Affiliate software installed. Now what?

[redspan]

Hello,

www.redspan.com is a UK based online reseller of networking and other IT equipment. I have recently had AllAffiliatePro installed and it's now up and running and ready to register affiliates.

I'm and affiliate program newbie so please tell me; is joining an affiliate directory like www.tradecoubler.com the only way to attract new affiliates quickly and obtain a return on investment?

Does the site lack anything in terms of basic information that prospective affiliates would expect to see?

TIA,
Ben

[Linda Buquet]

Hi Ben,

A couple suggestions for you.

1) List commission % and cookies on top of your recruiting page. You say you offer the higest comm on the net but don't list what the commission actually is.

2) Change the word scheme to to program. I know "over there" they say scheme, but over here the word scheme is thought of like a scam or some kind of fraud.

3) List your program in all the affiliate directories.

That's just a few of the things you need to do. I'll try to give you more later.

[nghtspid]

Where can I find affiliate directories?

[Linda Buquet]

Google Directory!

http://directory.google.com/Top/Computers/Internet/Web_Design_and_Development/Authoring/
Webmaster_Resources/Affiliate_Programs/Resources/Directories/

(had to break the link to fit - should be all one long URL)

Refer-it.com and associateprograms.com are 2 of the best but there are lots of others.

[AffiliateForums.com]

Another possible recruitment idea for you:

If you've been doing business online already, many of your own current customers may be potential affiliates. A good way to recruit them is to send an email and talk about your "refer a friend" program. The satellite TV sites do this a lot (see www.directvdealer.com for an example of the wording they use )

What you could do is email your current customer base and invite them to refer friends, family, etc. Essentially this builds a small base of potential affiliates. Additionally, many of your customers might potentially already have a website and be willing to link to you. Make sure you provide proper instructions and make it easy for them .