8 Basic Rules for Choosing The Right Affiliate Program
by:
Syahriansyah
Joining an Affiliate Program is a great way to start earning a sizeable income on the Internet without many of the hassles that come with running your own business.
But the problem is… there are so much affiliate programs out there for you. In this article I will guide you to choose the most suitable and profitable Affiliate Program for you. I recommend you to follow this rule before choosing an Affiliate Program.
1. Find a great quality product or service
Remember that any recommendation you make will reflect directly on you. If you recommend a great quality product, the people you recommended will always trusted you and be interested in future recommendations that you make. If you recommend a bad quality product, and I'll guarantee that they will likely hesitate to act on any offers you recommend.
Don't get greedy. Only recommend products that you truly believe in.
2. Look for a program that offers top commissions.
I think it's perfectly reasonable for you to expect to be paid 30% to 50% of the profits on each product sold. 5% to 10% is very low. You should look for companies who understand the "lifetime value" of new customers you refer and appreciate your efforts.
Only consider joining programs that show a similar level of respect for their affiliates.
3. Make sure they have a high sales conversion ratio.
Make sure that the affiliate program is turning a reasonable number of visitors into sales. If not, then your efforts directing traffic to their website will be completely wasted. A 1% conversion ratio (1 out of every 100 visitors) is quite good, 2%+ is better.
4. Be sure you'll be credited for every sales you make.
You should find out what kind of tracking software the Affiliate Program that you're interested in joining uses. You MUST look for a program that uses quality affiliate tracking software that is reliable and tracks ALL (online, by phone, fax, mail orders, etc), because there are many companies only track online orders, and this means that you will never get credit for anywhere from 5% - 10% of your affiliate sales!.
Make sure they have a high sales conversion ratio and a good tracking software.
5. They should allow you to access your sales statistics real time.
What I mean is that the Affiliate Program you join should give you a special username and password that you can use to access your own personal affiliate sales information right on their website. Many affiliate programs have done this, you don't have to worry about that, but incase they don't, you should reconsider to join them.
6. Look for a program that teaches you to maximize your affiliate sales.
A good affiliate program will provide you with everything you need to be successful. They'll provide you with traffic-generating banners, text-links, and recommendation letter templates. They'll tell you which techniques work well in which circumstances.
Find an affiliate program that is similarly dedicated to educating their affiliates.
7. Make sure they are reputable.
I still feel I should mention the importance of doing business with a reputable company. I know many people who have worked really hard, made a lot of sales for a company, but then they have never been paid or forced to wait months and months to get their money, I've been there too. If you have any concerns about a company that you are thinking of doing business with, ask for references and do some checks on them before you join them.
8. Be sure to read all contracts and agreements.
Before you join any affiliate program, just make sure that you read all contracts and agreements very carefully. Pay very close attention to exclusivity clauses in the agreement. Be careful that any affiliate agreement or contract you sign does not restrict you.
Copyright 2005 Syahriansyah About the Author
Syahriansyah is the owner of http://www.advancetactics.com. His website offers an idea for home based businesses. Feel free to check all the guides and articles.
17. If you have enough traffic sell ad space. If you have good SEO ranking, charge more for ads.
18. Ask for the sale. Most affiliate program banners don't close sales, you must do it.
19. You must work 8-10+ hours daily to be a successful super affiliate.
20. Keep it really simple ... accomplish your goals with focused resources.
21. Find affiliate programs that offer a wide variety of advertising opportunities from banners to datafeeds.
22. Find affiliate programs that require strong marketing ethics and follow them, WIN-WIN.
23. Find affiliate programs that payout on schedule everytime. You're in control here!
24. Look for affiliate programs with affiliate tracking for phone sales you generate.
25. Look for affiliate programs with solid servers and software that works 100% of the time. Other affiliates write about the bad ones, so be aware and read the affiliate forums and blogs.
