How To Encourage Your Affiliates To Increase Productivity

Affiliates are arguably the most important thing when you launch a product – even if the product isn’t amazing, as long as you have plenty of affiliates, your project could still be a success. That’s just an example of the power of getting affiliates to promote, and indeed sell, your product.

However, although the power of using affiliates is unrivaled when it comes to sources of sales, if you don’t use the right tactics, you won’t attract affiliates, and in this scenario you won’t make any affiliate sales. This would quite simply be a disaster.

So, how can you encourage affiliates to sign up to your program and, more importantly, make some sales? I’ve listed a few techniques below that will hopefully help you out.

High Commission Rate
The first and most obvious thing you need to do is to set a reasonably high commission rate. If potential affiliates see that they could get amount by selling the product, they’re more likely to sign up. It’s just basic common sense really, but I’ll include it anyway. Commission rates of 30 % upwards is a great motivating factor for any affiliate to promote your products.

Limited Time Offers
If you’ve ever launched a product, one of the methods you may use to increase sales and brand exposure is a limited time offer, whereby people can get the product at a discounted price or with a bonus, but only for a certain time period. This is a really effective way of increasing sales, and it can also be applied to affiliates.

For example, the way to do this is to offer affiliates a larger commission, so long as they do something by a certain date.

Let’s use an example to illustrate this further…
You are planning on launching your product on the 1st February, and want to give affiliates a 30% commission. Here’s what you can say to potential affiliates:
• ‘If you sign up to the affiliate program before 15th February, you will earn 50% commission on all products you sell’
• ‘Any sales you make between the 1st of February and the 1st of March will come with a 50% commission’.

You can develop this point further, just as long as you put some sort of time limit on the offer, you should hopefully see an increase in affiliate sign ups and sales.

Run An Affiliate Contest
This is, in my opinion, one of the best ways. You can run a competition where affiliates can compete to win prizes. I saw a contest like this recently where the first person to make 500 sales won a holiday, and I’ve even seen prizes such as cars being given away! Whilst your contest doesn’t have to be quite as elaborate as this, they’re a great way of increasing affiliates’ productivity.

Create Some Awesome Graphics
No doubt when you visit blogs, you’ll see adverts. There are even some on this blog, and I have them on my site, too. A lot of the ads you will see are affiliate adverts, and you always seem to see the same ones over and over. This is because the company has provided affiliate with adverts that the affiliates will happily display on their website.

You need to design awesome adverts to give to your affiliates if you want a successful program, so if you’re not too hot on designing them yourself, it’s well worth spending the money to get cool graphics. It’s a small price to pay for a successful affiliate program!

This is a guest post by Simon Rogers. Contact us if you want to guest post on this blog.

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Flexoffers – An Affiliate Network with Premium Merchants

