Here are
some things that I look for before joining an affiliate program. They
are items I feel are imperative to being in a successful affiliate program.
1. The
affiliate program has a great payment structure. For me, a high commission
that is also a high percentage of the purchase price is essential. Nothing
under 25% commission.
2. Make
sure the affiliate program you are joining has a good looking site.
You do not want to be sending visitors to a site that you do not like
yourself.
3. Make
sure they offer a comprehensive affiliate statistics page that lists
the number of click throughs, number of sales and amount earned. This
should be broken down per month.
4. Also
make sure that the affiliate statistics are updated automatically and
immediately. You do not want to find out today about a sale you made
a week ago.
5. Ensure
they give a wide variety of text links, banners and graphics to put
on your web page. Although I prefer text links, certain types of banners
and graphics still work well.
6. Know
how often you are going to be paid. If you are tossing up between 2
programs and one pays monthly and the other pays quarterly, the one
that pays monthly is better. You do not want to wait months before getting
paid for your hard work!
7. See
if the affiliate program gives examples of how the top affiliates are
doing. This can be a great pointer to whether it is good or not. If
some affiliates are earning many thousands per month, it is a good affiliate
program.
8. Along
these lines, also see if they give examples of what marketing methods
these successful affiliates are using to get the best results.
9. An affiliate
program that offers a special monthly newsletter just for the affiliates
is great. Here you can get extra tips and techniques that are working
well.
10. See
if they offer email notification when you make a sale or get an affiliate
signed up under you (if it is a 2-tier program). It is good to see `You
have made another sale' in your inbox.
11. Ensure
top level support is given. If they cannot answer your query straight
away make sure they can respond within 48 hours.
There is
tremendous demand for affiliate programs and choosing the right one
is no easy task. Make sure you do plenty of research before joining
one.
For great
ideas on promoting your web site or marketing your affiliate programs
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