Stealth affiliate program of some sort

[harvard10]

Hi guys,

My team would like to make our new affiliate program sort of hidden from our potential end-customers. Our concern is they'll probably sign themselves up as an affiliate first and then use their acct privileges to get discounts, etc. One way we're doing this is to intentionally remove any link to our affiliate program from any pages on our website. What are your thoughts on this?

Thanks much

 

[MariaFrolova]

Didn't get it pal.

 

[harvard10]

We're avoiding potential paying customers from being distracted by our affiliate program if they knew it exists before they register. Some may pose up as an affiliate first in order to get a discount code and then use it for their own registration discount. That unique problem has happened to another company I've handled before. Has anyone else experienced this?

 

[jcorkern]

How many visitors are you getting each day without affiliate traffic? If it is less than the affiliate traffic you have absolutely no reason to not have the link exposed.

Is you product good? Good enough that if they buy it their self with the discount that they could write a better review? Is it good enough for me as an affiliate to shout it from the rooftops?

Now, you can put it in your terms of service and check names of customers against affiliate information, and maybe even track by IP address, but you may be shooting yourself in the foot.

So, you make a lot less on a few affiliates signing up, buying and trying a product they intend to promote.

There are really not that many affiliates that would do that anyway, I know I pay full price now for something no matter what, but when i was just starting, that was the only way i could afford to actually try a product so that I could do a review.

It helps to have your own pics, your own video, shows proof that I had the product, and yes, it makes a world of difference. The one you block today from getting an affiliate commission discount for your product may be the one who ends up selling millions of your competitors product instead of yours.

I give products to affiliates when they ask, they don't even have to buy them.

I have products, e commerce and I am an affiliate marketer, and this is what has worked out best for me. In fact, if you are just starting, you should find affiliate sites within your niche and call them up and offer to send them your product on the condition that they write a review of your product.

This is very powerful as a marketing tool. Has anyone ever done a favor for you? Gave you 20 bucks when times were hard just out of the goodness of their hearts? I bet you still feel in debt to them...correct?

You want to make an affiliate work hard for you? Give them something, and ask nothing in return. Read this. Reciprocity (social psychology) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Marketing is a science, and you need every weapon you can use.

All of this is my opinion and experience with this issue.

 

[harvard10]

You're awesome jcorkern, you've just jarred my stash of creative imaginations. just thought of something really cool to try out right now... I'm loving this forum a lot already.