Promoting affiliate products can be a very lucrative way of monetizing a website or blog, but it is important that webmasters and bloggers choose a reputable affiliate program to work with. It is equally important that the products or services promoted will—hopefully—be of interest to their site visitors. Adding adverts for luxury designer tea cosies to a site that works in the remortgaging niche is unlikely to convert to any sales—the advertising should match the niche. It’s just common sense, and even a newbie internet marketer is unlikely to make such a basic mistake, but there are other considerations that need to be taken into account when choosing an affiliate program to work with.
Some Choice Tips on Choosing an Affiliate Program or Sponsor
Percentage counts: Commission rates should not be too low. If an affiliate is only getting paid a 4% commission, each $100 sale will be worth just $4 to the affiliate. That’s too low. Some niches are obviously more profitable than others, but some Clickbank products offer commission rates of 50% or more.
Get on Track with the Right Tools: Affiliate programs should provide adequate tracking tools. The old saying is true “You’ve got to have the right tools for the job” and effective tracking tools can provide valuable insight into which promotion techniques are working and which ones need tweaking to maximize online profits.
Payment Options: It is important to check how often affiliate earnings are paid, the minimum payment threshold, and how they will be paid. It’s no good reaching the $100 minimum payment threshold and discovering all payments are made by PayPal if that is not an acceptable payment method for the affiliate marketer in question.
Affiliate programs exist in abundance. Many are good, and many more are not; so it pays to be selective and choose wisely.
