How To Create Your Own Successful And Profitable Affiliate Program – Affiliate Programs
How To Create Your Own Successful And Profitable Affiliate Program
Charles Kangethe
Most of the truly successful marketers have three competitive advantages :
They run successful Affiliate Programs Part 1
They own large Opt-In Lists and have large traffic Part 2
They create their own products Part 3
Step #1 - Three Affiliate Program Opportunities
Opportunity 1 - Using Own Products and Services
Combining your own products with a successful Affiliate Program is almost a license to write your own checks.
Opportunity 2 - Using Resell and Master Rights Products
Surprisingly, as you will see in step 4, you can create and run an Affiliate Program even if you dont have your own products and services.
Opportunity 3 - Substitute Joint Ventures
All successful Affiliate Programs are joint ventures in miniature. Your affiliate partners require as much of your support and commitment as would any JV partners.
Step #2 - The Top Ten Features Of A Good Affiliate Program
It delivers consistent sales for Affiliates, by marketing products with high consumer benefits.
It operates on a Leveraged Income Pay structure, which extends a number of levels deep.
It operates on a Residual Income Pay structure giving Affiliates repeat Income.
A good program has high quality marketing tools and incentives for the Affiliates.
It pays out big percentages of the sale to the Affiliates and it pays promptly
The administration function tracks and corrects affiliate issues quickly, and effectively.
A good program trains and supports Affiliates enthusiastically.
It offers Affiliates complimentary, high value, front and back end products for promotion.
It handles all end customer care issues.
10 A good program constantly tests new ideas to support and strengthen ties with affiliates and end customers alike.
Step #3 - "Own Product Affiliate Program"
Most people join an Affiliate Program on the strength and reliability of its compensation plan.
* Compensation Structure Planning :
Who can join the program
Is it open to anyone or just selected, approved partners
Downline matrix structure for Leveraged Income
How deep is the matrix of downline earnings for Leveraged Income
Residual Income Payments
Does the program pay Residual Income, on repeat subscriptions for as long as the end customer renews
Minimum Payment amounts, and deadlines.
Policy on payments, returns and deductions from Affiliate payments must be clear from the beginning.
Affiliate monitoring of the program
Affiliates must be able to easily monitor referrals and earnings. Clear and accurate reports to Affiliates should be available online or sent by e-mail.
* Marketing Plans
Develop high quality graphical links that Affiliates can use on their own websites to point to your program. These include
Web Templates and copy
Banner Links
Button Links
Text Links
Write e-courses coaching your Affiliates on what works best in promoting your products and services.
Do not make the mistake of thinking that when they sign up the whole thing will run on autopilot.
* Legal Issues
Consult professional, qualified lawyers to help you draw up your program terms and conditions before you go to market. The upfront cost involved may save you greater expense in the future.
Step #4 - Resell and Master Rights Product Affiliate Programs
An Affiliate Program without your own products is possible, but use caution - it is less likely to be a huge earner, than one promoting your own stable of products.
Why would anyone join an Affiliate Program to promote a resell or master rights product, that they could buy and sell earning 100% of the profits
The answer is reduced effort, time and money.
An Affiliate Program for resell or master rights products saves the affiliate from having to buy, process, add value to and give customer service to the resell rights product.
It becomes an easy Income stream that people may want to join.
The trick in this situation is to
Spot a product with selling potential, that is relatively scarce and has not been over marketed.
Create the Affiliate Program where the product owner has failed or is incapable of seeing the market opportunity.
Remember caution - Do not spend huge sums setting up this type of program because the "Return on Investment" is likely to be low.
Step #5 - Mini Joint Venture
JV partners bring "something with them, to the party" - This might be funding, a huge opt-in list, a product or service, or ideas.
Affiliate partners on the other hand, bring only their desire to promote your products and services.
However, the practical day to day administration of the two types of programs is very similar.
For instance:
You should coach affiliates and JV partners in the best way to market the products.
You must listen to their issues and deal with them effectively and efficiently
You must make sure they are happy with the program arrangements, in order that they promote it strongly and join up for future promotions.
JVs and Affiliate programs are different, but only in small details. Treat them with similar care.
Step #6 - Affiliate Program Automation
Quality tools are indispensable for Affiliate Program Automation
Affiliate Scripts - These are commercially available scripts that allow you to set up programs of various complexity in terms of compensation plans, account management, and program administration.
Administration Tools - These allow you to see in detail which Affiliates are performing and deserving of more of your effort, time and attention and which ones are not and can therefore be dropped from the program.
Sequential Autoresponder - Use this to coach and train your Affiliates by sending them regular e-mail.
VoIP Communicators - These allow you to hold Cheap Live training and support seminars where your Affiliates can virtually attend, see, hear and talk to one another from across the Globe without the need for expensive travel or phone costs.
Payment Processor - This is the facility by which your Affiliate partners will be paid.
Product Fulfillment - A successful program will generate many sales and the fulfillment process must be able to cater for the heavy workload.
Customer Care - The extra sales means that you may need to handle higher levels of end customer issues including returns.
Step #7 - In a Nutshell
This may seem daunting at first reading, but in reality setting up an Affiliate Program is straightforward.
The blue print is :
Decide on the product type you want to set a program up for.
Decide on Affiliate entry and acceptance criteria
Decide on the compensation plan
Decide on the marketing plan
Decide the legal structure
Choose your automation tools
Market the program
Train and support your affiliates, especially your winners.
