How many sales are ALL Affiliates losing?

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Rambo007

Its fair to say that when you are the affiliate of a product there is a good chance that someone could buy on your recommendation but you dont get the credit for it.

I dont mean by anything dodgy, but simply by someone else winning the cookie race.

For example, someone could read your review of a product which convinces them to buy it. Then do a google search for a special offer and click through with someone elses link even though the prices are the same. Or they could decide to read one more review and eventually just click through the other persons review even though they found your one most helpful.

Or you could convince someone to buy something but they only buy after your cookie has expired.

So I was wondering if anyone had an idea of how many sales affiliates will lose to this type of thing? I guess it confirms that its best to be a vendor then an affiliate as it doesnt matter whos cookie is used as you make money either way.

If someone reads your review and wishes to purchase, try offering a bonus or something similar if they buy from your link.

This is a fairly popular method to stop people wondering off and looking elsewhere.

Offer them something of value, possibly related to the product, if they buy from you and make it something worth their while.

Just one idea.

James

Thanks
2 replies

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Rambo007

13 years ago

Originally Posted by James Stewart

If someone reads your review and wishes to purchase, try offering a bonus or something similar if they buy from your link.

This is a fairly popular method to stop people wondering off and looking elsewhere.

Offer them something of value, possibly related to the product, if they buy from you and make it something worth their while.

Just one idea.

James

Yeah that is a good idea.

There are other things out of your control though. Such as if i read a review and even got a freebie on one computer but decided to the purchase through a different one.

I often browse online with my ipad but if i want to buy something I will go to my desktop and make my purchase and possibly go straight to the vendor.

I am not knocking the system just trying to get an idea of how many sales I might possibly be losing simply by being an affiliate. Whereas I could probably just make my own product and not have to worry about my cookie winning.

Thanks

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hometutor 13 years ago

Originally Posted by James Stewart

If someone reads your review and wishes to purchase, try offering a bonus or something similar if they buy from your link.

James

There's an automation script to do just that now

Rick
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Forcefactor

13 years ago

Another option could be to set a timer on the bonus. Something like offering the bonus only for the next 72 hours before you remove it.

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GregSilva

13 years ago

Can anyone share some examples of bonuses they have used in the past or are currently using that have been successful? Thanks!

Thanks
2 replies

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sscot 13 years ago

Originally Posted by GregSilva

Can anyone share some examples of bonuses they have used in the past or are currently using that have been successful? Thanks!

Sometimes, the bonus is excellent than original product.
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- kevinfahey 13 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by sscot
  
  Sometimes, the bonus is excellent than original product.
  
  I agree, I've purchased products at times just to get the bonus. Thing is many times I never got it
  
  But to the question, bonuses are a great way, depending on what your promoting you can use PLR, got experience use maybe a coaching call, which will increase your customer value.
  
  I know I lose sales and it's unstoppable at times. Using a cloaking service will help. There are free ones, but I use linktrackr most of the time.
  
  Thanks
  
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myob 13 years ago

Originally Posted by GregSilva

Can anyone share some examples of bonuses they have used in the past or are currently using that have been successful? Thanks!

First, understand the concept of offering an incentivized bonus instead of what specific product others have found to be successful. Your results will vary, because of the very fact it must be personal to your customers for it be of any value. Ideally, you will have built up a list of targeted subscribers.

And, rather than trying to "make a sale" consider providing value to your subscribers. Using Clickbank to build lists of repeat buyers will enable you to have conversions as high as 90%. I would venture to say that the most successful Clickbank affiliates have built lists within their niches and consistently promote directly to them with value-added content.

There are many ways to build a list of active buyers, but doing so is essential for any substantial longevity in this business. If you give your customers an incentivized bonus for each purchase that has a high perceived value relative to the product, you will find a strong disinclination for them to buy in the future from any other affiliate competitor.

Some powerful bonuses I have used for several years were PLR ebooks containing resource pages for product "recommendations" of other relevant Clickbank and/or Amazon products. You can get low cost PLR products from any of a number of membership sites or product vendors. Just add your Clickbank affiliate product information, customize, and convert to pdf format for distribution as a free add-on bonus for your customers.
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JamesGw

13 years ago

I'd say most affiliates lose less than 10% to that. The one thing you need consider is that some sales you made might have also been off of other people's work. I think it balances out for the most part.

Thanks

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Alexa Smith

Banned 13 years ago

Originally Posted by Rambo007

someone could read your review of a product which convinces them to buy it. Then do a google search for a special offer and click through with someone elses link even though the prices are the same. Or they could decide to read one more review and eventually just click through the other persons review even though they found your one most helpful.

This one is kind of "the rub of the green", in that you can be the benficiary as well as the loser, and it ought to "even out".

Originally Posted by Rambo007

Or you could convince someone to buy something but they only buy after your cookie has expired.

The "losing affiliate" is by no means "blameless" with this one: if he builds a list, every link he sends in every email will lead to a possibility of a commission, anyway. If he hasn't contacted his potential customer for 60 days, it's debatable whether he "deserves" the commission at all. Amazon affiliates (with their 1-day cookie system) are used to this.

Originally Posted by Rambo007

So I was wondering if anyone had an idea of how many sales affiliates will lose to this type of thing?

To me, those two examples are two very different "types of thing".

The ones where affiliates "just lose out" (in the case of ClickBank products, anyway) are those where the affiliate-tracking system has failed, for any one of a variety of possible reasons. In a sense, there's a very approximate indication of how often this happens when vendors who do no promotion of their own and expect only affiliate-referred sales make comments about the occasional sales they get recorded to their own account without any affiliate being credited at all. This is impression only, and still debatable, of course, but I've often seen vendors who pay 75% commission saying that overall it costs them 60% because the affiliates aren't always accredited their commissions (and I've once or twice seen them say 55%).

Originally Posted by Rambo007

I guess it confirms that its best to be a vendor then an affiliate as it doesnt matter whos cookie is used as you make money either way.

If you'll excuse the observation, to me it doesn't even begin to confirm that at all.

Thanks

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How many sales are ALL Affiliates losing?

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