How to Pick Profitable Affiliate Programs
by Olakitan Wellington
Although it has been said that affiliate marketing is a simple way of making
residual income from the comfort of your home, you should not plunge into any
affiliate program without carrying out your due diligence.
You need to ask a lot of questions before you choose which affiliate program to
join. This foundational stage is very crucial to your success in affiliate
marketing and you should not joke with it. What are the questions you need to be
asking? I have a few suggestions below.
Are you going to pay any money to join the affiliate program? If yes, drop it
like hot potato. Almost all affiliate programs are free to join, and rightly so.
After all, you will be making money for them; plus you increase the profit turn
over the affiliate master will make on his product. It is in the interest of the
affiliate master to sign you on free because he does not pay you a red cent
until you make sales from your affiliate link.
How much does the product sell for? It is important that you are not wasting
your time promoting products that sell for pennies. As an affiliate, your
commission is paid by percentage. That simply means the higher the cost of the
product, the more money you make. Do not forget that you will spend valuable
time and money promoting the product; hence the commission you get on it must be
reasonable enough to pay your bills and give you a comfortable profit.
What percentage of sales price are you getting as commission? Generally
affiliate programs pay at least 50 percent commission, some even 75 percent. If
the affiliate master knows his onions well, he will give attractive commissions
so that the affiliate marketers will be inspired to really promote his products
and make him money.
How popular is the product? Go to related marketing forums and ask about the
product. See what people are saying about it and form an opinion. Do a Google
search on the product and see how many people are selling it. If it is a product
that everybody's uncle and grandmother is selling, please keep away from it. It
will be all over the net and might be difficult to sell.
What type of affiliate program is being offered here? Is it a one tier affiliate
or a two tier affiliate? Of course, the two tier affiliate will make you more
money. This is because when you get people on your list to promote the product,
you make money from their efforts as you are paid commission on every sale they make.
How do you get paid? What are the terms of payment? When do you get your
commission check? This is different from program to program. Some programs will
pay you once a month, some (very few) will pay your commission weekly while some
might even pay quarterly. I don't like this type of program because it holds on
too long to your money.
Who is the creator/owner of the product? What is his reputation online? Again
you can find this out from forums and discussion boards. The gold fish has no
hiding place. If he is a credible, reliable person you will know. If otherwise,
people will also let you know. If there is any hint of you not getting paid what
is due to you, look for another program.
| 
About BTH
User Agreement
Privacy
Site Map
Contact
Advertise Here
News Feeds
Free Downloads
RSS Feed
