It has never been easier to run affiliate programs. There are plenty of different computer programs to help you. The hard part comes in keeping your affiliates interested and selling your product. When your business depends on your affiliate’s performance be sure to provide them help and tools to do so.
If you have been in this game very long, you are already aware that quite a few people will sign up and then disappear into the great beyond. There are ways to prevent some of this by constant communication. Send them weekly emails inquiring about how they are doing and if you can help them as well as periodic username and password reminders. Newsletters are a great way to keep them up to speed on changing products or procedures. Staying in touch is key to keeping them productive.
You should strive to stay in contact with your worst sellers as well as your best. Contact them both regularly. The good sellers will appreciate the recognition and the worst will be prodded to make some movement. Really, the main reason they are not producing is lack of leadership skills or guidance. You can easily address this issue by writing your own marketing course. Make it available to your affiliates free and perhaps make some money by selling it to non-affiliates.
Stay up to date on all your sales and ad copy. New material should be available to affiliates often. A link or banner just is not enough advertising to make a difference. Creative sales letters and colorful banners and buttons will keep the excitement flowing. Again, communication is important here as well, it will do no good to have these great tools if affiliates do not know they are available.
Your best tool is feedback and the best source of that are your affiliates. Listen to them about programs and materials and make adjustments. A good way to accomplish this is through weekly meetings. Since you probably do not live close, enough for a physical meeting then utilize the virtual world. Set up a chat room specifically for weekly or monthly meetings. Keep it fun and interesting by having motivational speakers, bonus drawings anything that keeps their attention. Above all go to the meeting informed, be able to answer your affiliates questions this will inspire loyalty and confidence.
In conjunction with bonuses be sure and give your affiliates the credit they deserve. Nothing is as nice as seeing your name in the monthly newsletter under great achievements. Set up contests and bonuses that create instant rewards for productivity. Anything you can do that lets them know you see their hard work and are thankful for it will inspire them to new heights. This translates into more effort, sales and money. The more successful they are the more successful you are!
20 Comments
Jussi Koiranen
September 29, 2008Exactly. The more they make sales, the more you make and every sale counts. Hope everything goes well in the hospital and you’ll soon have a healthy child 🙂
Chris Imamshah
September 29, 2008Reed, I sure hope that some merchants with affiliate programs read this post because it contains great tips for them.
I, as an affiliate marketer find that there are virtually no merchants doing what you suggest here and, it’s a shame as they’re probably leaving a ton of money on the table.
Best wishes that everything goes smoothly with the birth of your new blessing.
Regards,
Chris
http://www.fastinternetmarketingtips.com
Linda Morro
September 29, 2008….and this is exactly why I hate joining team sites because you work your butt off and those under you (like you said) disappear or want you to do it all for them. Don’t get me wrong, I will help all of those who want help but you get to know the ones that want you to do it for them and reap the benefits. Maybe if that’s all I had to do, I wouldn’t mind.
Keep up the great articles Reed! Good luck tonight.
Linda
John Marena
September 29, 2008I hope everything turns out Ok with the baby.
All i can see and read is about affiliates,but
no one tells you how to find an affiliate to
help with you product.I have asked at least
20 differant people on the net including you
and no one seems to be able to answer the
question.I want to find an affiliate to help
me sell my product,or a JV Partner.How do i
find them??????????????????????????????
John
Kenny Ritchie
September 29, 2008The easier you make it for your affiliates to promote the more likely they are to do so.
If you can write the great copy for them and they’ll use it then great get the sales letter in there for them.
In all likelyhood you will promote your own product if you know the conversion rates of some keywords or email headlines share this info it can only make it more likely they will promote for you.
Kenny Ritchies last blog post..Product Launches – Strategy Issues
Linda Morro
September 29, 2008John ~ Have you tried sites like PayDotCom or Clickbank. They are always looking for affiliates to sell their products.
Hope this helps.
Linda
Wayne Bell
September 30, 2008Gret advise Reed. I am sure many will benefit from it. I believe one of the most important things to master when starting or running any type of Business, online or offline, is Time management. If anyone is interesed, there is an excellent article on this subject at:> http://bellshomeprofitnetwork.wordpress.com/category/work-at-home/
Health, Happiness And Success
Wayne & Susan Bell
BELL’S HOME PROFIT NETWORK
“Searching The World To Bring You The Best”
http://milliondollarlinks.synthasite.com/
Fatherspirit
September 30, 2008‘John ~ Have you tried sites like PayDotCom or Clickbank. They are always looking for affiliates to sell their products.’
Good point Linda – Clickbank is an invaluable resource for any affiliate marketer! Very well patronized and influential and it has the ‘cream’ of online products to sell.
