Dear Andrew,

I’m one of your loyal followers, owner of the Easy Auction Business & Second Income Generator courses.

Thanks to you I have built up a decent sized online business and now mostly concentrate my efforts on my online shop, which brings in 90%+ of my current revenue. It’s doing well and I plan to quit my day job by the end of this year.

So I’m not a newbie and have a good knowledge on how things work online but still – there’s one dark area I would like you to shed some light on for me. It’s Affiliate marketing & Affiliate programs in particular.

If I have an online shop, I can host my own Affiliate Program, right?

Where should I start? Any tips for an affiliate newbie like me?

Best Regards,

Phil, Dorset, UK

Dear Phil,

Thanks for your question.

Yes, of course – if you have an online shop, you can run an affiliate program. But before we move into actual software and service solutions, I want to point out one very, EXTREMELY important thing for you. Something that is more important than what affiliate software you’ll use.

The thing is, many online entrepreneurs are aware of affiliate programs and how they work BUT very few of them actually know how to make most out of them. Sad reality is – majority of those online businesses that have affiliate programs, just have them for sake of having! They don’t do anything or do very little to recruit affiliates.

And that’s the biggest obstacle you’ll face! In fact, it’s damn easy to set-up an affiliate program these days, there are software solutions available that can be installed in minutes. Even promotional materials, such as banners, e-mails, newsletter etc., are not a problem as you can outsource all of that.

The biggest problem is getting those AFFILIATES to sign-up to your program and promote your business! Without affiliates, your affiliate scheme is useless. USELESS!!!

With that being said, I don’t want you to feel that this is not a good idea Phil! It is a GOOD idea and depending on your niche, a successful affiliate program can significantly increase your sales. Amazon’s success was built on millions of affiliates, it works, no questions about that.

So, my advice to you Phil is – before you even look for best affiliate software – create a plan on how you’ll recruit those affiliates and how you’ll make them happy! As only happy affiliates will create you a long term revenue stream.

What makes affiliates happy?

* Good commissions rates (forget about 2 or 3% – aim for at least 10% or more, depending on your niche and margins);

* Good variety of promotional materials (banners, e-mails, newsletters, videos)

* Good customer support (answer enquiries within 24h, business week)

* Frequent & Easy payments (bi-weekly payments or even weekly payments via PayPal/wire transfer)

* Customization (serious affiliates with serious traffic resources will ask you for custom landing pages, custom promo codes – give them what they ask to keep them happy!)

These would be my TOP 5 rules to attract qualified affiliates and what’s more importantly – keep them active in your program for as long as possible!

Thanks,
Andrew

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