DO YOU KNOW YOUR AFFILIATE'S REPUTATION?
One word of caution here about affiliate programs. You have to carefully check out the network's reputation and the affiliate offers that you use. They are going to impact your online image and if they are fraudulent, you not only lose the money you made, but you can lose future opportunity for making money because your online reputation is shot via association too.
So, before you sign up to a network program, try to find out how long they have been in business and how carefully they vet their members. You may get some flash in the pan startups that offer outrageously good terms, incredible sign up bonuses, three tiered programs that last a lifetime, and then when you get on and work your butt off, they disappear off the Internet the next day. That is not the position you want to be in, either as an advertiser or a publisher.
So, go to different marketing and webmaster forums and check out the reputation of different offers and networks. You will find people are very helpful and will answer your questions or any misgivings you might have. Be careful to take these with a grain of salt too, however, as people do get paid to promote different affiliate programs. However, it's better than not doing a little background check on your own.
A couple of good places to find information on affiliate programs are:
· Digital Point
This is a webmaster forum, but it also offers and Internet marketing board where you can go and talk about all kinds of great online affiliate strategies. It is located at http://forums.digitalpoint.com.
· Warrior Forum
Another awesome resource to find information on all things about Internet marketing. In particular, they have a board on affiliate marketing where you can get the latest scoop on some of the hottest topics in affiliate marketing, like CPA networks. It is located at http://www.warriorforum.com.
If you start getting complaints from people who used your links to go get an affiliate offer that didn't deliver or committed fraud or theft, immediately remove that offer from your lineup and substitute with another one, while you investigate. This will save you multiple headaches down the road. Now, you may be wondering how the heck you're going to be able to do that when you might have inserted that link all over the web, in free infoproducts that were downloaded, or on social networking site walls and bulletin boards. Impossible, right?
With a little extra planning you can save your reputation and continue to add marketing offers that uphold your high standards and make good money for you. All you have to do is always use a re-direct URL instead of the actual affiliate URL to
send people to the offer. This way, should a problem occur, or even if the offer gets suspended, you can substitute, by simply reprogramming the re-direct URL located on your website in ONE location, rather than trying to grab all the links you sent out all over the web! Pretty nifty, huh? You'll be glad you did this, especially if it turns out your network didn't vet someone well enough and ended up hosting a fraud or online thief.
AFFILIATE BANKS
Where are you going to find the offers you want to promote? Well, the easiest way is to go to an affiliate network, also known as an affiliate bank, and sign up. They can help you as an advertiser to develop your own affiliate program, or as a publisher to locate and get into affiliate programs that suit your market niche. As we mentioned earlier, try to stick with well-established networks with a sound reputation, for your own sake as well as your customers.
Here are just a few of the networks out there that you can sign up for:
LARGE, WELL-ESTABLISHED, CPC NETWORKS
· Commission Junction
This is probably the oldest network and is very easy to join. It has a great search functionality and you can see various stats on the offers to help you make a good decision. As a publisher, it costs you nothing to join, but as an advertiser, it is the probably one of the most expensive networks to join because of its longevity and reputation for quality. It is located at http://www.cj.com.
HOT NEW CPA NETWORKS
These networks are lead-based networks, meaning you get paid as an affiliate to get a prospective customer to perform some action, like opt-in to a mailing list or buy a product. They are great for advertisers who can establish a return on their investment, instead of using a pay-per-click model. It can significantly reduce their expenses and help them manage the advertising budget better. It is much harder for publishers to get accepted, but well worth it, as the payouts can be much better during tough recessionary times when people part with information faster than money.
· ClickBooth.com
Another great network that is highly popular with both advertisers and publishers. It offers a lifetime referral program, and a $10 referral bonus. The minimum payout is $50, so you will have to refer at least five people to
make the payout. But, their offers are diverse and varied and can help you knock out that payout in no time flat.
· NeverBlueAds
Good for newbies. They don't allow adult or gambling sites, but, otherwise, they seem to be easier to infiltrate that other CPA networks. It has a very friendly user interface and are even willing to deal with International affiliate partners, in some cases.
The lists we've promoted here do not do justice to all of the possibilities available with affiliate marketing and the different types of networks out there. However, it's a good preview of all the wonderful ways to make money with affiliate marketing. Now, it's up to you, to put these strategies into action and to continue to explore the exciting world of online affiliate marketing.
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