Choosing an Automatic Responder
One good thing about automatic responders is that they are relatively inexpensive. If you want to run one yourself on your own PC as part of your overall affiliate program solution, the cost is as low as $29 and can be as high as $600. ASP solutions, where you run everything through the company's web-based system, have monthly charges that average around $20. Virtually all offer unlimited messaging capabilities. Which one is right for you? It depends on your budget and how much you like to mess around with the technical side of things. If you just want to set it up and run, the ASP likely will work best for you, and offer the added advantage of monitoring from any Internet connection. If you have a very low budget and basic needs, you can run the automatic responder off your own PC.
How to Become an Affiliate
Perhaps you want to be an affiliate of one or even multiple sites, maybe even build an affiliate shopping mall. The easiest way to become an affiliate of a single site is to go to that site and look for an affiliate program link. If you want to become an affiliate for multiple sites, or build an affiliate mall, consider an affiliate network. These sites already have agreements with dozens, even hundreds of affiliate programs, and even handle all the transactions, giving you one check each month. It's not for everyone, but can sometimes be a source for big income for those who can build a busy customer network.
Let Affiliates Market For You
When surfing the web, it's easy to find people selling books, CDs and other products from their sites. But if you click through to purchase one, you end up at the Amazon.com site to actually make the purchase. This is a very visible example of affiliate marketing, a hugely successful program for Amazon and hundreds of other e-commerce sites on the web. So how do you go about setting up your own affiliate program solution? The easiest way is to purchase affiliate program solution software. This software allows affiliates to sign up online for your affiliate program and have commissions tracked automatically. Looking for an automatic responder program? You can get that, too. Affiliate software comes in different types and costs, so you should be able to find something that meets your needs, no matter how small -- or big -- your budget.
Reach Out And Touch An Affiliate
Commerce on the web has many strengths and a few weaknesses. One of those weaknesses is that the web remains an inherently passive media. You have to get people to come to your site. So as you look for an affiliate program solution, remember to think about outreach. One key to successful outreach is to build an email list of your affiliates and use an automatic responder to handle the mail and replies. The idea here is that you can keep your affiliates in the loop with new products that they might want to sell for you. The affiliates can also use email and automatic responders to reach potential buyers. So email outreach can work for each step down the marketing chain.
Types of Affiliate Program Solutions
There are basically five different types of affiliate program solution providers: Commission-based ASPs (Application Solution Providers), fee-based ASPs, CGI-based programs (scripts for purchase), e-commerce programs and custom-made in-house applications. If you're in the market for an affiliate program solution, you should investigate all of these to see which one might be right for your needs and budget. Do you have programming support? A CGI or custom solution might be best. If not, ASPs are based around offering turnkey, web-based products and strong support. Do some investigation before making a purchase to decide which solution is right for you.
Choosing the Right Affiliate Program Solution
If you're looking for an affiliate program solution, you're going to be faced with a huge array of potential answers, only some of which is going to be right for you. So ask yourself the following questions as you research and shop:
* What's your budget? How much you have to spend is going to make a big difference in how and where you shop for an affiliate program solution, since costs run as low as under $100 and as high as thousands per month.
* How many affiliates do you expect to be dealing with? This is going to make a difference with the type of affiliate program solution you look for. Dealing with thousands of busy affiliates is going to be a lot different than a few dozen or a few hundred.
* How much time do you have to devote to the affiliate program? If time is tight, you might consider a managed or ASP affiliate program solution. If you have more time, you can install and manage the software yourself, or even custom build it.
* What are your technical abilities? Can you or someone who works for you install and manage scripts? If so, you can go with a software-based affiliate program solution. If not, you should consider web-based software.
Bloggers as Affiliates
Can a blog be an effective affiliate program solution? Absolutely. The most effective affiliate programs involve target, even niche audiences, with a specific interest in certain products. With 35 million blogs and counting out there, there are a lot of blogs already attracting niche audiences. If a blogger with a loyal audience recommends a product, he or she is already preaching to the converted, with a loyal audience that tunes in regularly for that blogger's recommendations and advice. Of course, the blogger has to actually have an audience, or the affiliate marketing won't mean much profit for anyone.
I Want My Buy TV?
Looking for the next-generation of affiliate program solutions? Turn on your TV. Weekly web TV show hosts demonstrate and discuss new products for sale and affiliates can get credit for sales made through the TV show if the buyer comes in through the affiliate's network. Is it going to work? It's really too new to tell. But as the web, TV and phone converge, give them credit for trying to get out in front with something new.
Affiliate Management Tips
Besides software, the key to managing an affiliate program is to help make their job as easy as possible. Remember, these affiliates came to you because they believe they can sell your product and make money. So here are some things you can do to help them make money for both of you:
* Get good software to help you effectively manage the program. You want to be able to help them make orders, answer questions and get payments with little to no interaction on your part.
* Give them good sales material. Even better, give them access to a private sales web site with downloadable sales collateral.
* Communicate. Write regular emails to your affiliate list. Call particularly successful affiliates and congratulate them.
* Take care of your affiliates. Listen to them and try to meet their needs as efficiently as possible.
Four Words: You Need An Automatic Responder
An automatic responder is software that responds to specific inquiries with automatic emails. It can also be used to send canned emails to specific email addresses that you have collected. So how can this help you with an affiliate program solution? Four words: Customer outreach, Follow-up marketing. If you have affiliates for your site, you can respond to their needs automatically, as well as send them specific updates and new product announcements. If you are an affiliate, you can automatically send emails to prospects based on past purchases or stated preferences. It's a relatively easy and inexpensive way to stay in touch with your affiliates and/or customers.