Affiliate Marketing Survival Tips

Ok so you are ready to go.... You have signed up for what seems like a fantastic affiliate program.. You already figured out what you will buy with your first few commissions.  Its a sunny day in your mind and you are all set.... Ever had that feeling?  Well if not, let me tell you it is very exciting.

Back to our scenario.. You have done your keyword research, investigated the niche market of your choice and found the perfect product to get commissions for.  Pulled your strategy out of your arsenal of methods, got your banners, links, cloaked em' and all you need is your music to float you along...

But you forgot one eensy weensy teeny tiny thing that could negatively affect your earnings....  



{SIDE NOTE: IF you are new to affiliate marketing and you cannot fit yourself into the above scenario, that is ok. We've got you covered here with lots of information to help you. }

 Once you've figured everything out, you may still have problems with your marketing strategies and
find yourself wondering what's wrong.  Below, you'll find some common factors that
affect affiliate sales, commission payments and lead generation:

Mushy, Soggy cookies.... Im not talking about Oreo cookies in milk....
A lot of merchants use cookies for tracking your referrals.  As a majority of customers don't
purchase on the first visit, cookies allow for potential referrals to be tagged with your ID so
that if they do purchase later, you'll get the credit for the sale.

The durations for the cookies will vary from merchant to merchant.  Some last as short as a
single session, while others can last for years. If the visitor flushes their cookies on a regular
basis, has cookie blocking software, or the program from the merchant isn't operating correctly,
there really isn't anything you can do.

Find out the methods of payment that customers will need to use to complete their purchase...
Multiple methods of payment can also affect your commissions. How? Well if you've joined an affiliate program through a network that processes payments of products on behalf of merchants, it's not uncommon for merchants to offer several methods of payment (i.e.Paypal, Mastercard, Visa, E-check, etc.).  While this is great for customers, it can be bad for affiliates if your referral credit doesn't get tracked.  What I mean is... take Clickbank for instance, when your customer purchases from your affiliate link, your clickbank ID should be at the bottom of the page. It is somewhat inconspicuous.  Most customers are just ready to finish the payment so they can get their product right away....so they are not thinking about who the affiliate is or if there is one.  (Especially if they are purchasing a product outside of the internet marketing niche)

Dont forget to keeping track of your banners and links...
It is very important to follow up with wherever you have placed your banners and links on the web. Did you publish an article on Hubpages with an affiliate link in it?  Did you submit content to an article site that had a link to affiliate sites?  Find a way to see if you can track clicks and conversions so that you will know if your efforts are serving you well.  Let's face it, even the most honest of merchants will have problems with their affiliate software at some point in time.  Therefore, it's important to regularly check cookies and merchant sites for. This could ultimately affect your commissions. 



The bottom line is.....
Before you begin to advertise any products or services as an affiliate of a network, always
check the merchant site carefully.  If you have any doubt, contact the merchant and the network before you proceed any further.


Check out my article on how to avoid missing commissions from soggy cookies.