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Home Page > Internet > Affiliate Programs > How to Setup an Affiliate Program and Increase Your Website Traffic and Sales

How to Setup an Affiliate Program and Increase Your Website Traffic and Sales

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Do you have a great product or service but find it hard to get traffic to your website? Do you find yourself wondering how you could make yourself more visible on the internet? One of the biggest problems currently facing online merchants is how to get people to their sites to buy their products.

Affiliate programs are one way to address this common problem. Affiliate marketing is a mutually beneficial practice that helps merchants, customers, and “affiliates.” You may not have heard of affiliate programs before, but you’ve definitely seen them. You’ve heard of Amazon.com right?

What are Affiliate Programs?

An affiliate program is an excellent way of getting other websites to sell or promote your product or service for a commission. Affiliate programs are arrangements between an online merchant website and an affiliate website—the affiliate posts a link to the merchant site and is paid a commission for any traffic or sold items. Posting links with affiliates is an excellent way to sell products online, and it is an inexpensive and effective marketing strategy.

There are three core players in the affiliate game: the merchant, the affiliate, and the customer. Merchants favor affiliate marketing because in most cases it uses a “pay for performance” model, meaning that the merchant does not have to pay a marketing expense unless someone buys the product.

You have no doubt seen links to Amazon.com on tons of sites other than their own—this is because Amazon gets affiliates to post links to individual books for sale on Amazon, or for Amazon in general, by giving the affiliates a percentage of the profits if someone clicks on the link and then purchases books or other items. The affiliates help make the sale, but Amazon does everything else: they take the order, collect the money and ship the book to the customer. Amazon’s affiliate program is one of the most successful ones out there.

What are the different kinds of affiliate programs?

There are three basic types of affiliate program payment arrangements:

Pay-per-sale (also called cost-per-sale): In this arrangement, the merchant pays an affiliate when the link on the affiliate’s site leads to a customer purchasing something from the merchant’s site.

Pay-per-click (cost-per-click): In this arrangement, the merchant pays the affiliate based on the number of visitors who click on the link to the merchant’s site. The visitors don’t have to buy anything, and it doesn’t matter to the affiliate what a visitor does once he or she gets to the merchant’s site.

Pay-per-lead (cost-per-lead): In this arrangement, merchants pay their affiliates based on the number of visitors they refer who fills out some requested information at the merchant site, which the merchant site may use as a sales lead or sell to another company as a sales lead.

So why should I use an affiliate program?

You will become a lot more visible to a lot more people. Because your banners and links are placed on other sites you will greatly increase your online publicity.

You will have other people marketing your product and services, so it’s not all up to you.

Your sales will increase dramatically.

You will appear “bigger” than you are and your credibility will be increased.

It’s not expensive or complicated.

What you need to consider before you begin:

If you are interested in getting involved in affiliate programs, the first thing you have to do is decide whether you want to become an affiliate, want to acquire affiliates, or both. If you run a large merchant site and want to increase your sales, you might want to start your own affiliate program. If you run a small content site and would simply like to bring in a little money to cover production costs, joining a few programs as an affiliate would be a good choice. Your best option depends on what aspects of affiliate programs could best serve your site and how much you are willing to spend.

You need to decide what the objectives of your affiliate program are before you decide which option to choose. Some questions to consider include:

What kind of affiliate program is best for my business; that is, do you want to pay affiliates for actual sales, clicks or leads only?

Do you want your affiliates to market all your services and products or only some?

Do you want international affiliates or affiliates from your own country only?

Do you want to pay a percentage of sales or a flat rate?

How much are you willing to pay affiliates for sending you business? Industry standard is about 20% of a sale. (Any less than that isn’t as enticing for advertisers).

When deciding on which service to use to set-up your affiliate program, think of things from the affiliate’s point of view and what’s important to them. A key factor to running a successful affiliate program is having happy affiliates. Make things easy for them. Offer different banner sizes, text links, real-time stats and email notifications when sales are made.

