Reputations are on the Line.
Of course, number one is quality. Do you have quality products and customer service? An affiliate’s reputation is on the line every time we consider promoting a product or service. If your products are junk or you’re making our referrals upset in any way – we’ll drop you faster than something *really* hot.
2. Lay the Money on the Table.
It’s not just about the percentage commission. That won’t motivate and make loyal affiliates, but, it is a start. Are you talking 5%? Then, unless you offer millions of products at great prices and have a solid reputation, you’re not going to be getting a whole lot of affiliates.
3. Who’s getting credit?
Show your affiliates that you value them by setting long cookies and they’ll keep sending you traffic. How long are your cookies? The longer the better.
4. Closing the Deal.
If your affiliates are sending you traffic, I hope you have a newsletter (or ecourse) on that sales page for two reasons. 1. It means you’re smart and know how internet marketing works, and 2. It means that the affiliates get more than one chance to close the deal, because you’re going to be following up with the lead and closing the sale for us. This shows us that you take your business seriously – a very important indicator.
5. Like Frosting on the Cake.
Assuming all things are equal, if your program is two-tier or residual, you’ll have affiliates lined up to promote you.
6. Are you even trying?
There is nothing more frustrating than joining an affiliate program that you’re really excited about, logging in and seeing … nothing but a couple of links. No content, no ebooks, no videos. Zip. This is especially disappointing if you know the author or owner is sending out a weekly newsletter. Share your articles with your affiliates, allow them to be rebranded, and I guarantee you’ll get loyalty.
7. That’s just Rude.
Almost more insulting than not providing any content is providing ‘leaky’ articles. Yes, I have seen affiliate programs that so “generously” provide articles for their affiliates. But, the articles had plugs for their other programs in the body of the article. Now, I’m not naming names, but I do feel that’s pretty cheap to be stealing from your own affiliates.
Those are just a few ways to tell if your affiliate program stinks.
I hope you read and reread this advice. Treat your affiliates like partners and they’ll plaster your link all over the web. You’ll have affiliates lined up to promote every new product you offer, and they’ll sing your praises every chance they get.
Make Money Online Fast
Affiliate Program Marketing
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