Dont be afraid to test new ideas
Relevant Resources
Affiliate Program Setup Scripts
TWSC Affiliate Lite! from http://www.twsc.biz
Affiliate Scripts from http://www.affiliate-scripts.com/
Affiliate Program Administration Tools
AssocTrac from http://shmyl.com/sjm
Sequential Autoresponders
Getresponse from http://www.getresponse.com
Aweber from http://www.aweber.com
VoIP - Cheap Live Communicators
http://shmyl.com/agz
Wealth Creation Strategies - FREE 10 part e-Course
http://www.simplyeasier.com/wcs
Affiliate Programs - An example Promotion Template
http://www.simplyeasier.com/client/simplyeasierprofits.html
c 2004 Charles Kangethe
About The Author
Charles Kangethe of http://www.simplyeasier.com is a leading new wave marketer and a published author from England. The "Simply Easier" brand name is your guarantee of high value, quality Marketing Products, Services and Resources.
charles@simplyeasier.com
Kick Start Your Mentor Program and Stop the Bullies! – Kids
Kick Start Your Mentor Program and Stop the Bullies!
Pau;a McCoach
Whining about bullying and how rotten the bullies were and the poor students that they bullied used to be one of my regular activities. "We have to do something to help these kids" both the bullies and their victims," I would whine. But for years, I just talked to these kids and sent them on their way. After I got sick and tired of being sick and tired of talking about this - I did do something! I started a mentor program for these students!
Behavior referrals, grades, social problems, and poor achievement were our starting criteria for being in the program. Almost every staff member in the building had 2-3 mentees - everyone from the administration, teachers, and counselors to the educational assistants, cafeteria workers and custodians. Over 150 students were in that mentor program which began in 1998.
Each mentor was given a mentor folder with a permission slip, a brochure about the program, a profile sheet, and tips on being a mentor, a pencil and a "Welcome Back to School"card. The profile sheet identified their mentees, homeroom teacher, grade, birthday, and area of concern. Also included in the packet was a birthday card and pencil for the mentor to give their mentees.
Giving gifts was left of to the discretion of the mentor. Some mentees came to expect gifts and the purpose of the mentor relationship was diminished. The kids came to expect them and thought that they were
The Truth About Overtures Pay-Per-Click Program – Marketing
The Truth About Overtures Pay-Per-Click Program
Dean Phillips
Before Googles AdWords, Overture was the preeminent pay-per- click program. Its still a monolith in its own right that deserves a closer look.
Overtures pay-per-click program actually consists of four different programs: Precision Match, Local Match, Content Match and Site Match. However, for this article, Im just going to be talking about Precision Match.
Precision Match formerly Pay-For-Performance Search. According to Overture the program allows you to:
List your business in sponsored search results across the web.
Control your position by the amount you bid on keywords.
Set your own price-per-click.
Pay only when a customer clicks through to your site.
Overture claims its Precision Match listings reach over 80 percent of active Internet users, with your business showing up in the results of some of the webs most popular sites, including Yahoo!, MSN, InfoSpace and AltaVista.
You have a choice of two sign-up options: Fast Track and Self Serve. Here are the differences: Fast Track allows you sign-up online or call 866-747-7327. Self Serve allows you sign-up online only. Fast Track offers a 3 business days turnaround.
Self Serve--5 business days. Fast Track offers expert assistance with. search term selection. Self Serve doesnt. Fast Track offers expert assistance with titles & descriptions. Self Serve doesnt. Fast Track offers expert assistance with budget management. Self serve doesnt. Fast Track offers a customized proposal.
Self Serve doesnt. Fast Track allows you total control of your campaign. Yeah right!
Self Serve does as well. Dont make me laugh! Fast Track offers free account optimization.
Self Serve doesnt. Fast Track offers expert assistance with tracking URLs. Self Serve doesnt. With Fast Track editorial approval automatic. With Self Serve--Subject to review. Fast Track has a one-time, non-refundable service fee of $199.
Self Serve is free.
And now for the fine print. Remember, youre already paying $199 for Fast Track. But wait, theres more!
Account optimization can be redeemed no earlier than 60 days and no later than 180 days from date of sign up.
A $50 initial deposit is non-refundable and will be applied to click-throughs or to the minimum monthly spend. Each account has a $20 minimum monthly spend. There is a minimum bid requirement of $0.10 per click-through. Sellers of certain legally restricted products may require certification at extra cost.
Can you believe all of those ridiculous charges With Fast Track, youre already $240 in the hole, before you even get started! Does that seem fair to you
Well, in order to be fair to Overture, before I wrote this article, I talked to 25 past and current Overture advertisers. A handful were extremely happy with Overture. The rest, however said they had made no money and that Overtures service was extremely slow or non-existant.
I also had a lot of people e-mail me complaining that Overtures Keyword Suggestion Tool is inaccurate, and misleading, and that the results they got were a lot different than the figures Overture claimed for many keywords.
In conclusion, I say "run, dont walk away" from Overtures pay-per-click program. Remember, this is the same company that signed an agreement with "scumware" giant Gator.
I think that should tell you all you need to know about Overture!
About The Author
Dean Phillips is an Internet marketing expert, writer, publisher and entrepreneur. Questions Comments Dean can be reached at mailto: dean@lets-make-money.net.
Visit his website at: http://www.lets-make-money.net