Choosing an Affiliate Program
December 17, 2007 by kristinewirth
Filed under: Affiliate Marketing, Affiliate Marketing Products, Affiliate Programs
Filed under: Affiliate Marketing, Affiliate Marketing Products, Affiliate Programs
There are so many different affiliate programs available, that sometimes it can be hard to choose. While you can be involved in more than one affiliate program, you’ll want to be sure of a few things first before you decide to participate in one.
- Is it going to cost you anything to join? Many affiliate programs are completely free to join. Sometimes you’ll find people who have developed unique products and only allow those who have purchased a product to join their affiliate program. If you have the money to put forth for the product and a use for the product, then by all means purchase it. However, if you personally don’t have a need for the product there are many other affiliate programs available at no cost.
- When do they issue commission checks? Every program is different. Some will issue checks once a month or every quarter. Be sure to choose the one that fits your needs.
- Do you have to earn a minimum amount of commission before a check gets issued to you or can you set your own standard? Some programs only pay out when your commissions hit $50 while others will pay out as low as $10.
- How do they track referrals and how long do they stay in the system? Ideally you want real-time tracking but sometimes this is not always the case. It’s important, especially for your own testing purposes to know which links are getting the clicks and how many clicks it takes to actually get someone to purchase.
- How long are the cookies set for? Many affiliate programs have cookies that last for 30 days, some 90 days, some for a year and some for a lifetime. Still some only have it for a day. Typically website visitors who click on your link don’t make a purchase initially so you’ll want to be sure that when the day comes that they do in fact make the purchase, you get credit for it. If it’s only for a day, you’d do well to steer clear. If, however, you see a program offering lifetime cookies, then you’ve found a goldmine!
- Is the program one tier or two tiers? A single or one tier program only pays you for the business you have personally generated while a two tier program pays you for the business you brought them as well as pays you a commission on the sales generated by any affiliate you sponsored into the program.
- Finally, what amount of commission is paid out to you? 2%? 5%? 50%? Even though you may at first be tempted to look at only those programs that pay a high amount of commission, keep in mind the products that your merchant has. 5% on a new computer that costs $2,000 is quite a bit more than 50% on a digital book.
These are just a few questions that you’d be wise to answer for yourself before you sign up to be an affiliate. You should be familiar with many of these aspects as they’ll help you make a more informed and educated decision.
Related posts:
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
Comments
Comment via Facebook
Tell me what you're thinking...
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!
