How to set up an affiliate program online to sell your products and services

I consider Amazon.com to be the pioneer of the Internet to establish affiliate programs. Their strategy to allow others to sell their products for a commission on affiliate websites has single-handedly help you become a power of the Internet and Amazon.com led him to become a household name.

As the owner of an online business, you also must offer their affiliate program. Affiliate marketing is much less expensive to take out a banner or text ad on other sites or email newsletters, and the results tend to be better. Imagine having a team of people working for you, and have agreed to work free of charge up to successfully make a sale. At that point, they get paid when their sales reach a predetermined volume (as shown in the affiliation agreement) in a certain range. You have instantly created a fast and almost force-free sales on a shoestring.

Even if you can not have the monetary resources available for Amazon.com, you can create this phenomenon as well as sales for your business, professional service.

Here are the steps to be taken into account to create your own affiliate program:

1. Find affiliate tracking software. Trying to manually keep track of all sales of your affiliates is simply too labor intensive. Instead, you need to find a software program that will help you manage your affiliate program. I recommend the one bundled with my cart, GetMoreClientsCart.com that assigns each affiliate a unique affiliate ID that can use their websites to make referrals to your website, where the actual sale occurs. Each affiliate is also assigned a unique log-in and password so they can log into their affiliate account at any time and check their sales volume. Best of all, once you set the affiliate program, the setting for each affiliate is completely automated.

2. Determine the level of levels. Typically an affiliate program is limited to no more than 2 levels. After two, begins to assume the person of a pyramid scheme. The first level consists of affiliates that are directly entered for the affiliate program, and the second level are affiliates of your affiliates. For simplicity, I tend to use the 1-tier affiliate structure.

3. Determine the fee structure and rules. Many online business owners spend countless hours wringing their hands about how much to pay commissions. If you offer too little, no one is interested in promoting your products and services because profit is not large enough to motivate them. If you offer too much, you feel like you're giving money away. I found that first-level amounts of fees typically range from 25% -75%, with most in the range 35-50%. Second level commissions seem to vary between 10% -30%, with most landing in the range 20%. You will also need to determine if you pay commissions on products that people buy for themselves through their affiliate link. Many people join an affiliate program for that reason alone. However, if this is the only reason they've joined your affiliate program, you probably will not make additional sales for you.

4. Create your own payment schedule. Next you'll need to determine at what intervals you will pay your affiliates. I have seen some programs pay commissions weekly, but monthly payments are the most common. Let your affiliates know what day of the month is determined by the Committee, what their minimum income must be paid for (ie at least $ 50 in earnings, for example), and on what day you send payment.

5. Determine the form of payment. For many affiliate programs they belong to, I get a check in the mail for my payments. However, more and more companies are switching to PayPal Mass Pay feature to pay affiliate commissions. PayPal Mass Pay feature eliminates most of the paperwork involved in writing the check and upload certain files, you can pay your affiliate quickly via their e-mail of PayPal. In order to use this service, you must have a Premier or Business PayPal account and you need to ask for your e-mail to PayPal member.

6. Provide marketing assistance. For the greatest success in your affiliate program, you must provide your affiliates with marketing materials to help promote your products and services. Having a graphic designer to create a variety of websites that can use banners and buttons, and you can compose ads that are put in ezines and sales letters can be used on your site or as a tool for email marketing. You will need to create some reminders about ethical email marketing strategies so that they do not become associated with those who are labeled as a spammer. Finally, give your affiliates access to a group of items that can be used on their website to promote your programs and services, with directions on how to insert their affiliate link in the resource box.

7. Educate your affiliates. After joining an affiliate program, I often receive a call from the manager of a subsidiary of welcoming me to the affiliate program and encourages me to contact him / her with questions. Or, receive a special invitation to affiliate teleclasses / webinars to give me strategies on how to be a good affiliate. You can offer the same services for its affiliates to work with a Business Manager Online / virtual assistant to run the program for you. At a minimum, you can create a manual of affiliation that your affiliates receive when signing for you program, which will guide you through the steps of your affiliate program.

8. Market your affiliate program. Once the affiliate program has been developed, you will have to promote it. Entrusting the OBM / VA can seek a strategic alliance. Search for web sites that allow you to promote your affiliate program. Send without notice of your affiliate program to your list, your blog, and discussion lists where this type of promotion is allowed.

Creating an affiliate program is a great way for you to grow your business in a short period of time. You never know - might be on track to build your own Amazon.com!

Copyright (c) 2007 Donna Gunter ......