the best way to recruit new affiliates?

[Lev]

I thought a poll regarding this should be interesting

[super]

voted forums. I dont know why, but i tend to trust those programs i find on forums more then i find doing search or banners or whatever else.

[ColaDesigns]

i voted forums as well.
interesting poll!

[cricketchamps]

i voted for forum too.....:)

[Lev]

certainly to attract a lot of good affiliates you need to build long-lasting relationships and message boards are optimal for this, but to get the best results in my opinion, you also need to go after affiliates and find them. So, I guess it is a combination of everything, at the end it all comes down to your product, if it converts, people will know about it :)

[slim49z]

Hehe.. wt can I say? Forums!

[DMedley]

Guess I may as well throw my hat into the forum choice booth as well. The easy part is getting people to become affiliates - the hardest part is to get them to actually do something with it.

Forums give you the opportunity to display your wares and at the same time, find people that are actually active, that have a marketing plan and strategy that fits your product and then contact them.

Sort of the difference between an opt-in list with 10,000 names and 25 not looking for the freebies. Comparing it to a buyers list with 100 names at least you know they will buy if the product is good.

[kallen]

the "Buying display ads" option needed some love. I believe doing both display advertising and email drops with well established affiliate forums and directories is a great way to get the word out. However, not everyone has the budget for this kind of undertaking, so other methods may be more realistic for smaller programs.

[cwayne]

In an effort to recruit new affiliates....pay them up front. Better yet hire a team of sales agents (people who work on a retainer and commissoin) that actually scout out other affiliates for your program.

If you hired 10 agents, and paid them a sum of money plus the commission, and asked them to recruit 10 affiliates, you would have 100 new affiliates.

What do you think?

Cwayne
www.ThrillaMilla.com

[moneybully]

you have to look at the cons, that ppl may not trust that, lotsa ppl think inside the box...

A good idea overall

[andyz]

I also voted for forums.

I think, the best way is:

1. Make it as attractive as possible
2. get exposure to affiliates/potential affiliates
3. motivate them

To 1:

- Have a good product
- Pay high commissions
- have good promotion material
- offer support/training
- make it reliable for them to get their commissions

To 2:

- use the strategies from the poll
- sell your product and turn customers into affiliates
- maybe make it second tier

To 3:

- Write a follow up mail sequence which motivates them
- make contests
- give prices for more sales or fast sales or so

In short: Meet their needs, think of what is important for THEM.

[maranda]

Forums definitely present a wonderful opportunity to attract affiliates. If an affiliate program turns out to really rub people the wrong way, you can be certain that there will be words of caution spread across the forums FAST.

I have to also agree with Lev. Going out there and finding affiliates is an important method for recruitment. It definitely helps to familiarize yourself with an affiliate's site. Affiliate recruiters can pinpoint a site that is perfect for an affiliate program. Unlike the other way around where some affiliates ignorantly apply to any program without giving any thought as to whether it is the right fit. Just today I came across an application from an affiliate who applied to a baby supply merchant with their poker site. No other URLs.

:punish:

[Julia_SR]

I picked forums also...I guess that's why we're all here :wink:

[john324]

You would also set up a 2 tier program so that other affiliates can also do the recruiting for you.

[th3m4ndr4k3]

I voted forums

[persuasionwizard]

If you have the cash, this is probably the fastest way to recruit affiliates:
http://www.affiliate-announce.com/

[ronaldoponga]

i still belive in forum

[Lev]

If you have the cash, this is probably the fastest way to recruit affiliates:
http://www.affiliate-announce.com/

I would not recommend that service, big waste of money

[Ellsworth Perciville Lee]

I voted forums too.

I think that the most important way is to have an affiliates link on the main page of your products. Tuck it away at the bottom or someplace out of the main navigation. Some of my best affiliate relationships (ones that turned into SuperAffiliate status for me) I found while shopping for myself or gifts for others.

Example:
EPL SURFING THE INFO SUPERHIGHWAY :beatnik2:
Wow this rubber anime doll looks just like the one in that hentai flick I love so much :gorgeous:. I wonder if they have an affiliate program (scans page and finds links for the affiliate program and finds it at the bottom of the page) I can sell these to so many people. I wonder if they have rubber tentacles for sale too. OMGZ I can live out that Squidward Tentacles fantasy and I know a thousand other people who would love this!!!!
:thinking2:
.......EPL.......

