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Associate
Programs
- v -
Affiliate Programs
The
directory definition of "Associate" is
"....
to join, unite or combine with other people in a
professional or social relationship for common purpose as
an ally or partner...."
As you will see by reading the
Affiliate
Beginners section,
there are some subtle differences between that of being
an "affiliate" and being an Associate Member.
When you sign up as an
Associate Member...
... the Company that you sign up
with will invariably have some legal documentation that
you need to read and abide by. Sometimes you will have to
simply check a box to say you agree with it, sometimes
you will have to print out the agreement, sign it and fax
or post it back to them.
The Company may pay you a referral
fee, or commission, for sending customers to their site
and/or for any sales or sign-ups that are made by that
customer.
You will sometimes be paid on a
"pay-per-sale" , "pay-per-lead"
or "pay-per-click" basis - it will depend on
what the Company's business activity is and its
structure.
Commission or referral fee
structures will vary between companies so make sure you
read and understand the terms and conditions of each and
every company that you are an Associate Member of.
Also take note that there is
sometimes a "minimum" commission level that you
have to attain before your payment will be released.
Make Sure You are Dealing with
a Reputable Company
If the "minimum"
commission level is set high, - say that it's set at $100
before they'll release a payment to you - initially
you'll have done an awful lot of work to reach that point
- maybe several weeks or even months (unless you've got a
really good opt-in list of
your own - and even then that's not a guarantee that
you'll make that $100 minimum quickly!)
A few companies have been known to
delay payments to their Associate Members - so, take all
the effort, and the time taken, to reach your $100,
couple that with late payment of commissions
......hmmm....see what I mean?
I'll say it again - Make
sure you're dealing with a REPUTABLE COMPANY.
How do you know they're
Reputable?
Take a good look at their site
before signing up as an Associate Member.
What is the overall
"feel" of their site - does it look
professional - (don't mistake a "flash" site for a
professional site - it doesn't always follow!)
Will the site be easy for your referrals to find
their way around - do you truly think their product is
worth promoting - is the price right - is the packaging
attractive - is the information detailed enough - does
the product deliver! Take a
look at their "contact" info - does it tell you
who to contact for problems, returned items, queries -
what support do they give their Associate Members - what
is their customer care like?
When you check the site over, ask
yourself, does the website instill confidence in you and
do you feel they are successful. If you
have any doubts at all - don't sign up.
If the site cannot turn visitors
into sales, no matter how many visitors you manage to
send them - you'll not earn a dime!
Once you're happy with the
aesthetics - delve a little deeper and find out
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How
your commission is paid
- some may pay in dollars, others may pay
in credits (which you can use against
their services)
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The
frequency it is paid
- monthly, quarterly, when a
"minimum" commission is met ...
and so on.
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How
long they've
been in business
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What
their legal
terms
are and how binding are they.
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Also check the criteria upon which they
can terminate their agreement with you -
and likewise, how you can terminate the
agreement with them should you wish to do
so. (Some agreements will allow you to
pass your position on to your dependents
in the event of your demise -
particularly useful if you have built up
a really good status with the Company.)
Always
read the fine print too!
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How
do they track your referrals
and sales
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Do
they track cookies, ISP's or some other
unique data so that you
get credited
for return visitors who fail to buy on
the first visit, but make a subsequent
purchase some months down the line - even
if they arrive on the Company's site
through someone else's link!
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If
they charge you to become an Associate
Member - how
much
- and is it a one
off
payment or recurring. |
How does the Company that you
signed up with know that a Visitor was sent by You?
You, as an Associate Member will
be given a special URL that tracks the visitors you send
to their site along with the activity of that visitor.
A good reputable company will have
a very slick operation in place whereby they will know
virtually every click a visitor is making on their site -
how many times they visit the site, when they purchase
product, how they paid, when they paid, what color socks
they're wearing,.....NO - SORRY.....I'm joking!!
But seriously, all the tracking
will be done by them and they should advise you when
someone either makes an enquiry, signs-up with them,
purchases product....or whatever the terms are that you
agreed to upon becoming an Associate Member of theirs.
How do you get the Visitors to
send to in the first place?
Exactly the same way as you get
visitors to send to your affiliate linked sites. Market
well and keep at it - it is well worth placing your
Associate Member sites' links on your OWN site if you
have one - that way you can have two cracks at the whip -
advertise your own site and advertise your Associate
Member site too.
Remember that a recognized visitor
/ sale percentage rate of any advertising is around 1% -
that means that for every 100 visitors only 1 visitor
will be converted to buy - and that's providing the site
and products are of high caliber.
That's why I say to you make sure
you are dealing with a REPUTABLE COMPANY whose products
are wanted, needed or desirable.
Now you can see that you must
generate loads of traffic -
marketing IS a numbers game.
Obviously, your own quality opt-in
list will get you off to a good start - but don't worry
if you haven't got one - you can use other marketing techniques
but just understand and allow for the fact that it will
take longer to generate a decent income.
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