If you’re thinking of setting up an affiliate program then you may have stumbled upon a very helpful article. Here are some of my tips on making sure that you hit the ground running:

Choosing the right network

It is fundamental to chose the right affiliate network for the site you are launching the affiliate program for – a year ago or two ago there was only three or four trusted networks available to use but there seems to be a new network formed every month these days. Not all affiliates are signed up to every network – this is an urban myth. You will need to understand what each network has a niche to know who to go with; one way to do this is to look at their current programs contact a few affiliates in your sector

Do a full competitor analyses – Offer a reasonable commission rate that fits with your business

This is common sense really - If you launch a commission model that is too low you will struggle to get sales and compete in the market. If you don’t have the margin to offer what your competitors are offering then it might be a good idea to look at other marketing models such as SEO or PPC services. Don’t try and get affiliates by offering over the odds either – make sure that your commission model fits in to your long term business plans.

Stop Phone number leakage

A big issue that affiliates tend to have is with leakage though phone sales; many merchant sites quite rightly have telephone numbers plastered over their website but as far as affiliate marketing is concerned this is a big no no. Speak to the network and your developer and create a script which sets a local cookie when visiting the site via affiliate links; it’s a simple enough task that too many people forget about.

Part two of this article will talk about product feeds, banners, decent incentives and the best ways to promote your program.

eyefall has an affiliate program management team that always make sure that they follow these tips (and many more) to bring success to your program. Contact us to find out how we can help.

UPDATE: Part 2 of our best practice guide to setting up an affiliate program is now online

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