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How to set-up an affiliate plan for our site? (and find affiliates!)

by LogicW
4 replies
Hi marketing pros!

This is my first post here and I come looking for answers. According to the huge number of posts on this forum, I have great hopes to see my questions answered once and for all.

So, hi all, I'm Nico. With a few friends, we spent the past year developing a new online platform called LinksWeaver. What does it do? It helps people sharing the same creative interests to connect. For example, a programmer looking for a graphic artist to complete his next iOS game or a music composer who'd like to find an amateur filmmaker in order to create some film music, etc. Possibilities are endless and it is open to two categories of people: those with projects looking for people with skills and those with skills looking for projects to join. But it is not a "find a contractor" website! Not like Elance or such. It is aimed at people who would like to add to their portfolio, or use their freetime to work in a different field than their day-job, or create a startup and looking for experts, or... or... well... you get the idea.

Aside from the features of the site, we spent countless hours making sure we are defining a new standard in the look and feel of social networking. The interface is amazing, the features and possible usage countless and the team simply friendly and passionate.

So far, we invested much, much time (full time job) into the design and the coding of the site. We are only few days away from the public release and we would like to boost our upcoming users number.

What we would like to propose is a scheme like this: for X users creating a free account an affiliate sends us, we pay the affiliate. For X users registering for a paying account an affiliate sends us, we pay Y% of the subscription price to the affiliate for the duration of the users account renewals.

...and now, what? Where do we go from here? Should we implement some kind of industry-standard package? How do the affiliates know we are not trying to scam them? And most importantly, how and where could we select a few affiliates that would work with us on this? We want to have only a handful of affiliates whom we'd scan first.

Don't be afraid to speak 'technicalese' if you have some solutions in mind, we are software developers.

Thank you for your time and let the flow of knowledge fill this thread!
#affiliate #affiliates #find #plan #setup #site
  • Profile picture of the author Mark Antonink
    Hi, LogicW

    Nice to meet you and welcome on WF, you will for sure get some nice partners here, just it needs to take time to develop relationship. Be kind, be honest, pay well and treat about them like about GOLD. Yes, I know you know that.

    If you want to have an affiliates, do as much as you can for them! All jobs like graphics, banners, links, e-mail newsletters, landing pages, keywords, SEO competition, just do it for them.

    Create to affiliates great assets, like op-tin pages. All marketers build list. Help them. Write newsletters by your own with awesome benefits.

    Build relationship with the affiliates, give them as much as you can. Give them proof that you are real. Give them awesome support 24/7.

    Set-up forum and post there just valuable things! Become friends with them!

    Give them as much as you can flexibility in terms of payments for any accounts, with small amounts of money, by any way like wire transfer, paypal, etc.

    Set-up blog how to set up business even overseas and just sell other stuff!

    Study Home Study Courses about affiliate marketing!

    If you want get affiliates it is same as direct marketing with the product. Product must have awesome value so give value to your affiliates!

    You will become attractive and you will attract the awesome affiliates.

    Thank you brother for nice question. Good Luck!
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  • Profile picture of the author mbacak
    Originally Posted by LogicW View Post

    Should we implement some kind of industry-standard package?
    That's your choice, however making your program easy to understand and similar to what most of your target affilaites are used to will help. Coming up with some new idea that's different can hurt you if it's confusing.

    Originally Posted by LogicW View Post

    How do the affiliates know we are not trying to scam them?
    First just an idea, but you might want to initially start with a well known platform until you have built enough loyal affilaites then move to your own personal platform.

    Originally Posted by LogicW View Post

    And most importantly, how and where could we select a few affiliates that would work with us on this? We want to have only a handful of affiliates whom we'd scan first.
    Sounds like you are looking to create a private, application only type affiliate program. So, you might want to first create an application process to get them to fill out then submit for approval. Itunes does this with Affiliate Programs - LinkShare
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    • Profile picture of the author LogicW
      Originally Posted by Mark Antonink View Post

      (Loads of useful info)
      Thank you for the input. Some interesting stuff, there.

      First of all, as we have a graphic designer in the team, we made sure to produce enough graphic assets that can be used directly by affiliates. We also produced some texts and how-to's related to our field of activity (matching people together, building teams, etc.).

      Treating our affiliates nicely, yes, well... we didn't plan on beating them up with pointy sticks ;-)

      Now, there's a point where I may have misunderstood how affiliate marketing works: creating blogs, participating in forums and publishing more texts in order to gather people... ...I didn't think this was our job but that it was indeed the affiliate's job (in order to capture potential customers and send them our way so the affiliate gets paid). Am I wrong? Is there a concept I missed?

      As for the value of our product, well, we created something that doesn't exist on the web yet and has a huge market. The value for the affiliate? Sell now, while we are alone and the market is not yet filled with different offerings and you may turn in a sizeable profit. That's what we believe and that's why we all quit our day jobs a year ago.

      That is part of the selection process, too. We want to work with people who understand the value of what we do without having the need to explain them why it has value. In short, we want believers, just as we believe. The question is "where do these people hang, how to get the message of what we are offering to them and how to communicate with them?". See, we are very good at what we do and we want our affiliate to be just like that too.

      Originally Posted by mbacak View Post

      That's your choice, however making your program easy to understand and similar to what most of your target affilaites are used to will help. Coming up with some new idea that's different can hurt you if it's confusing.
      To be honest, we don't plan on setting up our own program. We want to know what are the industry standards and packages. Easy to understand for affiliates, easy to implement from our side and give enough flexibility to both parties.

      Originally Posted by mbacak View Post

      First just an idea, but you might want to initially start with a well known platform(...).
      Yep. Hence my presence here among pros: we have no idea about what those well known platforms are. It is not our world... Hints and directions are welcome!

      Originally Posted by mbacak View Post

      Sounds like you are looking to create a private, application only type affiliate program. So, you might want to first create an application process to get them to fill out then submit for approval. Itunes does this with Affiliate Programs - LinkShare
      Exactly. "Private program". From what I've read so far, it sounds like what we are trying to build in terms of affiliate marketing.

      I will go have a look at your link and see what it offers. But still, I'm not sure about the "where and how" to find affiliates.

      Thank you for your answers, it helps.

      Keep 'em coming!

      (and sorry if my english sucks, unlike my colleagues, it is not my mothertongue).
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  • Profile picture of the author LogicW
    Hey all,

    Me again... Any other input/answer regarding the various questions in this thread?

    Help is greatly appreciated!

    Thank you for your time.
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