Considering Affiliate Networks?
The first step in choosing an affiliate network to use is by either signing-up for multiple networks or looking at reviews which can be found all over the internet. Many networks will have the same offers but you’ll notice that some networks will pay more for the same offer when compared with other networks. This tells me only one thing, which is that some affiliate networks are just too greedy and therefore I don’t give them my business. Remember with so many options for affiliate networks to choose from you can always find one willing to pay more so don’t settle for any amount. If you feel that you should be making more per sale or lead then make sure you express your thoughts with your affiliate manager. Often if you can bring in a certain amount of leads or sales then you can get an increase in the amount you get paid, but sometimes they’ll rise the payout just to increase your motivation. I always live by the rule that I’m doing the affiliate network a favour by working with them, so therefore they should bend over backwards to meet everything I need. Once you’ve chosen an affiliate network to be with then you needs to decide upon the next most important thing which is whether you’ll aim to sell products or leads. I always recommend to new affiliates that you begin with lead offers because frankly a user will sign-up for something free well before they buy anything. Let’s talk a look at some of the disadvantages and advantages of choosing either sales or leads and then from there you should have a clearer idea which one is most suitable for you.
Sales
Sales is generally more appealing to a more veteran affiliate marketer rather then a new affiliate marketer simply because it can be difficult to get sales. With sales you’re paid based on a commission, which means you simply add products to your blog and direct people to the product page of the affiliate. If they buy the product you get paid a commission, which basically breaks down affiliate sales. If you have an established niche blog you’ll do well with sales generally, but if you have a new blog then it can be really hard to get sales, and you’ll also lose some readers if you over-promote affiliate sales in the beginning.
Leads
Leads are simply where you send someone to a page to sign-up for something free or to apply for something free. Leads never cost any money to the end user which is why there more enticing for them to complete and why new bloggers should utilize these before moving to sales. You can get paid anywhere from $1-$100 per lead depending on the niche of your blog. Obviously topics like health and finance get paid higher for leads then a sports blog, but whatever your niche is there is usually a lead program you can incorporate.
If you’re considering affiliate networks then I would suggest starting with leads and moving up from there as you gain experience. If you have an established blog and just deciding to offer affiliate offers to your readers then you might be able to make some money with sales. It solely depends on your traffic and you’ll need a fairly good reputation with your readers if you expect to buy something from your blog.