Affiliate Program Recommendations

"My company is going to sign up for an affiliate program, but doesn't know which one to pick. I am also concerned about affiliates spamming our products to make commissions. Do we risk getting blacklisted by SpamCop if some affiliates do spamming?" -- Johan M Hedin, Monterey Bay Clothing

Companies with higher revenues often choose one of the larger affiliate management systems, such as LinkShare, BeFree, or Commission Junction. Their fees are typically a percentage of the commission paid to affiliates, but for this fee they write the checks due affiliates and have a network of potential affiliates they can send your way. If you don't want to pay a percentage, consider MyAffiliateProgram (www.wilsonweb.com/afd/myaffiliateprogram.htm), an excellent hosted ASP with a set-up charge and flat fee. Their consultants can also provide help in recruiting affiliates and running your program.

An increasing number of shopping carts come with at least a rudimentary affiliate program. Ultimate Affiliate Package (www.wilsonweb.com/afd/groundbreak.htm) and Little Salesman (www.wilsonweb.com/afd/little_salesman.htm) are low-cost CGI programs you can install on your webserver without monthly fees. With these programs, however, you'll still need to recruit your own affiliates. You can do this by listing your program in various affiliate program directories -- made easy with Affiliate Announce (www.wilsonweb.com/afd/affil_announce.htm). Of course, be sure to mention your affiliate program on your own site.

Don't be overly concerned that spammers will cause your company to get blacklisted. As an apparel company with a tangible product, your commissions are likely to be in the 5% to 8% range. Unless you pay very high affiliate commissions, spammers probably won't bother with you. However, you should have a clearly stated policy against spamming and quickly remove affiliates that spam.