Sources of Untapped Affiliate Programs
For the most of us, the toughest part of making money with Adwords begins with finding merchants that dozens of affiliates are not already promoting; and merchants who can convert a visitor into a sale.
I just ran across this list of affiliate program directories and they are full of affiliate programs that off the beaten path. Some of the best gems I've found are "in-house" affiliate programs that the average affiliate will never discover unless they have a specific interest in the company or it's profits.
You will want to take some time each day (or maybe an entire day) to visit and evaluate programs that sound interesting to you. Some criteria I use when looking at programs include:
1. Low-to-no affiliate credit leaks. That means 1-800 numbers plastered prominently on the site, Adsense, or other ways of redirecting your customers in a way that you won't be compensated. I saw a new program on CJ yesterday and quickly joined - "As Seen on TV". They feature just about every hot product shown on TV, plus a 20% commission.
That sounded great. But when I visited the site, I found 2 glaring problems; first a huge ORDER NOW 1-800-BLA-BLAH, and second, the shipping and handling on the products was nearly as much as the products themself (and you're not going to be paid for that).
To top that off, after joining the program at 20%, hours later I have a new offer to from them for a . . . 1% commission. These guys have all the makings of major league sh-tballs and I wouldn't spend a nickel promoting a program like that.
Check them out at: http://www.tvproductsdirect.com
One other important note - it's not unusual for programs to grab a bunch of affiliates with a high commission rate and then attempt to change it lower. You do NOT have to agree to any new offers.
2. Evaluate the sales process they use. Low-cost items don't require the kind of follow-up that high-cost items do. Does the merchant have follow-up systems in place?
3. Is the merchant selling a cheap "get 'em in the door product", then trying to sell something more expensive later? This is OK if you get paid for both (but usually you don't).
Here's an example from an affiliate program I managed - and dropped them like a hot potato when they started that scheme.
They sold a $27 ebook and paid a 30% commission - which at the time was on the high end for an ebook in that niche. 30% is low by today's standards, though. The kicker is that when people joined our affiliate program, we promised them "lifetime commissions on any customer you refer". That's the right way to do business, but not how 97% of affiliate programs operate. Very cool.
But, then they decided "we aren't going to pay a commission (20%) for this $2000 program we offer" - that's a very hefty $400 to an affiliate. Then later they implemented the same policy for a $600 program they offer. And if the customer isn't still cookied, then nothing else is being paid either.
As an affiliate, you have no way of knowing what's going on. You're losing money and you don't even know it - which is all the more reason you MUST be doing name squeezes for all affiliate products you promote. Don't trust any business to look out for you - take control. Take full control - I'm working on a program that shows affiliates how to do that and it's tentatively called "The Affiliate Super Plan".
3. Look for a good chunk of commission - or recurring commissions on all sales. If you're promoting via PPC, that's $30 and up for me. Of course, that's also if you're just looking at a straightup sale. I'm going to share in the Affiliate Super Plan how you can actually turn the tables on merchants and take advantage of them to build YOUR business. In that case, a break even scenario works just great.
Well, I spilled many more beans than intended here. So here's the list I promised:
- http://www.affiliateguide.com/
- http://www.associateprograms.com/
- http://www.affiliatematch.com/
- http://www.earnfind.com/
- http://www.affiliate-programs-guide.com/
- http://www.affiliatesdirectory.com/
Best wishes, John
AdwordsIncome.com
I just ran across this list of affiliate program directories and they are full of affiliate programs that off the beaten path. Some of the best gems I've found are "in-house" affiliate programs that the average affiliate will never discover unless they have a specific interest in the company or it's profits.
You will want to take some time each day (or maybe an entire day) to visit and evaluate programs that sound interesting to you. Some criteria I use when looking at programs include:
1. Low-to-no affiliate credit leaks. That means 1-800 numbers plastered prominently on the site, Adsense, or other ways of redirecting your customers in a way that you won't be compensated. I saw a new program on CJ yesterday and quickly joined - "As Seen on TV". They feature just about every hot product shown on TV, plus a 20% commission.
That sounded great. But when I visited the site, I found 2 glaring problems; first a huge ORDER NOW 1-800-BLA-BLAH, and second, the shipping and handling on the products was nearly as much as the products themself (and you're not going to be paid for that).
To top that off, after joining the program at 20%, hours later I have a new offer to from them for a . . . 1% commission. These guys have all the makings of major league sh-tballs and I wouldn't spend a nickel promoting a program like that.
Check them out at: http://www.tvproductsdirect.com
One other important note - it's not unusual for programs to grab a bunch of affiliates with a high commission rate and then attempt to change it lower. You do NOT have to agree to any new offers.
2. Evaluate the sales process they use. Low-cost items don't require the kind of follow-up that high-cost items do. Does the merchant have follow-up systems in place?
3. Is the merchant selling a cheap "get 'em in the door product", then trying to sell something more expensive later? This is OK if you get paid for both (but usually you don't).
Here's an example from an affiliate program I managed - and dropped them like a hot potato when they started that scheme.
They sold a $27 ebook and paid a 30% commission - which at the time was on the high end for an ebook in that niche. 30% is low by today's standards, though. The kicker is that when people joined our affiliate program, we promised them "lifetime commissions on any customer you refer". That's the right way to do business, but not how 97% of affiliate programs operate. Very cool.
But, then they decided "we aren't going to pay a commission (20%) for this $2000 program we offer" - that's a very hefty $400 to an affiliate. Then later they implemented the same policy for a $600 program they offer. And if the customer isn't still cookied, then nothing else is being paid either.
As an affiliate, you have no way of knowing what's going on. You're losing money and you don't even know it - which is all the more reason you MUST be doing name squeezes for all affiliate products you promote. Don't trust any business to look out for you - take control. Take full control - I'm working on a program that shows affiliates how to do that and it's tentatively called "The Affiliate Super Plan".
3. Look for a good chunk of commission - or recurring commissions on all sales. If you're promoting via PPC, that's $30 and up for me. Of course, that's also if you're just looking at a straightup sale. I'm going to share in the Affiliate Super Plan how you can actually turn the tables on merchants and take advantage of them to build YOUR business. In that case, a break even scenario works just great.
Well, I spilled many more beans than intended here. So here's the list I promised:
- http://www.affiliateguide.com/
- http://www.associateprograms.com/
- http://www.affiliatematch.com/
- http://www.earnfind.com/
- http://www.affiliate-programs-guide.com/
- http://www.affiliatesdirectory.com/
Best wishes, John
AdwordsIncome.com
9 Comments:
John, thanks for the tips! I hope you're having a terrific week, Josh Hinds :-)
By
Josh Hinds, at 12:15 AM
Good advice and useful links, thanks!
Check out my blog at My Rich Pickings Tony
By
Tony Williams, at 2:18 AM
Josh - It's great to hear from you. I hope all is well. It'd be good to catch up sometime - I'd like to know what you're up to these days.
Best wishes, John
Tony - Thanks for stopping by. I hope you find the advice, and the links, profitable.
All the best to you, John
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