Dear Affiliate Manager, 7 Ways To Tell If Your Affiliate Program Stinks
Question: Why aren�t my affiliates promoting my affiliate program? And, how do I get more to sign up? Dear Affiliate Manager: I can tell you in a heartbeat whether or not your affiliate program is attracting loyal, motivated affiliates. It�s easy. Just put yourself in your affiliate�s shoes. If you�re not creating loyalty in your affiliates, they�re going to look for a better program to promote, and you�ll be left in the dust. Now that I�ve got your attention, let�s go through some key components of making your affiliate program attractive to affiliates, so they don�t start shopping around. 1. Reputations are on the Line. Of course, number one is quality. Do you have quality products and customer service? An affiliate�s reputation is on the line every time we consider promoting a product or service. If your products are junk or you�re making our referrals upset in any way � we�ll drop you faster than something *really* hot. 2. Lay the Money on the Table. It�s not just about the percentage commission. That won�t motivate and make loyal affiliates, but, it is a start. Are you talking 5%? Then, unless you offer millions of products at great prices and have a solid reputation, you�re not going to be getting a whole lot of affiliates. 3. Who�s getting credit? Show your affiliates that you value them by setting long cookies and they�ll keep sending you traffic. How long are your cookies? The longer the better. 4. Closing the Deal. If your affiliates are sending you traffic, I hope you have a newsletter (or ecourse) on that sales page for two reasons. 1. It means you�re smart and know how internet marketing works, and 2. It means that the affiliates get more than one chance to close the deal, because you�re going to be following up with the lead and closing the sale for us. This shows us that you take your business seriously � a very important indicator. 5. Like Frosting on the Cake. Assuming all things are equal, if your program is two-tier or residual, you�ll have affiliates lined up to promote you. 6. Are you even trying? There is nothing more frustrating than joining an affiliate program that you�re really excited about, logging in and seeing � nothing but a couple of links. No content, no ebooks, no videos. Zip. This is especially disappointing if you know the author or owner is sending out a weekly newsletter. Share your articles with your affiliates, allow them to be rebranded, and I guarantee you�ll get loyalty. 7. That�s just Rude. Almost more insulting than not providing any content is providing �leaky� articles. Yes, I have seen affiliate programs that so �generously� provide articles for their affiliates. But, the articles had plugs for their other programs in the body of the article. Now, I�m not naming names, but I do feel that�s pretty cheap to be stealing from your own affiliates. Those are just a few ways to tell if your affiliate program stinks. I hope you read and reread this advice. Treat your affiliates like partners and they�ll plaster your link all over the web. You�ll have affiliates lined up to promote every new product you offer, and they�ll sing your praises every chance they get.
