There are some things that need to be done before we decide
to join an affiliate program. Come up with some questions that you will want to get answer for, and do a little research about the program selections that you intend to join. The answers that you get will be the deciding point of what you will want to achieve later.
One of the questions that you will want to ask is whether or not there is a cost to join the program. Most affiliate programs being offered today are absolutely free of charge. Hence, there is no reason for us to join paid affiliate program if most of the programs being offered are free. The fact that they are free does not diminish the quality of these programs. On the other hand even if a program is a paid affiliate programs they might offer you benefits, such as passive or residual income that might not be offered by other
free affiliate programs.
Another aspect that you might want to consider is the time they issue the commission checks. Each program is different. Some programs issue their checks on a monthly basis, and others on a quarterly basis. Depending on your individual preference you want to choose the one suited to your payment time choice. Many of these affiliate programs set a minimum earned commission amount that you must meet or exceed in order for them to issue their checks.
The hit per sale ratio is another point to consider. This is the average number of hits to a banner or text link it takes to generate a sale based on all affiliate statistics. This is important to know because this will tell you how much traffic must be generated before you can start earning commission from the sale.
How are referrals from an affiliate’s site tracked? And, how long do they remain in the system? The reliability of the tracking system of the program is another important consideration. You need to be confident enough on the program’s tracking system because this is the only way you can get credit for a sale. In addition, the time period that the visitors stay in the system is also important. Some visitors do not buy initially, but may want to return later to make the purchase. Will you still get the credit for the sale if it is done months after their first visit?
What about the availability of affiliate stats? Whatever program you choose should have the capability of offering detailed stats. The stats should be available online anytime you decide to check them out. It is important to know how many impressions, hits and sales generated from your site. Impressions are the number of times the visitor of your site views the banner or text link displayed. A hit is when the visitor click on the banner or text links.
Besides commissions on sales, does the affiliate program also pay for the hits and impressions? This is another important factor to consider. It is important that the program also pays for these impressions and hits because that will add to your bottom line. This is especially important if the program you are in offers low sales to be able to hit ratio.
What about the company background and history? It is absolutely necessary that you know whom you are doing business with. Do your research before making your selection to find out whether or not the company is solid. Study their offers, and find out the average amount they have been achieving. The more you perform your due diligence the easier it will be for you to decide whether or not the program is really for you.
Is the program a one or two tier program? A single tier program pays you only for the business you yourself have generated. A two tier program not only pays for your business but it also pays you a commission on the sales generated by any affiliate you sponsor. Some of these programs require you to buy their products and, yet, some others require that the affiliates pay monthly membership fees in order for them to be able to compensate all their affiliates. Each affiliate success depends on the success of the affiliates they sponsor. The benefit you get from such program is that if you train your sponsors properly, and they’re able to duplicate your success, you will receive
passive or residual income from your sponsored affiliates.
Lastly, what is the amount of commission paid? Most programs pay about 5% - 20% commission, but some others pay even higher commission percentages. The programs that do pay for impressions don’t usually pay much at all. .01% - .05% is the amount paid for each hit. From these figures you understand why it is important to know the average sales amount and hit to sale ratio.
These are just some of the questions that need to be answered before you decide to join any affiliate program. Before making your selection you need to familiarize yourself with the many important aspects that the potentially chosen program should have. The answer to these questions can help you in selecting the right programs out of the many that are available out there.
