Looking For Affiliates

Now that I have NetWebVideo up, going, and having members joining on a daily basis, it is time to step this up a little bit!  What I am referring to is Affiliates.  Having affiliates in the current state of the internet is almost a MUST to succeed.  Do you want to know why Amazon is as big as it became?  Simple:  They were one of the first to implement an online affiliate program.  Affiliate programs are a win-win situation for everyone.  From the merchant standpoint, you will receive sales and traffic from areas you would never have tapped.  From an affiliate standpoint, you are making money and all you are doing is referrals (no products, no management, etc.).  It is a great situation, and as an effective affiliate marketer for the last year or so, it has truly been a great venture for me.

Now on the flip side, here I am with my own product and realize how important having affiliates can be to propel my business substantially.  I had to make an executive decision at the beginning of NetWebVideo, though:  Do I manage my own affiliate program or having another company manage it for me?

Pros to External Management:

• Built-in Shopping Carts in Many Cases
• Built-in Exposure
• Built-in Affiliate NetWork

Pros to Self Management:

• Minimal fees
• More flexibility
• More Options

Being an affiliate marketer, I know what I like and I do not about the affiliate networks that I use.  Most self-managed programs offer more incentives, support and commissions to your effort.  And that has meant a lot to me and the relationships with my current affiliate partners. Plus, the flexibility and options to change my prices and commissions gives me a lot more marketing possibilities.  So I chose to manage my own affiliate marketing program.

And so far, the program that I installed is AWESOME!  Tons of flexibility and management tools.  Now there is only one problem:  FINDING AFFILIATES.  So I did go out and buy a copy of Affiliate Thief and I thought that it has a lot of good suggestions.  For right now, I am going to focus on a few myself:

1) Social Networking - Spend some times in the forums and develop a good relationship with the community.

2) Tap into my current customers and list - Again, if they can do it, it pays for both of us (especially since NetWebVideo is all about Affiliate Marketing)

3) Offer bigger incentives and tools -  Create resources, eBooks and other marketing materials for your affiliates

4) Directly go out and find JV’s or other affiliate partners - This one is tougher, but with the right incentives (#3), you have a higher probability of recruiting good affiliates.

So just like most things online, this is not going to happen overnight.  Still, my strategy is based on the long-term life of the website, its brand and my reputation.