32 USEFUL TIPS ABOUT ASSOCCIATE PROGRAMS

32 USEFUL TIPS ABOUT ASSOCCIATE PROGRAMS

How associate programs work

Associate programs (or reseller/partnership/affiliate programs) are revenue sharing arrangements organised by companies selling products and services. Webmasters are rewarded for sending customers to the business.
For example, by February 1998 Amazon.com, one of the pioneers, had attracted more than 30,000 webmasters giving Amazon.com wonderful publicity in exchange for a small

commission on sales.

They are often amazingly easy to join. After carefully reading the terms and conditions, which vary from program to program, you provide a banner ad, small graphic or ordinary link from your site or newsletter to the vendor. If someone follows the link and actually buys a product or service from the business site, you receive a commission. If you already have a busy site and the product is attractive to your visitors, it's easy money.
As well, there are systems which pay you for the number of "click-throughs" instead of for actual sales.
Ask for references
While researching the company before you sign up, it's a good idea to ask for the names of associates and contact them to see if they're happy with the company. A vendor will usually offer a carefully worded, detailed agreement. If it doesn't, be careful. However, don't rule out a company completely just because it doesn't have a slick public relations exercise. You could be overlooking a really talented tech wizard.
If the vendor is slow replying to your e-mail, that's also a warning sign. I've found that the most successful companies on the Net that I've questioned are often amazingly fast at replying to e-mail.
Some companies pay you only after you have accumulated $US50 or $US100 in commission. If you have a very busy site, that may be OK. For a small site without much traffic, it could take a long, long time . . .
There's even the odd company which won't pay you at all unless you generate a certain level of business. Read the rules before you sign up! Please visit our sponsor, who pays 20% commission.
Rule number one: go for quality
I reckon the most important consideration when assessing associate programs is to examine the product or service offered. The better the product or service, the more enthusiastic you will be about recommending it -- and you'll have a better chance that people will want to buy. For example, Virtualis offers web hosting facilities which attract rave reviews and has an extremely professional associate program.

Rule number two: earn good commissions

You want be rewarded more than a few cents for click-throughs. You want to earn decent dollars for your hard work, so look for associate programs which reward you generously. Virtualis Systems, One & Only Internet Personals, Jim Daniels' JDD Publishing and Magazine Mall are four good examples.
For example, One & Only Internet Personals (personal classified ads) pays 20% on any subscriptions sold, plus any and all renewal revenue generated for the initial sign up, forever, for the life of the customer.
Spree.com also also has a generous system, paying 10 to 29% of all referrals, regardless of what you actually offer on your site

Rule number three: seek good tracking

When you experiment with your promotional efforts you want to know straight away how effective your work has been, so you need instant immediate tracking. For example, Spree.com sends me a friendly e-mail message when new people sign up as a result of my efforts and Web Cards has a simple but effective online tracking system I can check any time.

Signing up is just the start

Successful associates don't just sign up for a program. They add relevant content to their sites which will attract visitors who want to buy the products or services promoted. An excellent example is Gordon Currie'sRivenguild.

Start - or improve - your newsletter

If you don't have your own newsletter, now is the time to get started. It's a great promotional tool. I use and strongly recommend OakNet Publishing's distribution system. Some people mess around wasting lots of time with e-mail, subscribing and unsubscribing people. Phil Tanney at Oaknet does all that for me automatically. Newsletter Publishing Made Easy. It's a fabulous service.

List your associate/reseller program

Resellers and vendors: Be the first to list an associate/affiliate/partner/reseller program on the Associate Programs Directory and we'll post your referring ID number or your referring URL - FREE.
This is a permanent listing - it's not one of those free-for-all sites where your URL drops off the bottom of the list.

Getting personal

Good associate programs make you money as well as adding value to your site. One & Only Internet Personals operates an associate program under which an associate site is set up which is basically a mirror site of the main one. Marketing Manager Mike Curtis says that an analysis in December 1997 showed that an associate can take his or her average daily visits and multiply that number by $11.31 to get an estimate of average annual revenue. For example, if you get 100 daily visits to your associate site, you will make, on average, $1131 a year. For details see One & Only Internet Personals Disclosure: This company is a sponsor of this site.

Some companies that pay cash

You can add a new revenue stream by becoming an associate of a large, successful company. For example the following companies pay cash for referrals: Amazon.com Pays 5% to 15% commission. Easy to set up.
Barnes and Noble Pays 5% commission - and 7% when you sales are over $1 million! The commission is on total sales for that visit, not just the book you suggest.
Books Now Pays 8% on all sales - for that visit only.
Books.com Pays 12% commission on all sales.
LeVillage Sign up at The LinkShare Network Pays 5% commission.

Magazine Mall makes it amazingly easy

The Magazine Mall, which offers subscriptions to a huge range of good magazines, heavily discounted, pays 20% commission and will set up your own web site for you in about five minutes. From the 56 categories I've chosen to promote Business, Internet and Computer magazines.

Clever novelty: Whitewater Micro-Acres

Dr Carey Carpenter of The First Ozark Company says you can own a Whitewater "Micro-Acre" for only $US35. "This square-foot of White House scandal history is yours along with a deed suitable for framing. Give one to a liberal friend!" He operates a reseller program.

Amazon annoys the masses

Amazon.com makes being an associate easy. You write a book review, put it on your site and link to the book at Amazon.com. If the customer buys the book, you receive 5% to 15% commission. It's a win-win situation - but Amazon does most of the winning.
If you want to, you can create a large or small online bookstore, but Amazon says that's not necessary.
You benefit because Amazon.com is a high-profile site with a good reputation. Unfortunately, if the customer then looks around Amazon.com and buys six books, you receive a commission only on the one you pointed him to directly. Amazon has upset many affiliates because of this approach, but I still like Amazon.com because of it's amazing low prices and mammoth selection of books.

Commissions and more commissions

Imagine the potential for a really busy site with a company with a much, much more generous payment structure. Spree.com goes several steps further than Amazon.com, not only paying generous commissions on all sales - for life - but also offering you a web web site and you benefit if a customer becomes a partner. So things snowball along.