Why Affiliate Marketing is driving me Insane

by oda
13 replies
G'day,

Recently I launched my Own Product into the market and I am working on others. I tell you this because I have been an affiliate marketer for a fair while, but it is just driving me insane lately and I am going to launch my own stuff instead.

The main reason I am loosing it is that vendors have this weird Idea that they can sell the products they want me to promote for stupid low prices, while I struggle trying to sell the same product at 5 times the price to earn a commission.

If you decide your product is worth $97 THEN STICK TO IT!!!!

Don't start a sly website somewhere offering the bloody thing for $17 as a special offer because your dodging the commission fees.

It really sucks when you put in a few days, set up a campaign, get 500 clicks to a product NO SALES then when you do the Investigation as to why you didn't convert it is dicscovered that the product is available from other places like software directories for CENTS on the dollar.

If you want US to sell your product then you need to protect the affiliate's you have by NOT under cutting the price.

I Know you want fast sales, But it takes TIME to get affiliates, it takes time for those affiliates to get set up, it takes Time to get the flow of sales you need and want.

JUST GIVE US THE CHANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you plan on selling your product for $17 then just do that and Leave everyone else out of it.

If on the other hand you want some help, then BACK the people that offer it by Keeping the price consistant.

Lastly, Launching a product on Clickbank Then Offering a never ending WSO on the same product is a good example of this. If your going to do a WSO then perhaps warn affiliates so we can at least hold off until that is over. (If it ever ends at all)

Thanks I feel Much better

Take Care

ODA
#affiliate #driving #insane #marketing
  • Profile picture of the author MarketItAll
    Glad you got that off your chest ODA, lol.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mike McAleer
    I agree with this somewhat. I mean people will do what they want with their prices but it confuses me.
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  • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
    Banned
    Originally Posted by oda View Post

    Don't start a sly website somewhere offering the bloody thing for $17 as a special offer because your dodging the commission fees.
    Oh course. You're so right ... this is absolutely fundamental. Besides which, no serious affiliate wants to promote a product that has another sales page elsewhere. That's one of the biggest "leaks" there is. Period.

    Originally Posted by oda View Post

    It really sucks when you put in a few days, set up a campaign, get 500 clicks to a product NO SALES then when you do the Investigation as to why you didn't convert it is dicscovered that the product is available from other places like software directories for CENTS on the dollar.
    This is a vendor to avoid like the plague.

    Next time around (if there is a "next time around") he'll suddenly find that he has great difficulty attracting the available 10% of affiliates who make 90% of the affiliate sales. :rolleyes:

    Originally Posted by oda View Post

    Lastly, Launching a product on Clickbank Then Offering a never ending WSO on the same product is a good example of this. If your going to do a WSO then perhaps warn affiliates so we can at least hold off until that is over. (If it ever ends at all)
    Agreed.

    "Avoiding products with any other sales page" should be a golden rule for Clickbank affiliates away. People don't always think about it, or check it (and of course you can check it anyway and find the vendor can change his mind later if he's really unwise enough to do that), but it's just Leak City, isn't it? :p

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  • Profile picture of the author PPC-Coach
    I wouldn't be promoting them anymore either. Look for products/services that have stood the test of time and understand how valuable affiliates are.
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    • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
      Banned
      Originally Posted by PPC-Coach View Post

      Look for products/services that have stood the test of time and understand how valuable affiliates are.
      Good constructive point, here.

      There is a significantly higher risk of this cra... er, stuff happening, when you go with new products and unknown vendors.
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  • Profile picture of the author Monta
    Unfortunately I've suffered from this same problem, unfortunately there is little you can do about it.
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  • Profile picture of the author CraigRC
    PPC-Coach and Alexa are making great points.

    Often affiliate marketers place too much emphasis on promoting products that are "NEW NEW NEW, JUST LAUNCHED" etc, because they've been taught that they've got to "avoid saturated products" and "competition".

    But in reality (especially with evergreen niches) nothing is ever saturated.

    I always recommend starting out by promoting the bigger programs in whatever niche you're targetting, specifically those that have long-standing positive relationships with affiliates that are well-documented and offer robust affiliate content areas.

    Vendors can be strange with their narrow vision and emphasis on short-term dollars, but in the long run the top programs get there for a reason...and not pulling the typical shenanigans that you described oda is one of them.
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  • Profile picture of the author Christophe Young
    I could see that if a Vendor was selling the same product at a lower price on a different sales page how that would not go over well with affiliates promoting this product.

    But, if the Vendor is selling the product at the same price point on a different sales page, how would that be a problem for affiliates?

    I'm thinking the affiliate would direct all their traffic to the right sales page and the chance of his/her traffic buying this product on a different sales page would be quite slim.
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    • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
      Banned
      Originally Posted by Christophe Young View Post

      if the Vendor is selling the product at the same price point on a different sales page, how would that be a problem for affiliates?
      You do all the promotion, gather the customer, opt them in to your list, communicate with them by email, build a relationship with them and so on ... they have your Clickbank affiliate cookie on their PC. They don't buy, and don't buy and don't buy. Then one day they think about it again, or something reminds them, and they don't still have your last email, which they deleted, so they put the product-name into Google and find another sales page (at any price!) and buy it. Your Clickbank cookie only gets you paid, after you've done all the work, if it's the Clickbank sales page. :p

      Originally Posted by Christophe Young View Post

      I'm thinking the affiliate would direct all their traffic to the right sales page and the chance of his/her traffic buying this product on a different sales page would be quite slim.
      "Quite slim" is no good. (Actually this can happen really easily, you know?)

      "Zero" is good.

      Affiliates at CB have 13,500 products from which to choose. The serious ones aren't promoting anything with any other sales page at any other price in any other place.
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      • Profile picture of the author Christophe Young
        "Quite slim" is no good. (Actually this can happen really easily, you know?)

        "Zero" is good.
        Damn, you're one TOUGH Clickbank cookie!

        No but say you come across a product you want to promote but there is an opt in on the sales page. I've heard of some affiliates requesting a sales page without an opt in and some Vendors providing one. So, in that case, you would have two sales pages out there with one supposedly leak free but not really because there's another sales page the Vendor is using.

        I guess the only way to really please some affiliates is to have just ONE leak free sales page with no opt in, pop ups, or any other things that might turn off affiliates.
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        • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
          Banned
          Originally Posted by Christophe Young View Post

          Damn, you're one TOUGH Clickbank cookie!
          LOL, not my fault ... that's just the "market forces", isn't it? I have 13,499 other products to look at. Why should I choose one that gives me a problem? :confused:

          Originally Posted by Christophe Young View Post

          No but say you come across a product you want to promote but there is an opt in on the sales page.
          Sure ... I'll ask the vendor if he has (or can provide) a version of the sales page without the opt-in, if I really want to promote it. I'm four-for-four doing that, so far.

          Originally Posted by Christophe Young View Post

          So, in that case, you would have two sales pages out there with one supposedly leak free but not really because there's another sales page the Vendor is using.
          Same thing, though ... your cookie's good, if it's for the same product ... it leads to the same order-page which displays your affiliate-username at the bottom of the page, once your cookie's on their computer.
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  • Profile picture of the author entrepreneurjay
    Good points. I agree with ya, product creation is gonna be my main focus in the coming months. I hate when they change the sales page on you and turn it into a landing page to collect emails. That pisses me off and I will drop the program if i see vendors doing this.
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  • Profile picture of the author oda
    Glad to know I'm not the only one feeling this,

    Thanks for the comments so far, I really needed a release after a stressful week.

    Have a great sunday,

    ODA
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