[AMFM]

I voted to hire an affiliate recruiter. I think the best way to ensure your programs success is to hire someone that realizes the importance of strategic partnerships and allow that person to develop them.

AMFM

www.fontmarketplace.com

[fbeater]

I voted to hire an affiliate recruiter. I think the best way to ensure your programs success is to hire someone that realizes the importance of strategic partnerships and allow that person to develop them.

AMFM

www.fontmarketplace.com

I tend to think so too, but where can I get a good affiliate recruiter? Do you know any credible websites offering their services?

[AMFM]

Sorry for the delay fbeater. Unfortunately I don't know any websites offering their services. Interestingly I think you would be able to find a good recruiter in forums such as these. The most important thing IMHO is to find somebody who is knowledgeable in your niche or field, they will be of most benefit to you. Good luck!

[FDC]

I'll be interested to see the outcome. I also think they were a bit specific. I tend to look in my peripheral market as opposed to my direct target market/competition.

[Yeyi]

Greetings, Community! I votd for forums.....
I am new to this site - just joined in!
At the moment, am filled with hope to
find some great folks that I can be useful to,
as well as some great ideas on how I can
advance to be useful in the future.

My door is always open for a great, mutually-beneficial,
rewarding conversation!

Everybody is welcome!!!
:)

[vik88]

Ha-ha =)
Thanks! =)
I'm not actually new... but i visit this forum not so often.. nice to see you all! =)

[Celebrity Silver]

Forums have been the best tool for me too!

[TrueclickerMike]

anyone know of a good affiliate recruiter?

[seo-affiliate]

Thanks for posting the poll. It's a big eye opener to affiliate managers that are not involved in forums (I guess that is why I am here) :-)

[mr127500]

it will definitly be a blend, but forums are powerful and also a good way to build backlinks for SEO.

[ColinSick]

bump

[hspnish]

Going through the recruitment process currently for our health products... I voted the forums option. Hoping it yields some great results!

[cre8iveq]

Here is another very similar (but slightly different) poll I would like to see...

"Where do you like to find affiliate programs"

[HarveyJ]

It's a bit of a mix.

If you want to pick up the people that are just getting into it, then Adwords is the way to go. Most people click those boxes, and if they're going to be worth your while, there's no worries with dropping a decent amount per click. You recoup it in those one or two quality affiliates that you pick up every other week.

For the more experienced affiliates, the ones that can drive decent traffic and decent sales, they're way past the basic research stage, and you're going to want to start hitting up forums. The problem with this method is filtering out which forums are full of people that talk the talk, versus those that walk the walk.

Warrior Forum, for instance, is a talk the talk place. When I go there and just want to cry and the amazing level of naivety.

[montrealphotography]

I saw a post on paying your affiliates upfront. I am not sure this would work as the type of people looking for a freebie may not be the kind of affiliate marketers you want to partner up with.

[gary121doc]

I prefer to approach the affiliates directly. There are thousands of affiliates which you will found around but as an affiliate manager you need a team of the affiliates who can work with you with real enthusiasm. Forums give a chance to meet many number of internet entrepreneurs across the globe but still direct approach is far better.

No method has proven success track record. According to me, the mix of all major approach can give the best results.

Advertise as per your budget in the forums, create an awareness through postings and contact the affiliates in whom you find the interest.

If you have a good database of keywords then continuously monitors the top performers in major search engines and contact them directly.

Make them aware about your program and give them best tools to make the sales for them.

Gary Jackson
Affiliate Manager
121doc Online Clinic
www.121doc.co.uk (http://www.121doc.co.uk)

[regska]

For me it's forum as well. Why? Because people trust you if you communicate to them as well. You can communicate in some other ways, but forum is really different, because you can discuss things that people are interested in as well, they can interact with you on a real time basis as well.

Make a good name first, post valuable contents and comments, share your knowledge. If you have their trust already, the time that you post an invitation to your affiliate program, you already have their trust and they already know you are credible.

Hope this helps.:)

[montrealphotography]

affiliate forums are probably the most effective and also picking up the phone and calling potential affiliates could also work.

[James Spinosa]

If I see a program ranking at the top of the SERPs my first reaction will be to check for an aff program to skim some profit off their success ;)

[iwisuccess]

It would have been more interesting if the answers were more detailed though

[pl_henry_uk]

I feel it should be a blend of two or more options. Throughout my career i have been identifying and recruiting affiliates. And it was mixture of many options.

