You hear about them all the time. As soon as you mention “Internet business” people cringe. The thought of pyramid schemes and illegal programs come to mind. The word “scam” is usually associated with ANY type of Internet business. Even though these types of businesses do not have clout and eventually fade out, these are what people fear when considering affiliate marketing. So, how do you find a good one?
Let’s first consider why someone would want to be an affiliate. For one, they are easy to get into. Usually, all one has to do is click on the affiliate link and get information and/or tools. Secondly, affiliate programs usually allow you to keep your regular job while you see how it works out for you. If it bombs, no biggy, because you still have a job and you can try another avenue. And lastly, the majority of affiliate programs require little or no start-up fees.
So what are the good ones? How can you tell? Here are a few tips that should check out before diving in:
1. If you decide to join a program, make sure it’s one in which you are familiar, as it’s very difficult to sell something you know little or nothing about. Familiarity with the product or service allows you to confidently promote the details, including the pros and cons, as well as serve as a credible reference.
2.Look for something high standard - something you hear the “experts” in the field report as “worthy”. As an affiliate, reputation (yours and the affiliate company’s) is a key selling tool.
3. Sign up with programs that have a real product - something that customers have had good success with. The best way to do this is to do a little research on the product. See if you can get in touch with customers that use the products to verify that they are real, and that the customers do indeed enjoy the product being sold.
4. Find a product that caters to a growing market (weight loss, for example). This way, you’re assured you have potential clients. Jump into some online forums and post questions about the product(s) you want to sponsor. See what type of feedback you get.
5.Make sure the program has residual income AND at least 30% payout or more. Affiliate programs are difficult enough without any pay for your hard work. Make it worth your while.
6. It might be a good idea to keep away from anything that has a quota to meet unless they meet most of the requirements above and/or are an excellent product.
7.Select an affiliate program that has many tools and resources to help you get started (banners, graphics pre-made blogs etc..). Send a couple of test emails to see if they respond. This will help indicate you if you are dealing with a real person or a potential scam.
8.Check to see if the program has a proven computerized system that allows you to check your network and compensation.
9.See if they offer incentives for renewing your membership. Most programs that do this and offer upgrades usually keep their members. This will help your network grow.
10.Finally, check the message boards and find the product(s) that you are interested in promoting and see what kind of success people have had. Are they a scam? Do they pay out? Etc.
