One of the biggest issues faced by affiliate marketers is trying to choose the right programs. There are so many products and services available to promote you can spend more time picking one than promoting it! However, I hope to make your choice a little easier after you have read this article.
You should start by making a list of things you know about. This might be related to your current or previous jobs, but more likely to do with the things you do in your spare time – gaming, sports, or other hobbies and pastimes. It’s always good to work in an area you are familiar with. It’s even better to promote some of the products you already own if they have an affiliate program. You can relate to it so much better and relay your enthusiasm for the subject with your potential customer. Start by browsing or searching affiliate programs on websites like JV Zoo, Clickbank or Amazon.
Make a short list of products you think you would like to promote, and start asking questions.
Who is the Retailer?
Find out whom you are doing business with to know if it is really a solid company. Know the products they are selling and the average amount they are achieving. The more you know about the retailer offering you the affiliate program, the easier it will be for you to know if that program is really for you and your site.
Upfront Costs
Will it cost you anything to join? Fortunately, most affiliate programs don’t cost anything but if they do, have a think about if it’s going to be worth it.
Sales Ratio
What is the hit per sale ratio? This is the average number of hits to a banner or text link it takes to generate a sale based on all affiliate statistics. This is extremely important because this will tell you how much traffic you must generate before you can earn a commission from the sale.
Commissions
How much commission is paid? Most programs pay 20% – 80% and some even pay 100% at the front end. If you find a program that also pays for impressions, the amount paid tends not to be much at all.
How often will I get paid?
When do they issue the commission checks? Every program is different. Some will pay you once a month, every quarter, etc. Select the one that is suited to your payment time choice. Many affiliate programs are setting a minimum earned commission amount that an affiliate must meet or exceed in order for their checks to be issued.
Tracking
How are referrals tracked and how long do they remain in the system? You need to be confident on the program enough to track those people you refer from your site. This is the only way that you can credit for a sale. The period of time that those people stay in the system is also important. This is because some visitors do not buy initially but may want to return later to make the purchase. Know if you will still get credit for the sale if it is done some months from a certain day.
Statistics
What stats are available? Your choice of affiliate program should be capable of offering detailed stats. They should be available online anytime you decide to check them out. Constantly checking your individual stats is important to know how many impressions, hits and sales have been generated from your site. Impressions are the number of times the banner or text link was viewed by a visitor of your site.
These are just a few questions you need answering before you sign up to the affiliate program. Find the right ones for you and good luck promoting them.