Affiliate recruiting is a big process.

The first step it has is searching and identifying affiliates.

Now identifying affiliates may require an affiliate recruiter. It depends solely on company or individual person. If he can afford to hire, he should. Otherwise being an affiliate manager, its his job to search affiliates.

Now to search we have to have many options together. Do direct search on SE's through most selling keywords. Go to forums and get many affiliates. Talk to them. Post regularly ad of your affiliate program on forums. Check out for affiliate program blogs. Do go for image search in SE, etc.

Once identified, mail them talk to them, help them understand your affiliate program. Help affiliates to know more about affiliate program. Explain how they can get more traffic on their site.

Identification is a big task, once done with that you have to maintain a good relationship with them by helping them. It is a win win situation. Neither merchants are obliging affiliate by providing program to them nor affiliates are obliging merchants by joining. It's a win win situation. And since merchant know more about their own products, customer behavior, they should guide affiliates for proper process and content on their site. Help affiliates improve their page rank.

Together they can make a difference. So i personally feel blend of various options will lead you to success.

If you cannot hire affiliate recruiter, don't worry there are lot of guides and ebook available on internet to know more about recruiting affiliates, which will certainly help you.

There are ebooks available that will also guide to affiliates in internet marketing. If any of the affiliate or merchant want to know more about internet marketing or affiliate marketing please download this free ebook (http://www.121docaffiliates.com).

Thanks

[emma2007]

I too voted for forums! It's been the best tool for me.

[sudha samuel]

certainly to attract a lot of good affiliates you need to build long-lasting relationships and message boards are optimal for this, but to get the best results in my opinion, you also need to go after affiliates and find them. So, I guess it is a combination of everything, at the end it all comes down to your product, if it converts, people will know about it :)
I have also voted for Affiliate Forums,but I also do agree that it is a combination of forums and also advertising in all affiliate marketing websites.Through this we receive a very good mileage and reach the target group in a very fast manner.

[vbarriage]

I voted with the majority, however I am too new to even think about having affiliates "under" me --

[maryfat]

I would also vote for Forums. I am new in promoting programs on forums but seeing a lot of people and loads of topic inside the forum I think this is the best medium to recruit affiliates. :)

[castelne]

I think affiliate recruiter and marketing forums are good options.

[100forumsIn100days]

anyone know of a good affiliate recruiter?

I do post on forums; but, might test paying a recruiter.

Wish the downline would get motivated. They tend to gripe about not having time.

[rcpathunder]

No doubt, forums is the most effective tool to use to find affiliates. Social network is second to that, especially facebook. But, best if you always keep good relationship with affiliates, give them what they want, technical, help them to help you.

[AndreyR]

well i'm looking for affiliate programs on some forums, so...

[pl_henry_uk]

I personally feel having a affiliate recruiter is the best thing. The reason behind this is that he will certainly do the two remaining options mentioned out there in a poll.

An affiliate recruiter is no different from a normal person, so he will also do the same activity that affiliate managers are doing since many years.

I also feel forums and networks are as well as very good source of meeting new affiliates and recruiting them.

Also emailing them personally introducing our affiliate program to them is also one more option which works. Mailing them personally helps relationship to get a strong start. Affiliates are non other than the partners and thus introducing them programs personally can be advantageous.

What say??

[Planning Family]

I'm new to Affiliate Management, however it seems like forums are the best initial options to get your program out there. It's what I was initially drawn to. I do plan on exploring other options however, direct contact is probably my next approach.

The biggest thing I've learned so far is to look for the appropriate places to post your program. There are right places and wrong places within any given forum. Posting in the wrong place can get people upset with you. Be conscious of what the correct protocal is.

[anthony2011]

Hi everyone,

As some of you said before me, Recruiting affailiates can be and should be done in more then one way, but I agree with those of you who said that forums is the most efficient way.
Forums gives the affiliate manager the option to express him/herself and builds a relationship of trust with potential affiliates.
FYI:
You guys are doing a great job, this forum is the real deal (Speaking as a new member).


Anthony Harris
Affiliate Manager

anthony@medspartners.com
Yahoo messenger: anthonyharris1981
Skype: Anthony-meds
ICQ: 619631327