My Affiliate Program Is Not Right For You

How many affiliate program owners have you heard say that? Let's see, I have been at IT professional since 1997. I am a return-to-college adult student majoring in business with a focus on E-commerce (in my third year).

I have seen a lot of affiliate programs and chatted with many of the owners and managers.

Not one has told me his/her program is not for me.

This insults my intelligence. While I was busy asking questions about it, I was so hoping he/she would also be professional and ask me questions back. A nice professional question might be “What are your goals? What kind of money are you wanting to make and in what amount of time?”, or “What kinds of products and/or services excite you? I hope I have that type, but if I don't, I will surely tell you.”

Sorry. Not one out of thousands of whom I've rubbed cyber-shoulders with.

So I am here to tell you that my affiliate program is probably not for you. Sure, you could make plenty of money on it if you worked hard, the commission structure is straight forward, quite above average for the gift industry, offers lifetime residuals, and is managed by one of the top, if not the top affiliate software makers in the world via 3rd party. I am a craftsman, an artist if you will. I am ok with numbers, but I wouldn't put your life in my hands with me figuring the books. I would rather pay and get it done right. If you are like me you might have a family to feed and/or a stray dog or cat that wanders nearby when hungry.

How do I know my affiliate program is not for you? Well I don't in reality, but statistically I do know. I have a niche program and many others do too. For instance, my niche is sophisticated offbeat cartoon licensed merchandise (I am a cartoonist), in the spirit of The Far Side by Gary Larson (Larson was my inspiration and continues to be); the media has compared our work (that is both a blessing and a curse in that nobody wants to be known as a copycat, but on the upside, if my work could be compared to anyones I would want it to be Gary Larson's Far Side.

But like The Far Side, my market is very niche. Demographic studies shows that my buyers, though they run the gamut, are about 60% male/40% female age 25-44 with at least one college degree and a high majority with two or more degrees. Statistically, about 2 out of 10 salespersons or promoters enjoy dealing with this demographic. Why? They are bright. Very bright. And they will ask questions. They know how to be a smart consumer. I enjoy that. I like to research and learn the answers. I know the answers a lot of the time. To me it is like owning a cat. You have to earn their love and affection. But once you do, they never want it to end. But it's hard work getting them to even pay you much attention. But it's worth it in the long run.

I do not relay media attention comparisons for “bragging rights”, anything but. I have made mistakes almost daily for a lifetime. I am a college dropout who returned to school merely for health reasons. I had been working in major-market media for nearly two decades until my heart decided to stop for awhile. Then the doctors demanded I stop for awhile.

So my affiliate program is probably not for you, that is, statistically, most people enjoy dealing with the masses, sort of like Wal-Mart or Target does. Sure you could promote or sell our tee shirts, sweats, mousepads, key chains, gourmet coffee baskets, caps, clocks, and other gifts and collectibles and make a small fortune (if not a big one), but if you didn't appreciate and were enthusiastic about the images, I would try to talk you out of it. The cartoon image is what the customer is buying as much as the product. I am lucky to have two manufacturers who make phenomenal quality products with expedited worldwide shipping and my products sell very well.

So how does one decide if an affiliate program is for them? I have broken it down into steps. Here they are:

1.Do I actually like the product or service? Not just like it but get excited enough about it to wake up in the morning, jump out of bed, and begin marketing it?

2.Do I understand it? Rick's products have cartoons? If I don't understand or appreciate that type humor, how can I get excited about the product

3.Does the program offer lifetime residuals?

4.Is the commission rate fixed so there are no surprises or do I have to reach certain plateaus each month?

5.Is the commission structure fair?

6.Is the program managed in-house or by a professional trusted management team?

7.What is the reputation, SEO ranking, etc. of this company?

Those are but a few. There are no dumb questions, believe me; by not asking I have made plenty of errors myself. Now I make money. A lot of it. So do my affiliates, not all of them, but the ones who really enjoy working hard on it. I love to be of help (I think I could have been a teacher as my mother was). So support is mandatory in any affiliate program. If I don't have the answers, which is often the case, I can go to our affiliate management team with many more years of experience than me, ask, and get back to you with the answer.

I hope this helps. Knowledge is power and the more you research, the more you know. I am not an SEO or Affiliate expert, don't claim to be (am a cartoonist) but I am learning this type work each day as I experience it and study it in classes. I find it fascinating.

My hope to you is next time someone approaches you and says “My affiliate program is just right for you!”, and you say back “I bet it isn't, it might be but statistically it probably isn't.”

I know a lot of what I have written here is tongue in cheek, but, there is a lot of truth to it. Matching
an affiliate candidate with the right affiliate program takes work on both parties parts. It is like a marriage in a way. Both parties have to put a lot of work into it. And like marriage, you want your
affiliate partner to be the (almost) perfect bride (or groom).