Best Regards to Reed, Marissa, ‘the little one’ and all readers on this site!
Regards,
D.B.
Fatherspirits last blog post..~ The Birth Of Fatherspirit Inc.! ~
Fatherspirit
September 30, 2008‘In conjunction with bonuses be sure and give your affiliates the credit they deserve. Nothing is as nice as seeing your name in the monthly newsletter under great achievements. Set up contests and bonuses that create instant rewards for productivity. Anything you can do that lets them know you see their hard work and are thankful for it will inspire them to new heights. This translates into more effort, sales and money. The more successful they are the more successful you are!’
Great article Reed!
I have even heard of one extraordinary Businessmen who knows the names of his affiliates by heart; he also knows the names of their families and what everybody does etc.
An American Internet identity (name with-held) reportedly travels the country to meet with all of his affiliates, face-to-face! He holds expensive dinners (and he insists on footing the bill) and sends regular gifts and incentives – for no particular reason, just because he wants to!
It’s no wonder that he has an almost 100% retention rate with his affiliates!
Regards,
Dave.
Fatherspirits last blog post..~ The Birth Of Fatherspirit Inc.! ~
Fatherspirit
September 30, 2008‘You should strive to stay in contact with your worst sellers as well as your best. Contact them both regularly. The good sellers will appreciate the recognition and the worst will be prodded to make some movement. Really, the main reason they are not producing is lack of leadership skills or guidance. You can easily address this issue by writing your own marketing course. Make it available to your affiliates free and perhaps make some money by selling it to non-affiliates.’
One wise soul once said that marketing was ‘not about recruiting big numbers and hitting home-runs on the sales page!’ Instead, he believed that the nurturing of friendships (by staying in close touch with) and supporting the dreams of his affiliates and associates was of supreme importance!
He served first, collected checks last! And, guess what? His business boomed like no other!
Cheers,
Dave.
Fatherspirits last blog post..~ The Birth Of Fatherspirit Inc.! ~
normz2
September 30, 2008Good luck for the up coming event. Boy or girl? When you have people working for you have to keep the pot boiling for best results.
norm.
Lynda Mekalick
September 30, 2008Another great post, Reed.Good luck at the hospital.We’re all as excited as you are!
John, you should register yourself with Clickbank and/or PayDotCom.Your product will then be listed for affiliates to join.If your product is really good, is of value, and is appealing then the affiliates will want to market ir for you.Be generous with your commission rate.Check out what other publishers/producers are paying for similar products and you’ll soon get an idea of what % to pay as a commission rate.Good luck
Cheers
Lynda Mekalick
Delords
September 30, 2008Thanks reed,
Really many merchants don’t think well about their affiliates or support their affiliates all they are interested is just for the affiliate to keep sending traffics and sales to them which is really bad.
Teasas Tips
September 30, 2008I believe when people get into affiliate marketing they think they can just get signups and the money will flow like honey. What they don’t understand, is that the real work begins once you get a downline. Thanks for the info Reed.
Teasas Tipss last blog post..You Were Born Rich
PV Reymond
October 2, 2008Hi Reed,
Keeping your affiliates motivated is really important if you want to maximize your profit.
Affiliates can help you to increase your traffic and sales with almost no effort on your part. Therefore you have to take care of them.
Offer high commissions and always pay, give them tools and resources, train and support them. The results will be amazing.
Thanks,
^PV Reymond
http://www.pvreymond.com/stair
admin
October 5, 2008@Jussi yes it’s always great to send a big check to affiliates since when they make money you make money 🙂
@Chris thanks yeah a lot of people leave money on the table
@Linda thanks; yes downlines can be a hard way to make money
@Wayne thanks time management is something a lot of people struggle with
@David that’s impressive on what that guy you know does to motivate his affiliates and I agree with you that relationships matter a lot in this business.
@normz2 thanks
@Lynda yes paying out a generous commission will help you out big time
admin
October 5, 2008@Delords I hope more and more people will change that mindset
@TeasesTips it’s definitely not a get rich quick business
@PV good tips
Shawn Horwood
December 15, 2008I totally agree with you here Reed. I have signed up for affiliate programs and received no help or guidance whatsoever and I often forgot about certain programs. Then there are the few that send you emails every week and have constant contests and bonuses and those appear to be the ones with the most success (go figure). I always found it more enjoyable to the products of those that were helpful and gave constant help and reminders anyway.
I am currently developing a few products, and I am still working on developing an affiliate program and I have been planning on running contests and giving bonuses to those who are successful
websites for kids virtual worlds
April 15, 2009It is important to keep affiliates motivated as that would generate more sales. The key to motivating affiliates is to constantly stay in touch and communicating with them. I think that it is very important that affiliates get the credit that they deserve as that would motivate them even more.
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