Keep in mind that having more affiliates isn’t always better. The affiliate marketing experts say that 85% of referred sales will come from a few “super affiliates.” So don’t be too concerned if you only have a few affiliates. You don’t need a lot if you have good ones.

Now, how do you go about actually becoming an affiliate marketer?

Gone are the days when only the “big” sites could set up and run affiliate programs. Today it’s easy and there are a couple of ways of doing this. If you have your own merchant account but want an outside company to handle and track your affiliate program, you could use a service like either http://www.linkshare.com or http://www.cj.com but they charge large monthly fees and want you to commit to their program for a period of time.

Large sites develop their own custom software or use packages intended for Fortune 500-type operations. The affiliate software that tracks the sales partners make typically starts at several hundred and can go as high as the thousands. So what are some other options?

One great alternative for the smaller or beginner merchant who wants more control is to buy a software program that lets you start building an affiliate network right away without having to pay monthly charges. Once you buy the software, you upload it to your webserver and follow the provided installation instructions. After it’s installed, you’ll be able to login to create ad links for your affiliates, track results, and manage their accounts. There are many different software tools with a variety of features.

 

The affiliate software you choose should be inexpensive and have these features and benefits:

Start an affiliate program quickly and easily

Increase website traffic and sales

Have no fees beyond the initial software purchase

Unlimited number of affiliates

Track sales & download Excel-compatible reports

Monitor affiliate hits

Easily create, manage, and distribute affiliate ads

Direct customers to a targeted URL for a specific ad

Work with your purchase system or PayPal

With software like this, the process is simple. Affiliates sign up for an affiliate program and place the merchant’s ads (banner or text) on their sites. If someone clicks the ad on the affiliate website and buys something from the merchant’s site, the affiliate gets paid a commission. Starting your own affiliate program is definitely one of the best ways to increase web traffic and sales without any advance cash outlay; only results matter!

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Marc Murphy -
About the Author:

Marc Murphy is a technology entrepreneur who has several companies and believes technology is a means to an end; it is not an end in and of itself. Technology is only useful to the degree that it can create a positive, practical change in people’s lives. To this end he has created a user-friendly affiliate program, Affiliate Ally Pro, that does all the work. It counts hits, tracks sales, calculates commissions, and is compatible with your existing payment software. There are no fees; once you buy the software, it’s yours and there is no limit to the number of affiliates you can have. The software is available for instant downloading at www.novasignal.com.

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“Marketing.” Definition:  Selling to defined audience.  By marketing to the correct customer and prospect base, your lead generation marketing will become more responsive: your phone will ring more frequently and at less cost per call.

Without the precision of marketing to the correct target group – those people or firms who are ready to buy – your lead generation campaign is wasting money and time. Your money, and your time.

In the first article of this series we reviewed seven lead generation mistakes to overcome.  Here you can learn how to increase your lead generation effectiveness and enjoy the rewards of a better customer acquisition strategy by implementing a more focused direct marketing plan.

What happened with your old lead generation and customer acquisition strategy?  It stopped being as effective as it was years ago.  Customers cost more to acquire… and maintain.  Clients jump ship every couple of years, and yours did, too.  So?

Here’s how you can change all that:

1. Current customer analysis.
Figure out who your current customers are.  Dig through your files for commonalities: is it location?  Income level?  Value of home?  Is net worth the driver?  Neighborhood?  Business type?  Circle of friends?  Write all these market factors down on a sheet of paper.  

Hey… if I do this for you – figure out who your customers are, and write it down on a sheet of paper I call it marketing research and charge you two grand.  You can do this for free, and call it whatever you like — it’s your sheet of paper.

2. Figure out where your customers hang out. Then hang out there, too.
What restaurants do your customers eat in?  What mailing lists are your customers on.  What newspapers or magazines do they read?  Do they watch on TV, and what do they watch?  What circle of friends do they go out with?  What charities do they donate to?  What associations do they belong to?  What gym do they work out at?  As you start answering these questions, your lead generation program is now starting to shape-up.  Next, go on – hang out there yourself.  Read those publications.  Go to those movies.  Visit those strip clubs, I mean strip malls.  And be your client.

