Forum Moderators: skibum
I'm in the process of designing an in-house affiliate program, and am looking for the best places to promote it.
I've searched the forums, but was unable to find a good match.
Directories, forums, etc would all be excellent.
Also, general advice on creating an affiliate program from scratch would be appreciated (or links to good resources on this board).
From what I've read so far:
- killer communication
- competitive commissions
- trustworthy payout systems
- free content for affiliates
Any other thoughts?
Dan
Ahh - sorry, you won't be able to have those. ;)
There's an issue with the TOS, and besides, with all the different "places" out there, there are also differences in opinion as to which ones are trustworthy and which aren't. Personally, there are people in the affiliate business whose judgment and character I think very highly of, while others - even if they might be "big names" - I wouldn't trust any further than I could throw them. I think they're opportunistic, two-faced, money-grubbing sleazes.
>>Also, general advice on creating an affiliate program from scratch would be appreciated (or links to good resources on this board).
There have been some great posts here in this forum, hopefully someone may have them bookmarked or flagged. You might want to go through the forum Library, even going way back in time, to catch the gist of how affiliate marketers think and what's looked for.
- killer communication
Some want hand-holding and warm fuzzies, while others are "all business" and won't want to communicate with you at all, except for your signature on the checks. There's a balance to be found, between not bugging some people, while at the same time letting others know that you're open to communicate and more than willing to offer whatever support they need.
- competitive commissions
That, and also competitive, reasonable return days. Not to mention, no commission thievery like cookie-washing and big-time leaks on the site. If there's an 800 number prominent on the site, you'll win points with people who look for such things if you provide phone tracking for affiliate generated traffic.
- trustworthy payout systems
Trustworthy, on-time payments and accurate tracking. Also think through any return policies and the impact on commission reversals.
- free content for affiliates
That can sometimes lead to duplicate content issues, so maybe there's some kind of innovative system you can come up with to inform your people about the features and the "benefits" you offer consumers/customers and let them write their own content so it's original and unique and less likely to end up in the Supplemental index.
Another thing you might want to consider is policy on PPC bidding and use of any trademarked terms or names. Get the legalese worked out and incorporated into the agreement so all that's out of the way and clear right up front.
Back to thinking about the content issue, it's a good idea to have good tools available for people to work with: creatives, text links to specific areas of the site (if applicable), a good datafeed with categories and sub-categories, and product links for those who don't use feeds.
There's more, but that's off the top of my head.
The best way to get affiliates is through networking. Being in-house, recruiting affiliates is relatively more involved. If you are a merchant and if you are not prepared to spend countless number of hours on marketing your program and recruiting affiliates, having an OPM (outsourced program manager) might also be a good alternative.
As for the advice on the affiliate program itself.. stay away from parasites and make sure your tracking & reporting are absolutely rock solid.
cheers!
-nish
