If you run an affiliate program, you want your affiliates to perform their best. After all, the more traffic your affiliate’s websites get, the more c

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licks your links and banners get. These clicks should translate into sales. As an online retailer that operates an affiliate program, you have a stake in the hard work put forth by your affiliates. So, how do you ensure they are doing their best? You have many options, but contests have proven successful.

As nice as it is to hear that contests can motivate your affiliates to perform their best, you may wonder why. What makes them work? There are a number of different reasons why. Contest rewards often include monetary compensation or prominent highlighting. Regardless of the rewards, people love contents. This is particularly true with tasks they do everyday or enjoy, like designing websites or internet marketing. Contests will provide your affiliates with drive, determination, and motivation.

What does drive and determination from affiliates mean for you? It should mean increased sales and profits. The more an affiliate markets their website, the more traffic it will receive. Each website visitor should see your links displayed. If they like the link or what you have to offer, they are likely to click through. At this point, a sale is likely. Not only should you reward affiliates with contests, but always emphasize the fact that the more traffic a website gets, the more money they make. This, alone, is enough drive and determination for some.

So, what type of contests should you host? It all depends on your preferences. With that said, make it exciting. Over months, you will notice a pattern in the top earning affiliates. It is usually the same group of individuals. For some, once they get started, it is difficult to slow them down. This is good. After all, they earn you money too. However, don’t let your other affiliates, especially those who try hard, feel like they are being left out. It may be best to alternate your contests or hold two contests at the same time. Reward the top performing and the most improved affiliate.

When hosting contests for affiliates, you can also think outside of the box. Consider all the aspects of affiliate programs. As previously stated, a well-trafficked website translates into click throughs and sales. You want to encourage your affiliates to market their websites. Host a contest seeking unique internet marketing ideas. Reward the top five affiliates with the best answers. Take all of the ideas and compile them into a list to share. A professional and easy to navigate website is ideal, as it keep readers on the website and coming back. Host a contest looking for the affiliate with the best designed or the most easy to navigate website. When you think outside of the box, anything can be turned into a contest.

As for the rewards, you have many options. As previously stated, they include compensation and recognition. For some individuals, seeing their name posted on your website or in the monthly affiliate newsletter is enough. However, most would prefer compensation. Take the frequency of your contents into consideration. If you offer monthly contest winners money, opt for a low reward, like $25. If you offer one contest a year, make the prize big and worthwhile, like $500 or $1,000.

Speaking of frequency, how often should you host contests for your affiliates? Your goal is to improve moral, drive, and determination. For that reason, the more contests the better. Consider hosting one or two a month. Aftertime, new affiliates will see that they have the opportunity to earn additional cash or attention. If you have monthly contests scheduled, they know they didn’t miss the opportunity to win. They won’t give up simply because the deadline has passed.

In conclusion, contests are an easy way to increase your sales, please your affiliates, and keep the relationship a healthy and positive one. If you operate an affiliate program and have yet to offer a contest, try it. Chances are you will notice an increase in sales from your affiliates and hear positive feedback from members.

If you run an affiliate program, the effort put forth by your affiliates impacts on your profits. They more they market a website, the more views your li

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nks will get. This should lead to increased sales. Although an affiliate has some control over the money they make, not everyone puts forth that extra effort. For that reason, you may consider offering bonuses to your affiliates. It seems like a good idea, but is it? Familiarize yourself with the pros and cons of affiliate bonuses and then make the decision for yourself.

The Pros of Offering Affiliate Bonuses

Your options. Affiliate bonuses come in a number of different formats. You can decide how you want to offer this reward. For example, you can do a onetime commission increase for top performers. Increase their commission from 2% to 3%. You can opt for a short-term commission increase. For example, increase all of your affiliates’ commission levels from 2% to 4% in the month of December. There are also year-end bonuses. You can opt for bonuses for all affiliates or just those who made a certain amount of money.

They serve as a good source of motivation. As previously stated, not everyone is motivated when it comes to affiliate programs. Yes, it seems silly. An affiliate is in control over how much they make, but some rarely do any work. In fact, you may have affiliates on your program list that don’t even have your links displayed. These individuals will be motivated when they hear about a bonus. For that reason, announce all bonuses ahead of time. Give your affiliates a goal to work towards. If they meet that goal, they are rewarded. If not, it is their loss.

They impact your profits. Your one concern about offering affiliate bonuses is the extra money it costs. Yes, you will spend more, but consider the end result. Your affiliates are going to put forth extra effort to promote their website and your links, especially if they know there is the chance to get a great year-end bonus! Where to want to be cautious is with under performers or those that do not even have your links displayed. Don’t offer bonuses to these individuals, as you automatically lose money.

The Cons of Offering Affiliate Bonuses

They can be difficult for you to implement. As previously stated, if you want to do a year-end bonus, make sure your top earning affiliates get the most. After all, they did the most work. This means going down through the list of your partners and calculating bonuses. This can take time. It may be better to opt for an increase in everyone’s commission for a month or two. This involves changing a few settings in your affiliate tracking software and nothing more.

Your affiliates may come to expect these bonuses. Yes, bonuses do serve as a source of motivation, but your affiliates may come to expect them. If you cannot afford to give a bonus next year or raise commissions, you may have a disgruntled bunch. If you offer year-end bonuses, tell your affiliates it is a one-time thing. If you can afford and choose to give a bonus the following year, good. If not, there isn’t a big loss or uproar.

Some of your affiliates may get angry if they did not get a bonus. You should have a terms and condition contract that your affiliates agreed to. If not, make one. In that agreement, should be information concerning compensation. If not, update. Your affiliates should not disclose their commission rates or bonuses. Healthy competition is good, but discussing bonuses when not everyone got one often leads to trouble.