Before you purchase Affiliate Millionaire and before it is released, now would be the best time to start investigating and doing research on the industries and markets to enter, affiliate programs, as well as specific products.
The Basics
What is an affiliate program?
An affiliate program is any referral program where you receive a commission for leading a customer to a purchase of a product or service. The commission you receive is tracked by your “affiliate link” given to you by the company or publisher. Commissions can also be tracked via placing cookies on the customer’s computer.
How do I find an affiliate program?
There are several affiliate programs out there. It is easier to find programs from companies that operate and do business exclusively on the internet (i.e. Amazon.com, Bluefly.com, Zappos.com, Zippo Lighters) because they rely on internet traffic to generate revenue (as opposed to a brick and mortar business.)
Key terms you can use to find the perfect affiliate program: associate program, affiliate program, referral program, JV program, partner program
- [market] + associate program
- [industry] + affiliate program
- [hobby] + referral program
Ask yourself what your key interests and hobbies are. Also ask if you can offer new insight, new advice, and new perspective in the market. Can you find and say what other people aren’t saying? What can you contribute to the industry?
Below is a shortlist of items you should think about before hitting the ground running when you purchase Andrew Fox’s Affiliate Millionaire due out Tuesday, February 23, 2010.
(1) The quality of the affiliate program
Make sure to read up on affiliate programs that interest you and make your shortlist. Often if you investigate in forums or do further research on the programs, you’ll be guaranteed to see a review or two from people who have tried the very same program you are interested in. The more promising programs are most likely going to be the more popular programs, and hence are more likely to be tested and tried out by other marketers. Reading up on the program ahead of time will give you a better perspective of what to expect when signing up.
Make sure to ask a few key questions:
- How do you get paid? Do they offer EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer / direct deposit)? Or do they write you a check? Also, how often do they send out checks? Every 15 or 30 days?
- How many sales do you need to make before you get paid?
- What percentage of the sale do you make from the product (or service)?
(2) The quality of the product
The main question to ask yourself about the product is, “Would you purchase this product if you weren’t going to make a commission on it?” Obviously, the higher quality the product, the easier it will be to promote, and the more likely you are going to make a sale. However, you can make these distinctions much easier if it’s a market you have deep interest in and an above average knowledge of.
Also consider the packaging of the product (encasing) as well as the sales page that presents the product. Do they do a good job of promoting on the main sales page or does it need work? Is the copywriting impeccable or will it need a sprucing up? Often times you’ll have to consider the entire sales funnel: from the squeeze page (opt-in page) to the product page to the order page. Is it easy to navigate? Is the sales process simple and user-friendly? Is it easy to understand even for the newbie computer-user?
(3) Location: Worldwide or US-specific?
Do you need to be a US-national or citizen to promote the program or product? Do you need to provide a US Tax ID # or a US Social Security # in order to receive payment?
Is it okay to live in Canada or Mexico and still get paid?
What about the UK or Australia?
What about if you live any other foreign country not listed above? Does the program deny any countries? And if so, then see about receiving payment while residing in your country.
(4) What questions is the Company owner or Publisher going to ask of you?
Every affiliate program has a approval process. Sometimes it’s immediate: you can sign up directly on the site and receive confirmation as soon as you press enter. Sometimes there’s a review process, which can take up to 30 days. So beware.
During that reviewing process they might want to check out your website (domain) and see what type of traffic you are receiving. They might reject your application because of low traffic. They might dismiss your application because of “brand fit,” meaning your website and their product might not match (in their eyes.) Understand a lot of companies are worried about brand and reputation management. They don’t want to invite an affiliate that will lower their image (the same image they worked so hard to build up.)
So remember to conduct all correspondence with the utmost care and act in the most professional manner when promoting their products.
The publisher might also ask you how are you going to promote them:
- Blogging / Blog or website
- Email Marketing
- PPC Marketing
These are all probable questions you should think about ahead before you get distracted with your new purchase, Affiliate Millionaire. If you come across any other important questions during your search, be sure to drop us a line or send us an email and we’ll add it to the above list.
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