Silly mistakes merchants make

Associate Programs Newsletter #65

CONTENTS:

1. Silly mistakes affiliate program merchants make
2. Free comparison of third party merchants
3. No. You won't be paid
4. Dash! I was fooled
5. More.com sells 300,000 items
6. Everything for weddings

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1. Silly mistakes affiliate program merchants make
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In a crazy rush to launch affiliate programs, merchants are making all sorts of mistakes.

As a result, they're looking bad to the people they need to impress most - potential affiliates.

Here are mistakes I've seen made by companies which are submitting programs to the AssociatePrograms.com directory:

#1. No contract
Believe it or not, companies hopefully launch affiliate programs without first drawing up an agreement for potential associates to read.

#2. Major facts missing
Several times I've seen contracts which fail to mention how much commission the affiliate will be paid, or when. Cutting and pasting a standard contract from theaffiliateprogram.com isn't enough. Affiliates really will expect you to have added useful details.

#3. Details inconsistent
If just before launch date you decide to increase your payout, remember you need to update your contract, too. I've seen a 10% commission offered on the affiliate sign-up page, and 8% offered in the contract.

#4. Spelling and typing mistakes
Please ask someone who pays attention to detail to proof-read your site. When one credit card merchant launched its program the site looked beautifully professional - but was spoilt by glaring typing mistakes in the first few sentences on the main page.

#5. Hidden links
If you don't want the link to your affiliate program to be obvious to your main customers, that's fair enough. However, if you do want webmasters to find the link, make sure it exists. Yes. Some people forget.

#6. No FAQ page
As well as your main FAQ, it's an excellent idea to have another list of frequently asked questions for affiliates. You don't have any questions yet? Why not show your site to a few friends and write down their questions?

#7. No names.
If you forget - or aren't willing - to publish your name and physical address on your site, don't expect people to trust you. They will wonder what you have to hide.

#8. No privacy statement What are you planning to do with the names and e-mail addresses you collect? Your affiliates have a right to know. You can create a privacy policy by using the TRUSTe wizard at http://www.etrust.com/wizard/ or write your own.

#9. All the usual errors
I've seen some pretty weird and not-too-wonderful sites. All the usual advice on usability and navigation apply if you want to avoid annoying people. Will it really matter if you delay another day or two while you improve your site?

We all know how easy it is to overlook things, and how often things go wrong in unexpected ways. So it's a good idea to iron out the bugs by beta testing your program with a handful of webmasters. That way, only a handful of friends see your mistakes instead of 1,000 affiliates.