Guide to Affiliate Marketing - How to Start an Affiliate Program (Part 1)

Posted on 05 July 2008
Tags: Internet Marketing

Web-Based Affiliate Network System or DIY (do-it-yourself) Affiliate Network?

You have many options for affiliate to promote your products. Such as Commission Junction and Be Free (both of them of owned by ValueClick), LinkShare or Performics. They all handle your affiliates tracking system and money. They also charge you a few thousand dollars for your affiliate program get established. But, there are also smaller fees for affiliate network. If you don’t have enough bucks, you can choose these type of options.

If you want to DIY your affiliate network, you can hire someone to put affiliate tracking system on your server. Buying a CGI tracking script or writing your own script if you’re familiar with CGI scripts.

Below I list the main options if you want to start an affiliate programs:

AffiliateShop - quick, easy maintain, and on budget price

This affiliate network offers you to PPL (pay-per-lead), PPC (pay-per-click), PPS (per-per-sale) or several methods such as 5% on sales and $0.05 per lead.
This network has anti-fraud protection, so your affiliates can’t generate fraud click through.
This AffiliateShop has full tracking system and real time statistics for your affiliates easy maintain and promotion and for you too.
This network also can track affiliate program that had 2-tier.
AffiliateShop is quickly integrate with 3rd party shopping cart systems, Microsoft ASP script, UNIX and NT server. Also export data to databases to MS Access and MS SQL.
All software is hosted on AffiliateShop server, so the setup time can be minimal.
Unlimited affiliates program (you can have multiple affiliate program with 1 user)
Setup fee only $395 and monthly fee only $45.
This program offer you a 30 day free trial (affiliate program setup can be done in less than a day)
Highly recommended by me. Go to AffiliateShop right now

Interneka – popular for budget affiliate network

Popular third party tracking system
Track all your affiliate using easy tracking software
This affiliate network has all what AffiliateShop had. Same features.
Small to medium websites are their majority customers.
Less than $500 for affiliate software
More information about Interneka

ShareASale – popular affiliate among affiliates

This is large network that offering more than hundreds of program, such as PPS, PPL and PPC programs
This affiliate network has more than 700 merchants
ShareASale has lots of datafeeds and this affiliate network is highly recommended by me.
Visit ShareASale now if you want your affiliate program approved now

Commission Junction – very large network and popular among big merchants

Your affiliate program can be quickly establish with PPL (pay-per-lead), PPS (pay-per-sale) and many others benefits of publicity that generate by this affiliate network
PPL (pay-per-lead) program pay commission when customer that had been referred by your affiliates to your websites and that customer fills out form or any other action that allows you to follow-up on sales process (such as opt-in)
PPS (pay-per-sale) program pay commission when customer buy your product or service that referred by your affiliates.
They professionally manage all your affiliate sign-up, affiliate approvals, affiliate tracking system, affiliate report, and they also pay affiliate commission payment
The advantages of this large affiliate network are, they automatically promote your programs.
This is good option for your affiliate program if you want to pay someone that take care the most details of your affiliate programs
Go to Commission Junction now for more details

Performics – highly professional and large affiliate network

Performics clients include America Online, Blair Corp, Bose, CompUSA, Eddie Bauer, HP Shopping, Kohl’s, LL Bean, PC Connection, RedEnvelope, Verizon Wireless and more than 200 popular large merchants.
Fully owned by DoubleClick
For more information about Performics

LinkShare – large affiliate network and handles revenue sharing

LinkShare had solution for tracking leads that can result immediate or long-term-sales
Had been established for helping many publishers of sites and online retailers
LinkShare enables merchant and sites share their feedback info and also customer analysis.
Cost about thousand of dollars to setup.
LinkShare do all the tracking systems and commission payment to affiliates.
Offer consolidated affiliate payments, direct deposit for only US affiliate, and user can define minimum payment thresholds.
Dell also one of LinkShare merchant
LinkShare is your option if you want their publicity and can make your affiliate program more popular
Visit LinkShare now

More Others Affiliate Network

ClickBank Affiliate Network

Simple setup affiliate program very quickly, easy and very cheap
ClickBank has more than 100,000 affiliate’s network merchants
Accept credit card payment
Charge by percentages of your affiliates sales
The most popular solution for quick and easy affiliate setup
Highly recommended by all Internet marketer
Visit ClickBank now

PayDotCom

Cheaper than ClickBank affiliate network
This is ClickBank competitor
Some of PayDotCom features is not offered by ClickBank, so they have pros and cons
Visit PayDotCom now

ClickXchange

You can create your own affiliate program that using PPC, PPL, PPS and PPI (pay-per-impression)
Has over than 150,000 affiliates in ClickXchange network
Their affiliate sign-up process can be customized by your own and can merges into your website
Visit ClickXchange now

DoubleClick Direct

This is advertising network that works with direct marketer
Works with PPL and PPS
Useful resource for online advertising information
Visit DoubleClick Direct now

This post will be continued on Part 2. I separate this post to 2 parts because it was too long. Part 2 will be covered for DIY Affiliate Network. Cheaper affiliate network solution for you.

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