Setting Up Your Affiliates Program

Setting up an affiliates program can be a profitable addition to your sales and marketing effort – one that companies don’t take advantage of as much as they should.

There is no risk to you, as you don’t pay affiliates unless a sale is made. There are, however, programs where you pay per action or per lead, but they are not recommended – read on to find out the reason why.

Here’s the easy step-by-step guide to setting one up.

Step One: Know What You Want

Begin with the end in mind: You need to think about what you want before you set it up. Most companies want more sales, but there are other, often overlooked benefits to be derived.

If you are a company that needs word-of-mouth marketing, consider a multi-level marketing component. If you need to grow a healthy database of leads to mine for years to come, consider rewarding on a pay per action basis, where you get contact information in exchange for commission for your affiliates program. However, the most straightforward — and least prone to corruption — is the pay per sale model.

Step Two: Choose the Right Software