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Look
for a unique product in a ripe market.
Let's face it; there are an awful lot of affiliate programs
trying to sell books these days. If you decide to jump on
the bandwagon and offer the same product as everybody else,
you are at a statistical disadvantage of ever generating
meaningful revenue. Look for affiliate programs that offer
unique products in a ripe market. |
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Seek
programs that have growth potential with
an expanding product offering. This will improve your revenue
expansion. Your customers will keep coming back to see what's
new and exciting. If a merchant's product offering is dead
end, what do you think your potential with that merchant
will be? Look for merchants that are dynamic and constantly
expanding their product offerings. |
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Maximize
your pay rate. The higher the pay rate, the less
traffic you will need to meet your revenue goals. Programs
that only offer a few pennies or a few dollars demand that
you have tremendous activity to make any meaningful revenue.
There is a wide range of pay rates among affiliate programs.
Look for programs that offer a decent pay rate for the business
you generate. |
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Only
accept a clear pay structure. Any legitimate
affiliate program should spell out exactly what you will
receive for your effort. This seems basic enough, yet there
are many programs that present very nebulous pay rates.
Unless the merchant spells out exactly what you will receive
for your efforts, avoid them. |
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Increase
your revenue potential with two-tier programs.
What if you refer another affiliate to the merchant? You've
just helped grow the business of that merchant. Shouldn't
you be paid for that? Being paid for helping grow the business
of the merchant seems only fair. Two-tier programs reward
you for both referring other affiliates to the merchant
as well as end customers. Look for programs that will pay
you for your affiliate referrals. |
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Seek
programs that generate repeat business.
With most affiliate programs you will be referring customers
to the merchant site usually with a banner or a button.
The problem is that customers will often bypass you and
go directly to the merchant the next time they want to buy.
The way to prevent this is to seek programs that give you
your own site as part of the program. Then
your customers will return to your site rather than the
merchant the next time they want to buy. |
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Avoid
merchants which will compete with you.
If a merchant has an affiliate program, but also has brand
recognition, the customer may try to go directly to the
merchant. If the customer has a choice to either go through
you or go straight to the merchant, which do you think they
will choose? Fortunately, some affiliate programs demand
that customers must come through an affiliate site. Look
for merchants that will not compete with you. |
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Make
sure the program has a good tracking system.
Nowadays, it is reasonable to expect that your sales statistics
will be readily available to you. Always confirm the tracking
method of any program. If possible, look for programs that
offer real time tracking 24 hours 7 days
a week and that are accessible from the web. |
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Look
for programs that offer marketing support.
Amazingly, many affiliate programs have little or no marketing
support. This is counterintuitive considering it is in the
merchant's interest to help the affiliate succeed. Fortunately,
some programs do offer marketing support. Look for programs
that give you the most tools to succeed. |
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Choose
a program with community support. Again,
it is in the merchant's interest to foster support for their
affiliates, yet many affiliate programs offer no community
support. Community bulletin boards tend to foster information
exchange between affiliates and usually offer news and expert
advice. Look for programs that believe in providing community
support. |
