Affiliate Marketing Networks – Blessing Or Curse?
Author: Mike Filsaime
Many online entrepreneurs rave about affiliate marketing networks, and for good reason. There is significant money to be made through the right affiliate marketing networks–yet there are sometimes reasons to be wary. The unfortunate reality is that a high percentage of Internet marketers fail to make any real money through these networks. Why is that?
The Problem with Niche Markets
It seems to be the common wisdom within the world of e-commerce that developing a niche market business is the way to go; however poor selection of products can lead to a failed endeavor and wasted efforts. When deciding on a niche market, consider:
- Volume and Competition: Markets where there is a lot of competition means that merchants serving those markets are working to provide the best in various areas including quality and service. It also means there is a large volume of consumers to draw from.
- Variety: Offering a variety of related products and services that vary in price will allow you to see which items your visitors are most interested in. This information will enable you to introduce new and different goods with confidence, knowing that they are things your visitors are likely to purchase.
Damage Control
There are other things to think about when considering affiliate marketing networks. These include:
- Shipping Concerns: Items which are fragile or have the potential for becoming damaged during the shipping process is a legitimate concern. Ask the merchant what their policy is for handling damaged goods. It is also important to ask about returns and how those are handled. How does the merchant calculate these returns when figuring out your commissions?
- Delayed Purchase: Another type of damage that can occur is more directly financial and that involves purchases. It’s not uncommon for the online consumer to review a product and then take time to think about the item before purchasing it. If the customer you referred returns a couple of months later, do you still get credit – and earn a commission, for that sale? Ask the merchant if they offer long term, no-overwrite cookies to insure that you receive commission for every sale you generate.
Commissions and Accounting
When joining an affiliate marketing network it’s important to be clear about all of the services they provide. How are your commissions paid? Do you receive them weekly, monthly or only when you’ve generated a certain amount of sales?
Identifying the best niche markets, selecting a range of products and learning which services the network provide are all important things to consider before committing to any program.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/affiliate-programs-articles/affiliate-marketing-networks-blessing-or-curse-2240016.html
About the Author
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November 30, -0001
12:00 am
Like you, I used Clickbank for the first 5 months I did affiliate marketing and made about $200 a month. I just did not find many of the products that great to try to sell and most did not convert very well. So, I did some research and found this guy named Matt Bacak who brought to my attention that Clickbank is not the only affiliate network out there. This Bacak guy is actually a millionaire and offers great advice if you want to check him out – http://www.mattbacak.com.
I joined a couple of different affiliate marketing networks such as Commission Junction, Share A Sale, and Clix Galore. I can’t really say which one is going to make you the most money since I don’t know what kind of products that you want to promote, but here is what I do to get the most out of my affiliate marketing sites.
I check the networks to see what kind of products they have based on the keywords I have chosen for my site. Then, I compare them to see which product or service looks the best and which one has the history of doing the best. Then, I pick that product and go with it for at least 1-2 months and then re-evaluate it to see if one of the other products may be better.
Sometimes I find that Commission Junction is the best and other times it may be Share A Sale that makes me the most money. It all depends on what type of product that you want to try to sell and what topic it is on. Do your research and don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
Oh, and I have been doing affiliate marketing now for almost a year full-time after getting laid off and I have now reached the same amount of monthly income that I had at my engineering job, so you can make full-time AM your goal and success can be achieved.
November 30, -0001
12:00 am
if you want to learn about affiliate marketing, check out this
http://affiliate-internet-marketing-for-dummies.info
Here, you’ll find the best guide to learn affiliate marketing.
Hope this help,
November 30, -0001
12:00 am
if you want to learn about affiliate marketing, check out this
http://affiliate-internet-marketing-for-dummies.info
Here, you’ll find the best guide to learn affiliate marketing.
Hope this help,
November 30, -0001
12:00 am
Among many companies offering affiliate programs and credit card payment facilities, http://www.ClickBank.com is still a strong choice among merchants and internet marketers.
When you decide to become an affiliate to earn commission dollars on http://www.ClickBank.com, browse to see what products are hot with this official ClickBank tool http://cbengine.com/. Choose product similar to your business or field of your interests so it will be easier for you to market. To get started you just have to complete a simple online registration form. Then you are on your way. For affiliate products you will get a code and link.
So my suggestion is http://www.ClickBank.com
November 30, -0001
12:00 am
You need to check out http://www.1stbuisnessreview.com you can find some of the best programs through that site.
Good Luck
January 27, 2008
4:07 pm
What is a good affiliate marketing company that does good on payouts if you have good click through rates?
I use cj, copeac, and a few others but I am looking to expand into more. What are some other good affiliate marketing networks?
June 3, 2009
2:33 pm
What is the best web affiliate marketing network?
There are a lot of web affiliate marketing networks (Commission Junction, Hydra Networks, etc). Can someone tell me which is the best?
September 24, 2009
2:03 am
Which affiliate marketing networks can I make the most money from?
I have been using Clickbank for affiliate marketing products for the past 4 months and I just made the payout last week since you have to have 5 different transactions to get your first payout. I only do affiliate marketing part-time on 3 blogs and 1 niche website, but I would love to eventually do it as a full-time job and make more than $75 a month to do so. For people who have experience with different affiliate marketing networks, which one do you see the most sales and income from?
November 29, 2009
8:24 am
As an online merchant looking to use affiliate marketing networks, do you get to choose your channel?
I am researching online affiliate marketing. Say I am looking to sell something online. Let’s also say I want to leverage affiliate marketing networks to advertise my product. As the merchant, is it common to have the ability to choose which type of advertising channel you are marketed to or is it more like a shotgun blast across the internet?
Or is it the other way around… do the affiliates choose what is eventually advertised by their site?
November 29, 2009
8:25 am
Anyone know which affiliate marketing networks can I make the most money from?
Anyone know which affiliate marketing networks can I make the most money from?