Today I am going to talk about finding the best affiliate marketing program.
There are a lot of options for affiliate marketers, but if you are new to internet marketing, you may not know where to start.
So today we look at the benchmarks for quality programs.
Welcome to Fearless Affiliate.
My name is Irma and I help new bloggers to learn the ropes. There is a lot to take in that first year of blogging, from choosing a niche to changing your mindset from worker bee mentality to that of successful entrepreneur.
I like to focus on practical information and positive thinking. If that sounds good to you please sign up for my weekly newsletter of tips and exclusive content for subscribers.
Right now, get your Free 5-Minute Guide to Affiliate Marketing to help you understand better how many ways you can implement affiliate marketing for your online business.
This post may contain affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Full disclosure is here.
Why Be An Affiliate?
There are many benefits to becoming an affiliate and promoting products that earn passive income. Some of the benefits include:
- Enhancing your customer’s experience
- Providing high-quality products you don’t have to create
- Earning commissions while you sleep
- Building relationships with content creators
Affiliate marketing sales account for 15% of all digital media revenue at nearly 12 billion dollars in 2021. And it is expected to grow by 10% in the next few years.
That means there are a lot of opportunities to be an affiliate and promote goods, services, and products to your customers.
So how do you choose the best affiliate program for you?
Choosing the Best Affiliate Marketing Program
The best affiliate marketing programs for beginners are the ones tied to your best performing content.
There is no point in adding links to your blog posts or videos that do not relate to the reason people visit your site.
It will confuse visitors and you are less likely to get the click/sale.
Go to Google Analytics and choose:
Behaviour > site content > all pages.
Set the date range to the past 3 months, or six if you have the data.
Look at what is getting the most visitors to your site. If you need help, read my post Google Analytics Tutorial to get set up.
Then look for affiliate products that go along with, but do not compete with, your content.Click To Tweet
For example, if your content is about fitness, you may want to be an affiliate for supplements.
If you do DIY decorating, you may want to be an affiliate for paint products, decor items, or specialty bedding.
For more help finding products, read my post Affiliate Marketing for Beginners
1. Percentage of commission
Your commission is based on a few factors.
Generally, affiliates earn a flat percentage for the sale of a product. Be sure to check what the commission is before you sign up for the program.
This helps you avoid being disappointed if the payout is low.
Typical percentages range from 10% to 40%.
It’s important to find affiliate programs that pay out higher percentages. This makes for better return on investment (ROI).
Additionally, some affiliate programs pay out over and again anytime one of your customers makes a purchase.
Amazon has the lowest commissions, and you need decent traffic to get a sale in the six month trial period.
Check your product tracking “cookie”
Cookies are files stored on your buyers web browser and connects their purchase to your link.
You need to be aware of how long your cookie is valid for.
- Some products have a cookie that lasts all year.
- Others give you 30 days to get the sale from your link.
Be sure to use the most recent links to the products that you promote, and if you can, tag the buyers.
By tagging them and anchoring their connection to you it is possible that you can continue to earn commissions any time someone you referred makes a purchase.
2. Availability of promotional products
The benefit of affiliate marketing is making money by promoting products someone else has created.
You save time, money, and other resources by simply endorsing something you support and recommend.
Be sure to create promotions for current offers.
This way you are promoting the best offer for your website visitors and they won’t find anything “expired”.
Use the promo materials that your product creator gives you:
- Banners
- Images for social media or Pinterest
- Links to different variations of the products
- HTML code that you can embed in your website copy
Choosing affiliate programs that offer a wide variety of products and supportive promotional materials makes it easier to consistently make offers to your community and generate sales.
3. Accessibility to the product owner
The best affiliate programs are between providers you know, like, and trust.
Having a first-hand relationship is ideal but not required.
Many product creators are now moving to “sales pitch” webinars that you can promote during your campaign.
This allows new visitors to your website to learn about the product first-hand from the creator.
And it allows attendees to ask legitimate questions about the product, to see if it is a good fit for them.
This makes it easier to get the sale, because your people get their lingering questions answered.
These webinars also tend to offer more product information for you as well.
Having access to the product owner means you’ll be able to reach someone if there is a customer service need.
While you may not always need access to the owner directly, there should be a clear channel to connect with them if and when you need to.
4. Customer services practices of the product owner
If one of your customers is dissatisfied or needs assistance, they will look to you since you made the sale.
It’s valuable to know and trust that you’ll be able to reach someone if there is a problem.
Knowing what the policies and procedures are ahead of time can save a lot of headaches down the road.
Some product creators offer 100% money back, even on digital products.
Others do not.
You want to know which products have these types of guarantees.
This information can also be used in your sales copy, to encourage buyers to feel secure that problems with the product are an easy fix.
5. Payment practices of the product owner
Knowing how and when you’ll be paid is important.
After all, this is the main reason you are promoting their products.
A standard practice is to pay out a full month after the month of the sale.
So if you do the promo and get the click in January, you will be paid in early March.
Product creators have different pay-out times, so check before you do the work on your end.
The lag in pay-outs allows the product creator to deal with people who did not complete checkout, such as:
- They were not serious about buying today, but wanted to know the final price
- There was a better price for a similar item elsewhere, so they bought that
- Credit card issues/payment declined
- Concerns about security of personal information, like credit card info
- Unexpected costs for the product
- Changed their mind about buying
Remember that it is the product creator who deals with the issues on the back-end.
That is the best part of affiliate marketing. The product creator does most of the work.
Make sure you fully understand how often and by what means the product owner pays out affiliate commissions.
Choosing an affiliate program is much more than loving a great product.
Pay attention to the back-end issues that matter most when joining a program.
Make the best decisions for you and your customers to ensure you connect and align with the best affiliate programs for your needs and expectations.
Conclusion
Affiliate marketing is one of many ways to earn income with an online business. You can also create your products to sell (recommended) and put affiliate links within them to potentially increase your earnings.
Please share with others…sharing is caring! Let me know in the comments if these tips work for you! And be sure to sign up to my newsletter and grab my 5-Minute Guide to Affiliate Marketing.
Until next time, happy blogging and follow me on Pinterest!
-Irma 🙂