How do you decide?

[Scratch2Casher]

Hi, I am a new affiliate manager, and I would like to ask a question that might have an obvious answer. What does an affiliate look for in a program before joining, besides money and the content suitability to his or hers demographics? Obviously, money is a factor, but is it THE factor? And of course, I am refering only to information you can learn before working with a program for awhile. So payment issues, for instance, can not be considered a factor , since you won't find that out until you've begun. (unless of course you've heard something from somebody who has experience with that program). Or maybe that's what you're looking for? Would you not join a program if you have'nt heard about it from someone else? Have I completely lost you by now? Any comments would be appreciated.

[Michael_Goldman]

I guess the asnwer will vary for different affiliates, but generally, obviously money is the most important factor, though most aff programs usually offer similar or same offers and comissions.
So I think recommendations can play a very important role here.
Before joining any program I usually check out what people have to say about it on the forums

[Linda Buquet]

Hi Yoav,

Conversions are a biggie too. If your commission was the same as program xyz, but your converted more sales OR looked like it would convert more, that would be a plus.

[Scratch2Casher]

So basically, just a gut feeling about how a site would convert?

[Clickbank Hotshot]

conversion tracking is an obvious one. the best affiliates will want to analyze what is and is not working in terms of the creatives they are using.

for me, however, i am always looking for an affiliate program that is run by people who recognize that they are now operating in the 21st century, and that the great affiliate marketing stories of tomorrow will be those that involve either individuals or small groups of affiliates (who have banded together for the purpose) that have been able to leverage the APIs of affiliate marketing networks to build the kind of sophisticated marketing platforms that currently are only built in-house.

i realize this thinking is heretical to the average affiliate networking company, because it represents a loss of control over how products would be marketed. but, of course, that is precisely the point. when you decentralize you open the doors to all sorts of creativity. think about the evolution of open source programming, and the development of the linux operating system. these were simply driven by the desire to create better, more controllable software. imagine the possibilities when you add financial incentive into the mix, which is the grease of affiliate marketing.

i do. constantly

[Jenyfari]

I look for the following in this order:

1. Commission rate
2. The look of the merchants website ie. is it professional looking.
3. The links provided by the merchant - will they suit my site - are there a good variety of image ads and text links.
4. Do they have product links ie. links that take the buyer straight to that product page.

Also if they belong to a network such as CJ, Linkshare or ShareaSale then there is more likelihood that I will use them.

[StephenR]

Here goes.

1. Paid search. Why some affiliate programs prohibit you from advertising the best keywords is beyond me. Would they rather have their competitor get the sale?

2. Technical expertise and personalization during niche campaigns.

3. Open lines of communication. Pick up the phone and call me about an incentive. I would also would like to regularly see your name across the major forums. This shows you're a proactive affiliate manager and care about making your program a success.

4. Offline marketing material. Direct marketing is still HUGE. As an example AllSat and SiteSell (although I haven't used this one yet) have an excellent offline marketing system in place.

5. CREATIVITY. I demand personalized creatives sometimes. =)