5 Commandments of Choosing an Affiliate Network
So, you bought your first domain name, got it hosted and you’re ready to take on the world. You’ve signed up to the big box affiliate network everyone is talking about; got a few offers live…life is good. Until you notice the funds set aside for marketing… aren’t really funds anymore. Nothing converts and your 23-year old affiliate manager is just as clueless as you.
“What have I done wrong,” you begin to ask? “Is this affiliate marketing thing really for me?”
Chances are you’ve done nothing wrong. Maybe a little misguided to say the least. It’s really not that bad.
Consider several things before you take the advice of SuperMoneyMaker on the forums when choosing your affiliate program.
Let’s jump right in:
- Offer Compatibility. Let’s say your blog is about the ancient techniques of basket weaving. This is a fairly niche market right? I would suffice it to say running an ad for ringtones would not be a smart move. This is not to say you would actually do that…but you need to take a step back and consider WHO has the offers best geared towards your subject matter. Most of the time, the smaller and lesser known affiliate networks will have more unique and in house offers available.
- What Others Are Saying. This is one of those times you want to ask SuperMoneyMaker (and his friends) what the overall attitude is towards the network of your choice. Have they been burned before? Are commissions sent out promptly? Ask about evidence of past fraud. How reliable is their tracking? Are the affiliate managers always out to lunch…literally and figuratively? If someone responds negatively about any of these questions…don’t sign up. It’s your money, treat it that way. There is too much information available for you not to make an educated decision.
- Affiliate Manager Accessibility. I mentioned this briefly in the last point, but having access to your affiliate manager is paramount to your success. A good affiliate manager will have inside knowledge of what offers are hot and what techniques should be used to market them. As you gain experience you should have no problem doing this yourself…however it does help to have someone next to you along the way.
- Number of Fellow Publishers. How many times have you walked into a restaurant, only to find it empty…during lunch time? When first joining a network, be aware of how many publishers they have…or don’t have. Some release this stat, others don’t. Take note of the questions you were asked in the sign up process…this will help you determine fraud level, quality of affiliates and the overall seriousness of the network. You wouldn’t let anyone into your house would you?
- Tracking & Reporting. I also mentioned this briefly a few points ago: It’s not the amount of stats the network provides…but the essential and reliable stats made available to you. I’ve worked with publisher platforms in the past that looked like they were built by a bunch of NASA engineers. No one cares how much you know…it’s what you know and how you use it that counts. Here are the top stats you should be tracking as an affiliate:
- Clicks (duh)
- Conversions (sales, actions, leads)
- EPC (earnings per 100 clicks)
- CPA (Cost Per Acquisition…how much did it cost for each sale.)
- CTR (Click Through Ratio…Clicks vs. How many visitors saw your ad.)
- Impressions (how many times your ad was displayed)
Even if you’ve mastered all of the above, it still doesn’t mean you’re ready to take on the world. True competence in affiliate marketing only comes through experience…and this is achieved through just doing it. Remember Nike?
