Multiple web sites and distributors selling your product
can result in increased sales and profits. Unlike conventional
advertising, affiliate programs pay only for performance.
Commissions are not paid out unless sales are made.
Also, with many more web sites linking to yours, your link
popularity is sure to increase in search engines, resulting
in additional traffic and income.
Combine a Merchant Account with Your Affiliate Program
If your product is downloadable (such as electronic books
or software), you might consider ClickBank.com. For a $49.95
initial fee, you can process credit cards and on-line cheques
for $1.00 per transaction plus 7.5% of sales. As an added
bonus, you have your own built-in affiliate program.
ClickBank gives you a listing on their web site and visitors
can buy your products and join your affiliate program. You
choose the commission rate you are willing to pay. All commission
payments are handled by ClickBank. One downside is that
you can`t run a two-tiered program.
Use an Affiliate Program Script
If you are comfortable with running CGI scripts, you may
wish to install your own affiliate program on your server
and administer the affiliate program yourself.
Be forewarned, though, that this is a lot of work. You will
be responsible for all the testing, security, commission
payments, promotion and so on. Another downside: Will your
potential affiliates trust you since their commissions are
not tracked and paid by an independent third party?
Use a Hosted Solution
There are good reasons for not hosting your affiliate program
on your server. Perhaps you don`t have the time to administer
all the aspects of an affiliate program. Maybe your time
could be used more productively in other areas of your business.
Additionally, an independent third party tracking and paying
affiliate commissions inspires confidence in prospective
affiliates. Finally, you just might benefit from the additional
exposure that an affiliate network brings you.
ClixGalore.com is an example of an affiliate network. You
will need to pay a $75.00 deposit to cover affiliate commissions.
They charge 25% of any affiliate commissions paid. For example,
if you paid an affiliate a 10% commission on a $100.00 sale,
you would pay the affiliate $10.00 and ClixGalore $2.50.
With ClixGalore, you can also have a two-tier program. Taking
the above example, if you paid affiliates for finding other
affiliates, you might pay 2% on your second tier. That would
be another $2.00 commission and $ .50 affiliate network
fee for a total of $15.00 in commissions on both levels.
For All Affiliate Programs
Setup your own web page (or pages) outlining the benefits
of your affiliate program. Offer articles, suggestions,
text and banner links, and other useful support for your
affiliates.
Offer a generous commission so that others feel motivated
to sell for you. Obtain the e-mail addresses of your affiliates
so that you can keep in touch with them to aid them to sell
more.
For increased traffic, sales and profits, start your own
affiliate program.
J. Stephen Pope, President of Pope Consulting Inc.,
has been helping clients to earn maximum business profits
for over twenty-five years. To learn more about affiliate
programs and other profitable Work at Home Small Business
Ideas, visit http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/affiliate.html
