Advanced Topics

Advanced Topics

We will covering some advanced topics in this weeks blog.

As you know by now, affiliate marketing can be incredibly rewarding when done
properly. There are also a lot of pitfalls you need to watch out for as well. One
of these is merchant fraud.

Merchant fraud, unfortunately, does happen. Merchants can use any number of
clever tactics to cheat you out of your commission. One of these methods is to
offer multiple payment options to customers without linking each one to their
affiliate tracking software.

For example, let’s say that a merchant offers credit payments, payment via
Paypal and payment via check to the customer.

The merchant tracks your affiliate ID up to the point of sale and credits you if
the customer chooses to pay via credit card through the merchant’s main
payment gateway. However, if the customer chooses Paypal or check, your
affiliate ID is immediately tossed.

The only way around this clever trick is an exercise of caution on your part.
When you evaluate a potential affiliate program, check to see how many
payment methods the merchant offers. Secondly, after you sign up for an
account, examine you referral links. In fact, if you have the budget to spare,
follow your own link and choose one of the alternate payment options and
purchase a product.

Did you get credit for that sale? Great! If you didn’t receive credit, though, it’s
time to can that merchant and move on to more ethical waters.

Here’s another ‘advanced’ tip to consider: use affiliate networks like
Clickbank to evaluate potential merchants. Joining programs via a
network is often a better choice than signing up at individual, non-networked
sites. The reason is simple: membership in an affiliate network imposes stricter
standards on merchant behavior.

You also have access to a wealth of data on the overall performance of other
affiliates in that merchant’s program.

Last but not least, you need to focus on building trust among potential
customers. If your merchant site doesn’t do a very good job of this, then send
your visitors to your web site. Make it clear what products and/or information
you have to offer. Also, be vigilant about posting your contact information in a prominent place.

Anonymity might be fun in a chat room, but it turns off consumers very quickly.

For an extra advantage, consider having your site evaluated “net cop” programs
like the one at http://www.i-cop.org/ and get your site listed in the online
section of the Better Business Bureau’s web site.

That's all for this week-