Choose Affiliate Programs With Care

Mar 11, 2009 in Affiliate Marketing, Affiliate Programs, Affiliate Training

Professional affiliate marketers know that when you are choosing affiliate products and services to promote, you should use extreme care. By not being careful when choosing which affiliate programs to promote, you will be doing a major disservice to your current and potential customers, as well as yourself.

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Successful affiliate marketing involves a bit of front-end research… First, you want to look at the product or service. Is it a good product or service that will solve a problem or fulfill a desire that your market has? Is there are return policy? Is it priced to sell and is there added value? As a customer, is this a product or service that you would by for your self?

Will your customers be served? Is there a customer support ticket system or a toll-free number, as well as a support email address that your customers can use? You do not want to ruin your own affiliate mrketing credibility by offering a product or service that will not serve your customers well, or for which your customers will not be supported properly.

Once you are sure your customers will be well served, it is time to think about yourself and your needs. Is the affiliate commission high enough? Look for affiliate programs that pay at least a 30% commission, and preferably ones that pay 50% if possible. Is there the potential for a residual affiliate income? What about commissions from affiliate’s who sign up under you?

Next, read the affiliate agreement, as well as the terms and conditions. Will you be able to promote the products or services in the way that you choose? How often will you be paid and what method is used for payments. Under what circumstances will you not be paid.

Are sales and clicks tracked, as well as affiliate commissions owed and commissions paid? Is there a support forum for affiliates and/or an easy way to contact the affiliate manager? What about promotional materials? Are you provided with banners, sales letters, ads, articles, and free give-a-ways?

Finding out all of this information shouldn’t take more than just a few minutes of your time, and it is time well spent. Many hours and lots of potential affiliate commissions have been lost simply because affiliates don’t take the time to choose their affiliate programs with care. Your affiliate marketing is a BUSINESS – and like all businesses, doing your due diligence is a necessary part of affiliate marketing success!

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11 comments

Mike Paetzold - Follow this person as @mikepaetzold on Twitter
on March 11, 2009 at 2:46 PM

Great points and often overlooked even by experienced marketers. The biggest takeaway is the point would I buy and use this product and does it do what they claim.

Too many people don’t answer that question or even ask it. It is always the commission. Never forget that doing what is best for your customer is the key to long term success.

Mike Paetzold’s last blog post..Are you making these mistakes?

Earl Netwal - Follow this person as @EarlNetwal on Twitter
on March 11, 2009 at 3:24 PM

Another thing I avoid is when the affiliate programs pitch appears mostly aimed at getting a newsletter subscription rather than a sale. I don’t want to promote them unless I am specifically told I will get credit for future sales off those leads.

Earl Netwal’s last blog post..Curb Appeal for Search Engines

Ric Raftis - Follow this person as @RicRaftis on Twitter
on March 11, 2009 at 4:24 PM

Valuable information here Doug. The first thing I always look for on a sales page is a Contact link. Not only valuable as an affiliate, but you do want to know that people aren’t in hiding. If people are “afraid” to put their contact details on a page, well you can’t expect much support. Not only that, but it stops the marketer getting questions about the product that could result in sales.

Cheers,

Andre Arnett - Follow this person as @learningaffil on Twitter
on March 11, 2009 at 4:42 PM

This is something I think few people, especially newbies ever consider. Those are some great things to consider when signing up for an affiliate program. Thanks for sharing this valuable information.

Andre Arnett’s last blog post..Well Mr Twitter, Where Do We Go From Here?

Joel Osborne - Follow this person as @JoelOsborne on Twitter
on March 11, 2009 at 7:30 PM

You know, I don’t think I have ever heard anyone mention these things about picking a good affiliate program. Thank you for spelling it out for everyone, so that others don’t have to find out for themselves.

Joel Osborne’s last blog post..Affiliatenaire – How to Promote Any Affiliate Program In 5 Easy Steps

Brett McEllhiney - Follow this person as @bmcellhiney on Twitter
on March 11, 2009 at 10:01 PM

Great points to consider Doug!

I especially like to make sure that there is contact information as well.

I also like to have purchased and used the product myself to get a feel for it to make sure it of good quality and that it will benefit my subscribers.

Thanks for the great info,

Brett McEllhiney

Brett McEllhiney’s last blog post..Build a Niche Marketing Business – Summing It ALL Up!

Make Money Online » Blog Archive » Choose Affiliate Programs With Care on March 11, 2009 at 10:51 PM

[...] here: Choose Affiliate Programs With Care Tags: affiliate, Affiliate Programs, affiliate-commissions, affiliate-training, agreements, [...]

Alessandra on March 12, 2009 at 5:11 AM

I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don’t know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.

Alessandra

Fred Lotgering - Follow this person as @lotcon on Twitter
on March 12, 2009 at 8:53 AM

Another great post on affiliate marketing.

This blog is becoming an excellent source in affiliate Marketing.

With so many people looking this year to make some extra money at a low cost to start, this will become a reference source for newbies to affiliate marketing.

Great going Doug!

Fred Lotgering’s last blog post..GiveAways for Building Traffic

Michael Roark - Follow this person as @michaelroark on Twitter
on March 12, 2009 at 9:50 AM

I’m with Joel, I don’t think I ever even thought about it before reading this post. Its certainly not something I’ll miss going forward!

Michael Roark’s last blog post..World of Warcraft 1 to 450 Enchanting Guide

Make Money Online on March 12, 2009 at 6:08 PM

Great posting.
It’s give me a lot of new knowledge in making money with affiliate business. What I am doing at this time, I join with amazon affiliate. Considering to join with another program.

Thanks

Make MOney Online’s last blog post..Making Money Online With Affiliate Programs