Remember, when fishing, you go where the fish are.  When looking for clients and customers, go where your clients and customers go.  

3.    Learn what your customers own.
Do they all drive Chevys?  Do they all own boats?   Airplanes.  Tractors?  Have houses in the hills?  Write all this down, too.  It’s part of your lead generation and customer acquisition marketing research. (Remember, you were going to send me two grand if I did this for you?  So now, just send me, oh, three hundred.  Just kidding.  Make it $250.)  This is part of your primary lead generation matrix: a lead generation equation you’re developing into a quite defined formula.

4. Figure out exactly what most of your clients have in common?
If you could clone a few clients, what are the common characteristics they’d all have?  Because that’s exactly what I’d start looking for in new clients: the same demographics of clients currently in my own customer database. 

Section out the target of people who have those same commonalities as your current clients, and advertise or send direct mail to them.  

An example.  Suppose you find out that every one of your clients reads the same 3 magazines.  Those magazines would be good places to take out an ad schedule, wouldn’t they?  

How about if 4 out of 5 of your clients had offices in the same neighborhood.  I’d pick a lead generation campaign with a good direct mail strategy base, and mail regularly to that neighborhood.

If all your customers own dogs, your lead generation campaign should look for dog owners to market to.

If they all eat at the same restaurant, I’d start eating there, too.  If it’s an upscale restaurant, invite me! I’m not too busy and I enjoy nice great food!  Just kidding.  My wife hates it when I go out without her.  I hate it too – she goes shopping.

Hey, that restaurant website might be a good place to effect a lead generation targeted ad campaign; or sponsor the restaurant coat check room for a few nights.  Or leave a few of your business cards at the coat check.  A small and tasteful sign  there would be helpful, too. 

Of course if your clients eat at Denny’s… then, yeee-ha: time to get some new clients there, Jethro.  Sorry. If it wasn’t for bad taste, I wouldn’t have any jokes to tell. 

Back at the nice restaurant, you could always test sponsoring the coat check room, or sponsoring desserts for an evening.  Or if you’re in the city – sponsor parking.  Lead generation doesn’t have to be traditional.

5. Start a mailing list of your customers.
Analyze your customer database, and find more of the same type of person.  Then:

6. Buy several mailing lists that match the demographics of your own house list.
Test each.  Small tests aren’t expensive.  Ramp up when a test is profitable.

7.  Create media awareness.
As a traditional direct marketer, I don’t believe in unfocused mass advertising. Those methods only work in very select circumstances: huge clients with wide markets and big budgets. 

Some lead generation campaigns in local, traditional media such as direct mail, newspapers, magazines and local TV work well to raise the level of awareness of your firm in your own back-yard.  This kind of PR will also increase phone calls to your firm.  You remember who likes to shop in their own back yard?  Everyone.

Create the right message, the right image, and present it consistently in the right media, and presto — an effective lead generation strategy. People will get to know you.  Then do you know what happens?  The phone rings.

8. Create trust.
You can’t build an effective lead generation strategy without the help of others. It’s low in cost to build up your network of referrals and referral sources, and trust plays a big factor here. 

Start your referral network by referring customers to others.  Don’t worry, it starts out slow, but the business will come back to you—in spades. 

9. Build trust by creating a paper trail of nice letters.
To build trust exponentially kindly remember that every referral – whether you give one or receive one, needs to be followed up by a WRITTEN piece of correspondence. 

Use the power and longevity of direct marketing and direct mail when thanking someone for giving you the referral.  Have a referral letter on hand, personalize it and send it every time that you refer a potential client to your colleague.  And a “Thank you for your trust” letter whenever you receive a referral. 

Yes, you need an actual letter – a written piece of correspondence.  No, a call is not the same.  Sure you can call them, BUT… you still need to write something down and send it.

In the next and final artice in this 3 part series, we’ll look at 12 more lead generation strategies.  Stay tuned.

