Your Affiliate Program
When you want to start an affiliate program it can be difficult to know how to choose the right affiliate network. Before you can even begin to choose, you really need to understand the right questions to ask when evaluating them. It’s an important choice to make and migrating to a new system isn’t always seamless. Here are nine questions to make the decision easier.
1 – Does the network have an exclusivity clause?
This is something you absolutely do not want. These clauses can reach far into the distance after your first contract is up, and can affect advertising and marketing campaigns that you want to run with other networks even then. Immediately it affects you because you cannot be part of more than one affiliate program. You shouldn’t allow a network to stranglehold you in your marketing efforts.
2 – What is the commission structure?
Does the affiliate network allow you to choose your own structure? Can you have more than one level of affiliate, or tiers? Is it customizable so that you can create your own structure from top to bottom for affiliates as a group or even individually?
3 – What is your budget in terms of time, expertise and money?
When you think of your budget, don’t just think about dollars – think about the time you may need to invest, and whether you have the expertise to set things or you’ll need to hire an expert. Continue reading
Face it – the entire reason you have affiliates is to create a way to duplicate your efforts in order to sell more products and make more money. In order to do this you need to run a fair and honest affiliate program that focuses on your return on investment (ROI), the needs of your affiliates, and the pain points of your customers. This can be quite a balancing act. Here are eight ways to achieve just that.
1 – Create Awesome Products
No matter how great everything else is, if you don’t have fabulous products that your affiliates can proudly support and get behind, you will have trouble making sales. Spend the time, effort and money up front making the best products you can so that you can sell them for top dollar and thrill your clients in the process.
2 – Choose Your Platform Wisely
The affiliate software you choose is very important. It’ll be how your customers purchase your products and how your affiliates are able to get the tools from you to promote your product, as well as how you and they will be able to analyze what is working and what is not. Take the time to study the different platforms available before choosing.
3 – Price Your Products Right
The best way to do this is to price based on perceived value that the product offers your customer, giving them a price they are happy to pay. You want them to pay enough to make it worth it to an affiliate to promote it, but not so much that they feel ripped off when they get the product. Under promise and over deliver. Continue reading