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How does one go about finding the right advertisers to promote? The most important thing to keep in mind is the needs of your visitors. Don't just pick the advertisers that pay the most commission, instead pick the advertisers that ofer what your visitors want or need. In the long run your website will be more successful. To start, you need to decide if you are going to work with strictly brand name programs, lesser-known names or a combination of both. Determine which merchants and promotions work best with your website and don't be lured in to just going with high-visible brands, rather test all kinds of advertisers. It is very important to test and re-test over and over again until you find the right combination. Be flexible and willing to change– it's just part of the process.
Make sure you visit the advertiser's website. If it is a website that you wouldn't buy from your users will probably feel the same. Is it easy to navigate and find what you are looking for? The process a visitor goes through to either make a purchase or fill out a form on the advertiser site should be clear and simple. Remember, in the end these are your customers and you don't want an advertiser who puts any road blocks in their way. Does the advertiser have strong advertisements that will help you promote them? Do they have the ad types and sizes you need? If you are spending time and money promoting the advertiser, you need good advertisements (creatives) to help you sell their products. If you have a high traffic volume and the right audience for an advertiser, you should be rewarded accordingly. Make sure you are in a program that gives you more pay off the more value you bring in. With continuous research and testing, you will be able to see what works best with your visitors. this is the most time-consuming parts of your program Now that you have chosen an advertiser and looked at creative, it is time to get started. Here are some tips for creating and maintaining affiliate success: - Plan- Create a short- and long-term plan for your program. Some publishers do a weekly, monthly and quarterly plan – and look out for special seasons such as Valentine's Day, Holiday Shopping and Back to School.
- Diversify Your Creative- Don't expect to just set up a site or page, sit back and watch the big bucks roll in. You need to keep trying new creative and promotions to see what is selling well and what should be swapped off your Web site – this consistent work will lead to the payoff you desire.
- Communicate with Advertisers- Most advertisers are going to welcome an email from a publisher asking for advice or suggestions on how to be more effective. If you have questions regarding a product or promotion, the programs' affiliate managers will be your experts, so take advantage of their knowledge. We hope you will build long-term relationships with advertisers, it is important to keep the communication lines open.
- Get Familiar with Reporting- You should be running a number of reports found in your CJ Account Manager to help you see what is working and what is not. See the publisher checklist (further down in this article) for suggestions on when to run reports. Also check out the strategy article "Find Your Perfect Partner" to see reports that will get you started. Think of reporting as gas for your car, it needs to be constantly checked and maintained to run an efficient machine.
- Test, Retest and Test Again- Think of your program as dynamic – always changing with updated content and promotions. Testing dramatically increases your payouts and repeat customers.
- Refresh Your Expertise- From making sure you are up-to-date on your audience and what is available in your category; remember you need to master the content, consumers, offerings and business model.
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