Affiliate Marketing Programs: 20 things to think about before you start your own
June 6, 2009
Welcome back!
Here are a few thoughts to consider when starting an affiliate program….
1. Do you have the time to manage it, or will you get a 3rd party to do it on your behalf - like CJ.com shareasale, clickbank, and linkshare are others. One of the biggest mistakes made by other affiliate program owners is in not managing it profitably.
2. You may want to get your own custom solution and host it on your server. If you’re hosting your own, be prepared for a LOT of hard work - SUPPORTING your affiliates. They want it, they need, and you better give it.
3. How are you going to reward your affiliates - by each lead they bring you or by each sale they make for you, sometimes referred to as CPC (cost per click) or CPA (cost per acquisition)
4. What promotional tools are you going to give them - Banner ads? Text Links? Promotional Emails? Classified ad copy?
5. Many affiliates think they will make money selling your products by simply adding a few links on their site - WRONG. They need to promote your products and services - what are the best ways to do that, and how are you going to help yoru affiliates.
6. Will it be a 1 Tier or a 2 Tier Affiliate program? Will you compensate others on a sale if they introduced other affiliates into your affiliate network?