Zero Parallel – The Short-Term Loan Affiliate Network

22 comments

Andrew @ webuildyourblog.com December 16, 2009 - 6:11 am
Good advice, although I believe commission rates must be higher than 50%. Re: contests In my up and coming launch, it's the first time I am having a contest and the prizes are sales related as well. Biggest prize is an iMac, not a holiday or car - I'm not yet in that league! I'm hoping the contest does make a difference. One thing I would add is do as much work for your affiliates as you can. Write emails and blog posts for them and keep in touch regularly. It all helps with the promotion. Andrew .-= Andrew @ webuildyourblog.com´s last blog ..How to make a blog stand out with brilliant blog posts =-.
Simon | Teenius December 16, 2009 - 1:35 pm
Hi Andrew. Firstly, I'm glad you enjoyed the article and thanks for the comment. Regarding the 50% point, it was just an example to explain my point within the article better, and the commission you should give does, of course, depend on the specific product and niche you're in. An iMac is still a pretty impressive prize! :D Note that the contests I'd seen with those massive prizes are already established affiliate programs who undoubtedly made enough money to easily cover the costs of those! Good points about helping your affiliates. After all, a happy affiliate is a busy affiliate, and a happy affiliate is an affiliate who has less work. Wow, that must have been the most 'uncatchy' line I've ever made up :p Thanks, Simon .-= Simon | Teenius´s last blog ..The Importance Of A Custom Twitter Background =-.
SW @ Social Bookmarking Service December 17, 2009 - 12:35 pm
Andrew iMac is dream for many new bies and people who love apple. If you will make the prize money more bigger than people will think that there is some catch on that. So distributing normal kind of prize for normal user is good idea. .-= SW @ Social Bookmarking Service´s last blog ..Social Bookmarking Service =-.
Simon | Teenius December 17, 2009 - 3:20 pm
Hmm, I disagree. If you're a recognised internet marketer, or at least run a professional company then people are bound to want to win the prize you're offering, especially if it's something as amazing as a car! :D However, yeah, the iMac is an awesome prize! .-= Simon | Teenius´s last blog ..The Advantages Of A Unique Design =-.
Dennis Edell December 16, 2009 - 3:10 pm
Simon - you have a product with an affiliate program? .-= Dennis Edell´s last blog ..Send me your best articles, I’ll send you my best traffic! ;) =-.
Simon | Teenius December 17, 2009 - 9:58 am
I have to admit, at the moment, no. However, I'm currently building a product, as well as being involved in different product launches in the past, so I feel I know a reasonable amount! :) .-= Simon | Teenius´s last blog ..The Advantages Of A Unique Design =-.
mark@perfume December 16, 2009 - 11:26 pm
To increase productivity your points are r4elevant and absolutely factual, no doubt. I will take help from them .
Simon | Teenius December 17, 2009 - 9:58 am
I'm glad the points are helpful for you, Mark! ;) .-= Simon | Teenius´s last blog ..The Advantages Of A Unique Design =-.
SW @ Social Bookmarking Service December 17, 2009 - 12:41 pm
Hey Simon I like your post on blogussion as well about contest one. If you will pick two factors from above mentioned than which two you will pick ? .-= SW @ Social Bookmarking Service´s last blog ..Social Bookmarking Service =-.
Simon | Teenius December 17, 2009 - 3:23 pm
I would say good commission rates & attractive banners are the most important. The others are awesome for short term bursts (and then affiliates will more than likely stay and keep doing it), but in terms of making your affiliate count larger and larger in the long term, high commission rates and good banners are the most important! ;) Also, I'm glad you liked my post on Blogussion! :) .-= Simon | Teenius´s last blog ..The Advantages Of A Unique Design =-.
GoldenBlogger December 17, 2009 - 11:19 am
Thanks very much for impresive artcile!
Simon | Teenius December 17, 2009 - 3:25 pm
Glad you enjoyed it! :) Thanks for the comment. .-= Simon | Teenius´s last blog ..The Advantages Of A Unique Design =-.
SW @ Social Bookmarking Service December 17, 2009 - 12:27 pm
I think high commission rate with limited time will do the magic. These two factors can prove very deadly. If you remember Yaro always use these two tricks to get maximum exposure. He first starts for few period and after that he open gate once again for one or two days and this trick always work. .-= SW @ Social Bookmarking Service´s last blog ..Social Bookmarking Service =-.
Simon | Teenius December 17, 2009 - 3:25 pm
Yeah, if you combine the above then you're bound to get a killer start to your affiliate program, but remember that you still have to promote the affiliate program, otherwise no one will see the benefits they can receive from promoting your product! ;) .-= Simon | Teenius´s last blog ..The Advantages Of A Unique Design =-.
Paul December 18, 2009 - 2:38 pm
It seems like a generous contest would be the best way to go.
Simon | Teenius December 19, 2009 - 4:05 am
Paul, that's definately a great way, but don't neglect the other techniques! ;) .-= Simon | Teenius´s last blog ..$800 Contest: Winners Announced! =-.
SW @ Social Bookmarking Service December 19, 2009 - 1:29 pm
This should be the combination of everything. We add small amount of salt in our recipes but that small amount of salt fix the final taste similarly here also we need all kind of ingredients to make it successful. .-= SW @ Social Bookmarking Service´s last blog ..Social Bookmarking Service =-.
Essays December 20, 2009 - 10:30 am
The best way to encourage affiliates is to give me high commission at the very first sale.
free beats December 23, 2009 - 5:11 am
The best way
kitchen taps December 24, 2009 - 6:17 am
This is looking a great way indeed for gaining encouragement to affiliates.
Lida January 28, 2010 - 10:17 am
Thanks very much for impresive artcile! .-= Lida´s last blog ..Lida ile sağlığınıza özen gösterin =-.
affiliate marketing websites August 19, 2010 - 3:48 pm
I have looked at many sites and not come across such a site as yours that tells you what you really need to know about affiliate marketing.

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