Starting an affilate program - where to begin.

Manufacturer looking to start a affiliate program...

[webhound]

Hi there, we are a manufacturer selling directly to the public both online and offline. We are considering starting an online affilate program to help boost sales and I was wondering if anyone can offer advice on where to start and what are the most important issues to consider when starting a program like this.

Thanks - appreciate any imput.

[shangrilasofa]

It will be best to find experienced Affilates Manager. You will get bunch of proposition, everpriced or/and no experience. I try already for few months,?

[TripAdvisor AM]

One of the first things to do is to figure out which platform you're going to use to run your program (Big network, small network, inhouse program?).

Then you'll have to think about your offer. What type of payouts make sense? Cost per sale? Cost per lead? CPM? I'm guessing that you'll go w/ traditional cost per sales where you give affs a % of each sale.

You also need to think about affiliate recruiting, link and banner creation, content, and how you'll handle the logistics of paying your affiliates. If you join a large network, you can get someone to help you with a lot of this, but they also take a bigger slice of your pie.

Good luck.