Affiliate marketing is a pay-for-performance marketing vehicle.
It can reap great benefits, but it is essential that you work hard and
learn the techniques that lead to successful affiliate marketing.
You must always remember that, as an affiliate member, you are
subordinate to your affiliate program manager. Ask yourself who writes
the affiliate agreement. Is it you or the affiliate manager? The answer
is obvious; so should be the conclusion.
Affiliate program managers are merchants and marketers. While some are
more benevolent than others, they are out there to make a buck, just like
you. Don’t kid yourself; in nearly every case in which a dispute
arises, you will lose! This is not because affiliate program managers are
deceitful or greedy. Affiliate managers are responsible for large pools
of affiliate members. They cannot afford to make exceptions because an
affiliate did not read or understand a contract. So carefully read and
insure that you fully understand your affiliate agreements! If you
have a question, fire off an email to the manager. If you don’t like
the answer (or don’t get one), you may want to seek another similar
affiliate program for sponsorship. We have turned away from affiliate
programs simply because we did not like an individual phrase or paragraph
within an affiliate agreement.
Now the opposite side of the coin. We have yet to see an affiliate agreement
in which all rights and benefits accrue to the manager and none to the
member. This is because the entire reason why merchants and marketers
create affiliate programs is to recruit others (such as yourself) who are
motivated to promote or sell their product or service. They want
and need your help! If members have no motivation to perform, the
affiliate program dies and its manager must resort to more costly methods
of advertising and customer acquisition. So you see, you do have power
after all. Bottom line — if a mistake occurs and it is yours, you
must eat it; if it is the manager’s mistake, they should fix it.
There is a great deal of competition for each online customer today;
as a result, affiliate programs have sprung up like spring flowers. If
you do not like the terms offered by an affiliate marketer, look for a
similar affiliate program. Do not hitch yourself to a single wagon
unless it is a truly promising one.
Always remember that your affiliate career is your responsibility. Your
career goal should be to build the best home based business you can.
You accomplish your career goal by being diligent, paying attention to
detail, working with upline members to keep informed and to gain affiliate
marketing experience, and working closely with downline members you
sponsor to help them build their own businesses.
We have identified sources we believe offer excellent advice on how to avoid
some of the pitfalls associated with affiliate marketing as it exists
today. Both novice and established affiliates can gain valuable
insights by taking a few moments to read these authors, who speak with the
voice of experience. If affiliate marketing is to be the wave of the
future, the wave is just beginning to form. Knowing how to surf the
wave can lead to a rewarding and financially secure future.
Authored by Kenneth L. Anderson.
Original article published 22 May 2003, updated 28 April
2005.
Follow links to the right to learn more about affiliate marketing tips.
At the left margin, Related Links address topics of interest
pertaining to affiliate programs, business and business-related resources.
The Ten Spider Business Center provides tools for small business proprietors
and business startups. We have amassed a collection of resources and
services that should be included in any entrepreneur’s arsenal.
Here you will find resources to help get your business off the ground,
finance it, make it grow, manage your own resources and maintain
a safe and beneficial environment for your employees. View the
Affiliate Programs SiteMap
for a complete list of business and business-related topics.
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