[Faro]

Hi

Since I am not green in the affiliate field but rather blue and yellow in search of a stick to mix the colors I was wondering if someone here could give me some suggestions as to what affiliate managers look for in an affiliate.

Thank you very much for ANY advice


Peter

[Courtney]

To me the most important thing is your responsiveness. If I email or call and I never hear back from you, I probably will not be too keen on giving you offers or helping you grow the program. If you are willing to help me, help you grow a program, I will bend over backwards to get you what you need. I also look for a clean and relevant site. Hope this helps!

[Faro]

Hi Courtney

Thank you for your response. I can see how that is important for both sides concerned.
Gosh, I have so many questions about this. Even so it is said there is no such thing as a stupid question I sure seem to be able to produce them once in a while. So here it goes:
Is it necessary to have a fully operational site running before I contact a manager? The reason I am asking is that it seems to me easier to gear a website to specific needs rather then meddle with it afterwards.
And are managers willing to work with newcomers? Would I act naively if I contacted a manager to ask if and how I would be considered?

[2busy]

Major networks will expect you to have a website before you can sign up for any programs - or even join the network. There are others who will let you sign up even if you only have a free site up and running. Some merchants want to see your site before they will allow you to join their programs. It is not a good idea to build a site based on just one merchant, if they close their program (it happens) or move it to a network you don't want to (or can't) work with you will have a mess to clean up.

[Chuck Hamrick]

The biggest thing for me is transparency. If the WhoIs information does not match the site in your application then you are automatically rejected. If your domain is new but matches the niche of the merchant then we will accept you. Yes we work with newbies and do our best to answer questions but if you don't know basic HTML then learn it.

[Faro]

Thank you 2busy.
If I understand this right I should build a site around a certain topic, get it up and running, ideally get traffic going and THEN approach various programs. Is that correct? Sorry if I state the obvious here but I feel better knowing the protocol/etiquette.
Thanks again and apologies if I plough through ground well covered by others before.

Peter

[Faro]

Thank you for your advice, Chuck. Much appreciated. It is encouraging to know that a newcomer can have a look-in. Knowledge can be gained!

Peter

[2busy]

No problem Faro, we all plowed through there at some point. It is better to ask than to plow ahead and then need to turn back and unplow.

[ACL]

Originally Posted by Chuck Hamrick

The biggest thing for me is transparency. If the WhoIs information does not match the site in your application then you are automatically rejected. If your domain is new but matches the niche of the merchant then we will accept you. Yes we work with newbies and do our best to answer questions but if you don't know basic HTML then learn it.

That seems like an odd perspective. As an affiliate I block whois info to reduce spam. That should not represent an ethical problem to merchants.

[affilorama]

Having an affiliate site with quality content would help you get approved as an affiliate. Your business would also appear professional and credible if you use your domain email address.

Many times a merchant or affiliate manager will send an email asking questions about how you plan on promoting their products. Immediately respond and give them the information that they need. Let them know what kind of sites you have and want to build and what techniques you will use to promote their products.

Most networks also has a space where you can explain this. Shareasale.com has a box where it asks you to give an explanation of how you will be promoting the merchant. Nearly every decent merchant will approve you if you take the time to tell them about your plans.

[CCBerries]

Originally Posted by ACL

That seems like an odd perspective. As an affiliate I block whois info to reduce spam. That should not represent an ethical problem to merchants.

You have to remember that for some merchants (not all) that the various tax laws can create a real problem if an affiliate is not in the state they say they are. There are also problems with the affiliates in some countries claiming to be US based but are really elsewhere... when an affiliate manager catches someone bending the truth about one thing it's probable that they are going to be bending the truth about something else (or have not even read the T&C for that merchant).

If the merchant does not deal with affiliates in a state or country (for whatever reason) and one gets into a program without the affiliate manager/merchant doing the due dilligance they may be subject to an unexpected tax bill.. and you can bet that affiliate is not going to pay it.

Returning to this wonderful vintage of goldshlager now.... (it was a fine week, delicately chilled.. and mixed well with a dark chocolate..)

[MichaelColey]

On an ongoing basis, I think what most affiliate managers are looking for is incremental sales. If you're delivering customers to them that they wouldn't have otherwise had, you're golden.

