When to say "When" to an affiliate program

How long should you promote an affiliate program before you
make the decision that it just isn't going to work for you?

Let's face it, no matter how well a particular product may
do on other websites, it just might not be right for yours.
Statistics show that only a small percentage of affiliates
for any given program actually make any money. What happens
if you are one of those that falls into the category not
making money? Is it time to take down the site and let the
domain name registration expire?

No way! But it just might be the right time to make some
changes to your strategy. Analyze your website and the
programs that you have signed up for. Determine which of those
REALLY appeal to your target audience. I said REALLY because
I want you to look at the programs from the viewpoint of your
visitors, not from the viewpoint of which ones are supposed to
make you the most money.

There's a lot of advice out there on which programs to pick for
your website, highest commissions, monthly payout, online
reporting, etc, etc, etc. The fact is that you don't always
have that choice to make. You need to concentrate on the
products that your visitors will be the most interested in.
What programs compliment your website's content and theme are
much more important than signing up for every program
promising to make you rich with only one sale.

I'm a great example of the above information. One of my
websites caters to a highly targeted audience. I have tried
many affiliate programs and advertising solutions on that
site over the past two years. You know which program
consistently beats all others? Amazon.com!

I get paid quarterly not monthly (make that a month or two
after the quarter has ended), I only get credited for that
visit, not repeat visits, and up until about a month ago had
to wait until Monday of each week for my emailed statistics.

Believe it or not boys and girls, Amazon.com doesn't fit
into the 'model affiliate program' mold that we read so much
about. Now, I'm not trying to be hypocritical here, I too feel
that you should do your best to find quality affiliate
programs that offer all of the above benefits and then some.

I'm just trying to tell you that if you find a program that
really appeals to your target audience, you CAN make some
money with it. Don't pass up products that your visitors would
really be interested in just because the program doesn't have
the highest commissions. Because if your visitors do purchase
from a particular program and you can show consistent sales
you will be able to appeal to the merchant and ask them to
consider increasing their payout to you.

This happens a lot in this industry, especially if it is a good
fit for both sides. Worse case you might be able to get away
with telling them that if they don't cooperate with you,
you're going to change to another program. Chances are they
don't want to lose your business, and they will work something
out for you.

So now we've done the easy part and dumped the programs that we
know aren't appropriate for our site. What about the ones that
are fairly targeted to our content and that our visitors might
be interested in? How do we know when the amount that we are
going to earn doesn't justify the time and effort to promote a
particular program?

I once read that you should give at least 3000 impressions to
any given program before making the decision to keep it or drop
it. I don't quite agree with this statement. According to this,
I post a banner on my site, and if it hasn't made me any money
by 3000 impressions, dump it.

We all know (at least I hope we do!) that there is much more to
being successful with affiliate programs than just adding
banners to your rotation.

So how do we set a benchmark? This has to be determined by you.
It is based on your website, your visitors, the program, and the
amount of effort you have put into promoting the program.

Have you blended the product offerings in with your content?
Have you given personal recommendations for any of the products?
Have you displayed the links and/or graphics prominently so that
the majority of your traffic has a chance to see them? Have you
mentioned new product offerings to your newsletter subscribers?

If you can answer yes to the majority of the above questions,
then you can make a determination as to how long to try the
affiliate program. If you've done these things and your visitors
have passed right by the offerings for a decent time frame and
nothing has happened...its time to move on!

Find another program and give it the same due diligence. If you
do this with each and everyone of your targeted programs, you
WILL find a program that will perform for you!

This process should be familiar to you...many, many internet
marketers preach this concept...simply known as...TESTING!! Your
online career is a series of continual tests. Try one product,
if it doesn't work for you, get rid of it and try another one.

After you have done this testing, then and only then, can you
say "When" to an affiliate program.

About the Author

Chuck McCullough is the editor of The AffiliateMatch Informer,
a bi-weekly newsletter dedicated to teaching you how to make
money through affiliate programs. For the latest news, tips, and
articles visit his website at http://www.affiliatematch.com.
While you are there you can signup for his free newsletter, and
search the affiliate program directory.

Written by: Chuck McCullough