The world of affiliate marketing can seem a bit like the Wild West, complete with its own laws, customs, and characters. One of the ways that many affiliate marketers make sense of this hard-to- tame world is to never really try to understand it at all. They simply create a program, try to entice as many affiliates as possible to join, and then hope for the best. It goes without saying that this is not the best approach. Instead, the manager of an affiliate marketing program should carefully select the right people to get the job done; they should recruit the right affiliates. Here we will look at some tips for recruiting the right affiliates for your program.
- Make Your Program Exclusive – In the world of affiliate marketing many managers take the “more is more” approach. They try to get as many affiliates as possible to join and promote the product or service, more or less throwing them all against the wall to see who will stick. This kind of approach can be successful, but carries great risks. Any affiliate marketer looking to build a brand would never let unscreened strangers represent their companies. As a business person who cares deeply about the image of your brand, it is essential that you take time to reject those potential affiliates which do not seem like they would represent your brand in the way you desire.
- Ask to see previous earnings statements – The primary reason to become an affiliate marketer is to make net profits. This should be kept in mind when selecting affiliates for your program. Their needs to make a profit should match yours. They should be profit motivated as well as ethical, which is another important aspect of a good affiliate which we will see in the next bullet point. One of the best ways to judge the future production of a new affiliate is to take a look at their background. Do not be afraid to ask for a copy of previous earnings statements in order to validate their potential production.
- Ask for Industry References and Check them – Another way you can judge the suitability of a potential affiliate is to ask him or her for references in the affiliate marketing or sales industries, and really follow up with a call. When doing this it is important to do some research in order to investigate if there is any connection between the reference and the potential marketer. In other words, check for the validity of the reference as well as for what they have to say about your potential affiliate.
Seek Affiliates in Out-of-the-Usual Places – When looking for affiliates it is always best to target people who understand your product and care about how they represent your brand. But many times different affiliate marketers look for affiliates in the same places. This is like fishing in the same fishing hole as everyone else. Sure, you may want to concentrate efforts in the places you are most likely to encounter prospective affiliates, but you may strike gold by going outside the box. Check webpages and groups which cater to women, minorities, and seniors. Do some offline recruiting. The more you concentrate out of the box, the more likely you are to find a great recruiting avenue which you may have all to yourself.