Some of the more problematic affiliates are ones who deliver non-incremental sales:

1. Parasites.
2. Trademark poachers.
3. Coupon sites that use cookie stuffing or deceptive practices and rely on catching people who go searching for a code during checkout.

Make sure your business model is one that provides value both to the customer and the merchant.

[Faro]

Thank you so much guys. It feels like getting a first pair of shoes to help me with my baby steps.

[AffiliateWarrior]

Great answers in this thread - for me - I look for what Michael and Chuck brought up. I want affiliates who will bring incremental sales - I don't have a problem with approving brand new affiliates as long as I can see some sort of a spark of potential in the work they are doing. Are they building out content that will engage an audience (and Google?) or are they just building a "banner farm?"

If you set up a "cookie cutter" coupon site with some prebuilt solution, you aren't getting approved and you aren't going to be successful, so save your money.

If I email with some questions, do they respond within some reasonable time frame? Did they use a valid email in their network set up?

It's really not all that hard or expensive to get a hosting account and set up a site using WordPress or other free content management system that can be attractive, professional looking and gives you a place to post some compelling content. Show me that you've given some thought to building an online business and have some commitment to the project. Guys like Michael who are successful in this business didn't get there overnight.

[Faro]

Hi Wade. You are right, great answers in this thread ,including yours.
I already looked into basic HTML and am quite sure I will be able to get the hang of it. I fancy myself to be a creative person and have a couple of ideas. What could possibly go wrong?

I am sure you will be able to read about it on this forum!
I'll have a look at WordPress later.

[Decorative Ceiling Tiles]

Faro,

Me as an Affiliate Manager, I am looking for affiliates that are honest and ask lot of questions.

And exactly right, what is the worst that can happen.....


Good luck...

[Faro]

Thanks, Milan.

[affilorama]

Here's a list profitable niches:

* Dog Training
* Muscle Building
* Weight Loss
* Green Energy
* Dating Tips for Men
* Wholesale Sourcing
* Self Help
* Internet Marketing
* Golf
* Learn to Sing
* Save Your Relationship / Get Your Ex Back

Hope that helps!

[Chuck Hamrick]

Nice list and have merchants for two of them.

[DeannaT]

I personally like affiliates who are not afraid to ask for help. Whether it's something small like giving an affiliate instructions on how to create a link for a specific product or possibly a bigger scope project like providing reporting statistics so they can compare their conversion rates of specific creatives and products, I love the one on one relationships and seeing results from them.

[Commission Factory]

In our process we look for range of fraud risk indentifers including Malicous Code, Iframes, Whois checks etc etc. We also look at the overall quality of the site and who you are currently promoting (if any).

Good Affiliates normally have well designed sites that have been targeted toward their niche.

[Faro]

Originally Posted by Commission Factory

In our process we look for range of fraud risk indentifers including Malicous Code, Iframes, Whois checks etc etc. We also look at the overall quality of the site and who you are currently promoting (if any).

Good Affiliates normally have well designed sites that have been targeted toward their niche.

Hi

I can see your point regarding the quality of the site, promotion pattern and niche. However, with my limited experience I am struggling to even formulate a coherent question about fraud risk identifiers. I understand that no one wants to be a victim of fraud and that precaution is advisable. Is what you are describing part of some kind of routine security check or something rather more specific than that?

Thanks

[RobinD4Hypnosis]

I like it when Affiliates approach me and let me know what they are going to do for our product. For example, that they have a list or they will promote us with PPC or whatever. I of course welcome questions as to what are our commission rates, cookie length,etc. However, it is nice to hear from a confident Affiliate about how their game plan that will make us both successful since we are partners.

[Faro]

Originally Posted by Yokomi

I think nowdays there are many people do in this business. And many people actually don't know how to be a right affiliate and earn money.
Especially many just want earn money by spending a little effort.
Come on,There is no free lunch！！！！

As a affiliate manager, I'd like to give lucrative commission to experienced affiliates rather than lazy boy or girls.

Thank you for your post. I posted my question to try to figure out what one has to take into consideration in creating a presentable website to an affiliate manager.
And free lunches usually are not all what they are cracked up to be, are they?

[Faro]

So, what would you be looking for in particular in an affiliate?