12 More Awesome Tips on Lead Generation Systems and Direct Marketing Strategies.

1.  Pick up the phone and call.
Speaking about the phone, just call current customers and say thanks for your business.  You’d be surprised at what this does for your lead generation program.  You don’t need to sell anything, just thank customers and ask if you can help with anything or provide any information they may have questions about.  For best results, offer

In the insurance industry lead generation is often just a FREE policy review away.  In both the financial community and the insurance industry, a free portfolio or policy review is one of my favorite offers.  And quotes are always the first line item preceding a sale.

2.  Go back to school.
School events can help even if you don’t have kids.
For financial lead generation programs, or insurance lead generation strategies, don’t forget to help out with school programs: build credibility and trust when you take out ads in the yearbook, play programs, school events.  People naturally trust firms who work with kids, and their kid’s schools.  School ads are always inexpensive and are generally tightly focused to a neighborhood, which you’ve probably targeted as your own local market.  And you remember who likes to shop in their own back yard?  Yea, I thought so.  Everyone.

3. If your market is geographically tight, get active in the local scene. Go to area meetings and join community associations.  Join the township board, or get on some committees.  Go to business events.  People trust people they can look in the eye and they can do that at local events.   And the business goes to people with… a high degree of visibility and accessibility.  Applause.  OK you guys with high visibility and accessibility – step forward.  Thanks.

4.  Stop pushing products. Most businesses are based on a relationship, lead generation strategies are the beginning of this relationship.  Start prompting people to call you with questions, for answers or for additional information.  Become the informational resource. 

Once they’re on the phone with you, it’s all you baby, it’s all you.  Unleash that magnetic personality.  You do have a magnetic personality, don’t you?  Sigh…  me neither.  Oh well… put them on your mailing list and mail to them all the time, like I do.  You do have a mailing list, don’t you?

5. Design your Lead Generation Program with the correct objectives.
The best lead generation programs can do is generate warm phone calls – then it’s all up to you to create a relationship (aka create a client) when the phone rings.  So…

6. Make the phone ring
Create an ad, a press release or send a direct mail piece, post card or letter.  Continuous active marketing is crucial to new business.

7.  Make FREE Offers.
The best way to generate phone calls with these lead generation printed pieces is to Offer Free Booklets of helpful information. 

The titles drive the response – the better the title, the greater the response.  Simple as that. 

Better yet, in the center of your letter or post card, show a punchy bulleted list of compelling booklet titles readers can get FREE, if they just call now!  Keep in mind, if just one title is a “Must Have!” you’ll get a call.  The better the titles, the more calls you’ll get.

8.  Build trust. Offer a range of FREE informational services along with your FREE booklets.  This will make people call, and put you on their radar of “helpful people to call” when they need something.

For example, FREE quotes, FREE policy review, FREE portfolio reviews, FREE drop off and pick up; FREE Seminars, FREE book, “FREE FREE FREE… just pick up the phone and call now!”  If you can’t bury the cost of giving away a free book to activate an account, you’re doing something wrong.  

9. Track lead generation strategies back to the source.  Keep a count of new customers acquired through each marketing channel in your lead generation program.  Next year when you do it all again you’ll know where to start – at the highest new customer acquisition level.

10.  Keep clients for life. Simply deliver the service you said you would, at the time you said you would deliver it.  And then thank clients for their business.  Yes.  Simple as that.  So…

11. Don’t forget to send a letter thanking clients for their business a couple of times a year. They never get tired of this, and they don’t get it from companies who don’t care.  It sets your firm apart from those.

12.  Hey, did I mention books make great business gifts. Certain books. Especially the ones that show how your clients can get more business in these tough economic times. Hey, did I mention my books can show you how to get more business for yourself in these tough times?  Three of the best marketing books in the world:  “How To Market A Product for Under $500″, “Uncommon Marketing Techniques”, and “Direct Marketing Strategies”.  They’re awesome. Get them at Amazon.

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