7 Ways to attract super affiliates

[Larwee]

Super affiliates can do wonders for an affiliate program. Attracting them isn't always all that easy.

The author of this article gives what he says are 7 ways to attract super affiliates to your affiliate program and stay with you.

The are:

1. Pertinent communication
2. Promotional tools
3. Quality website design and sales letter is a must
4. Offer dedicated help and support
5. Create affiliate pages for your affiliates
6. Good external communication
7. Use offline methods to bring in affiliates

Those 7 might be good, but there are more that probably could be added.

One that quickly comes to mind is that super affiliates (or any affiliate) certainly want to feel that there is no need to be worried about being paid.

Here is a link to the article which gives full details on the 7 ways mentioned above PromotionWorld : How to Create an Attractive Affiliate Program for Your Internet Company

 

[Linda Buquet]

Good one Larry!

I'll add a couple more and then hope other do as well.

8. Optimize conversions to be sure they are high before starting your affiliate program.

9. Check to ensure you don't have any commission leaks like Adsense, other affiliate programs, display ads. 800#s are the biggest potential sales leak for affiliates - unless you've implemented affiliate phones sales tracking. If you have sizzle it. Many affiliates see it as a big plus especially if you a decent percentage of sales that happen over the phone.

Anyone have any others they want to add?

 

[savvygrind]

• Quality offer that fills a need
• Good conversion rates
• High payouts
• Minimum returns

 

[CDM]

Hi,

So by the term 'commission leaks' I take it you mean ways that once brought to the merchant website, a customer could order without the referring affiliate being tracked and appropriately credited with the commission?

What is the best way to institute phone tracking if we have an 800#?

 

[Linda Buquet]

Hi CDM,

I've implemented phone tracking but it's been years and I just initiated the process and a programmer did the coding so I can't explain in techy terms. But if you showed this to a programmer they should know how.

1) If you don't get lots of phone sales and phone support isn't essential for customers or potential customers then instead of tracking you can just make the 800# not show if the traffic came from an affiliate. I think this is done by reading the incoming cookie.

2) To do phone tracking there are a variety of ways but what I did is through cookies, parse the affiliate ID and make it show next to the phone number as a Priority Code S if aff ID was XYZ123 it would be:

(800) 333-5555 (Priority Code XYZ123)

Then the phone reps need to be sure to ask for the priority code and the orders need to be manually input.

 

[CDM]

wow, thats a smart idea I never would have thought of with the priority codes. Thanks.

 

[Linda Buquet]

Ya some do it with dedicated 800#s for each affiliate or dedicated
extensions but I think that would get really expensive.

If you are on an affiliate network they could possibly have a solution
already that you can plug into. I think Shareasale does.

 

[Mark Robbins]

another way I have always been able to attract large affiliates is by making sure your program has a consumable, and most likely reordered product and offer a lenghty cookie to compensate for re-orders. combine that with solid payouts that can sustain advertising expenses and keep your fingers crossed.

 

[Joseph Ratliff]

Here's a couple...
(they might be able to be lumped in with communication...but I feel they need to be separate)...

47. Training tools. Some affiliates do like training that is geared specifically towards the merchant's offerings. Show those affiliates how to sell.

48. Demonstrate through your pages and other communication that you are in fact, "for" your affiliates. Many merchants don't really "care"...and affiliates are more likely to gravitate towards a program where they see an opportunity to become more of a "partner" in the business.