Coffee Talk Interview #60 – You Can Look Back To A Past ShareASale Think Tank To Learn The 7 Things YOU Must Look For In A High-Converting Affiliate Program (Audio & Video)
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In this Coffee Talk, James also tells you exactly how to evaluate a merchant and shares seven things that make an affiliate program successful, making it one java break you don’t want to miss.
Having attended the ShareASale Think Tank back in ’07 in Scottsdale AZ, where James and 59 other top affiliates participated in the critique of 12 merchant’s websites, he talked about this short ‘breakation’ and how he uses the time away to recharge his own creativity.
The group checked into the Gainey Ranch Resort Friday evening and on a Saturday evening sat back the next morning as the 12 merchants who were taking part in the event took 45 minutes to present their website and their products or services.
The affiliates then provided constructive criticism about each site. Doing this all day long, we started to see patterns among the sites that have the highest conversion rates, — James says. Of course, he shares this information with you here.
You will also hear all about the top seven things you want to consider when evaluating your merchants and the seven things you want to look for in a strong affiliate program.
You can then use these ‘checklists’ to help you choose the most successful merchants, the ones that convert at the highest rate possible, and to ensure you seek out the most successful affiliate programs.
In fact, by learning how to identify the best merchants upfront, those with good conversion rates, and getting in the 3% range, affiliates can double, triple and even quadruple revenues from EXISTING traffic.
7 Things YOU Must Look For In A High-Converting Affiliate Program
And the timing of this Coffee Talk is perfect as James talks about how he has recently noticed that several forum members are working on converting more of their existing traffic into more revenue. In fact, the following seven things to look for on any merchant site will also be posted in the forum:
- The site’s shopping cart needs to be clean and uncluttered. It should be easy to use, and complete with have product photos and descriptions. It should also list availability of the stock.
- Look for shipping information. You don’t want to leave a customer wondering about this. The shipping information should be easy to find and if it is complicated (such as international shipping), make sure your merchant has a shopping calculator front and center where it is easily viewed.
- Does the merchant have purchase incentives such as free shipping, discounts for shopping with them, or even gift cards? Of course, you don’t want the visitors you drive to the merchant site to have to spend $2000 before they qualify for these incentives. This will not work in your favor.
- Are the product details of the specific product your visitor was looking at listed on exact same page where they make their purchase (details such as manufacturer, dimensions, images, colors available, weight, size, materials, colors, etc.).
- Does the merchant site have secure shopping certificates? Look for icons from companies such as GEOTrust, BizRate, Better Business Online, VeriSign, etc.
- Is there an 1-800# on the site? Are the products sold over the phone? If so, does the merchant have provisions in place to make sure the affiliate is properly compensated?
- Also consider the comfort and convenience factor. For instance, what is the merchant’s return and exchange policy. Is contact information there and easily accessible? What are the money back guarantees? Can site visitors view the status of shipment while it is being sent to them? Is company information there? What is the merchant site’s privacy policy.
James also talks about a few sites that were presented at the ShareASale Think Tank that he thinks listeners should visit including: CSNStores.com, JensonUSA.com, TFAW.com, TinyPrints.com, WeddingPaperDivas.com, WashingtonRedskins.com, Hocks.com, TheNerds.net, ReStockIt.com and the LandofNod.com.
And if you are…
Ready To Get Serious About Affiliate Marketing?
If you are ready to get serious about succeeding online and earning a full or part-living with affiliate programs — I invite you to check out my Affiliate Marketers SUPER BootCamp Homestudy Program.
Best Regards,
James Martell
Canadian Affiliate Marketer
Celebrating 10+ Years As A Successful Full-Time Affiliate Marketer.
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Good points, James.
On a separate note, it’s a pity that most affiliate networks (unlike AvantLink, for example) do not supply affiliates with data on merchant conversion, and affiliates have to play by trial-and-error. For instance, on ShareASale which you’re talking about, there are plenty of truly excellent merchants with strong conversions, but unless a merchant is on ShareASale’s “Top 100 PowerRank” link, an affiliate may feel hesitant to start promoting them. Had they had access to the actual conversion rate info, many would’ve probably found that very helpful.
Geno Prussakov recently posted..FTC Brings First Action Against Misleading Online Endorsements
Twitter: eprussakov
Yes, agreed. It seems that were moving towards more transparency but we have a long way to go with a number of networks.
Twitter: JamesMartell