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[This article is for
advertisers who want to set up and manage their own affiliate advetising/sales
programs. If you're a marketer/publisher, and want to become an affiliate
to promote other company's products, please read Introduction
To Affiliate Programs.]
Affiliate networks
are expensive (possibly thousands of dollars). Are they worth it? Here
are the benefits.
- They hold your
hand. These people are pros and affiliate programs are complex.
They'll work with you every step of the way until you're completely
comfortable with the way things function. Even the smaller, simpler
networks have help features (tutorials, forums, FAQ). When choosing
an affiliate network, make sure you're satisfied with their help and
support programs.
- They handle
the details. Savvy affiliate members want detailed reports--not
just how many sales they made and how much they earned, but how many
page views, clicks, and leads they generated, and statistics on which
type of ads generate the best response for that particular product.
The list goes on an on. Affiliate networks make all sorts of fascinating
data available to its members--both publishers and advertisers.
- They supply
the audience. Starting an affiliate program from scratch means that
you have to market your program, which is every bit as time consuming
as markting your site and your product. With an affiliate
network, they do all that for you. Most of them have a "new"
category, where you're offer will be featured for the first 30 days
or so. Since they probably helped you develop your program, you can
be confident that the offer you've listed will be well presented and
should be well received.
- They have the
marketing expertise. Since they can only stay in business as long
as you and the affiliates are making money, affiliate networks must
keep up with all market trends and technology advancements, as they
apply to the Internet. Belonging to a good affiliate network is like
having your own market and technology research department. They will
keep you informed of just about everything that's happening "out
there," and help you keep your product line and promotional efforts
up-to-date.
- For an additional
fee, they can do it all. The ongoing management of an affiliate
program can be very time-consuming. Affiliates are no different from
any other customer. They have questions about payouts, new products,
technical difficulties, what the competition's doing, how this year's
sales compare to last year's sales. Running an independant affiliate
program can be like starting a whole new online community within your
website, almost doubling your workload, if you have hundreds of affiliates
clamoring for attention. Some of the bigger affiliate networks offer
a complete ongoing management system for your program, keeping your
affiliates happy while you concentrate on developing and selling products
to your regular customers.
If you can't afford
to join an affiliate network, but you'd still like to have an affiliate
program of your own, please read Starting
Your Own Affiliate Program.
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