One Network v Multiple Network

[Sofas-Direct]

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Hi all,

The question has probably been asked before but (as im new) i will ask it again.

Should I/we stick with one network or sign up with others?

Kind Regards

Simon



Simon Neale

simon@sofas-direct.com

[pistol101]

Hi Simon,

There are a number of reason for and against joining multiple networks.

For:
-Affiliates have favourite networks and are more likely to push you if your on certain networks
-There are affiliates that wont work with some networks, ie due bad experiences with non payments or validations.
-Exclusive affiliates, some networks now have very big affiliates that only work with one network.
-Help and information. You'll find that some networks are more helpful with the help and support available.

Against
-One sale appearing on 2 networks. Can be combated with unique urls, but can be a nightmare to use.
-Twice as much admin from your side.

[Frostie]

Personally I would say join more than 1.

Firstly think SCUMWARE and whether you current network supports it or not.

Also, some networks have different affiliates - ie not everyone may know about all the different networks, so you are missing out on some potential business. Downside, I guess, is numerous setup costs?!?!?!

[Graham@Buyagift]

From personal experience and at this moment in time, I believe running on multiple networks is more hassle than it's worth. Put your effort and resource into the one program - if your program's good enough, the affiliate will come to you.

Graham

[pistol101]

Hi Simon,

There are a number of reason for and against joining multiple networks.

For:
-Affiliates have favourite networks and are more likely to push you if your on certain networks
-There are affiliates that wont work with some networks, ie due bad experiences with non payments or validations.
-Exclusive affiliates, some networks now have very big affiliates that only work with one network.
-Help and information. You'll find that some networks are more helpful with the help and support available.

Against
-One sale appearing on 2 networks. Can be combated with unique urls, but can be a nightmare to use.
-Twice as much admin from your side.

[drivetowin]

Pete

Is there an echo in here?

Or is GOAL! - still echoing in your ears

[NaturalInstinct]

Originally posted by Graham@Buyagift
From personal experience and at this moment in time, I believe running on multiple networks is more hassle than it's worth. Put your effort and resource into the one program - if your program's good enough, the affiliate will come to you.

Graham

yep.

[Supercod]

But what happens if your on a network that affiliates are actively trying not to use, for example it could be a spyware friendly network that people are starting to get sick of the lies they tell in order to keep spyware onboard, this could damage your program and you never even know it was the case if you didn't talk to your affiliates or read this forum.

Programs with dedicated full time affiliate managers are not in the same boat as programs with part time or no affiliate manager, sadly not everyone can afford the investment at the start (not all big companies start off big you know) so it can be refreshing and really rather helpful to see that while one network is taking cash and doing sweet fa to get you more affiliates, another is working it's socks off trying to get your program on as many sites as they can, but you would never know unless you tried a few of them out.

But my advice would be if you feel the network of choice is not working out as well as you hoped, have a look at your self first and see if it's your site or your offering both to the consumer and to the affiliates.. If you only joined a couple of months ago and you expect it to be the answer to all your sales then your sadly mistaken, it takes time, work and relationship building.. so go do some of that. If in general you’re making sales (by ways other than affiliate marketing) but your affiliate program still not performing then go try other networks it could be the one your on.

You never know another network might be better for you for loads of reasons but they have to be the right reasons, and if I was a merchant and another network approached you promising you sales a plenty, say to them the following... I will work with you if I don't have to pay a set-up fee and I don't have to pay an admin fee for a number of month.. I will only pay overriding commission.. if they truly can make you additional sales, then they will be happy for you business.. but if they just looking for another set-up fee and/or more people paying the monthly fee with no grantee of money back should it not work out after say 6 month to a year, then you should think hard about it as it could be a waste of money.

Some merchants only want a reporting system, others want basically what’s amounts to a fully managed program as they can’t or do not know how to work this area.

[Supercod]

One other thing on this subject, Paid On Results has a number of merchants that are on (or have been on other networks) my understand from speaking to them is that in a very short time for 4 of them (under 6 months) not only have we been making them more sales than the other networks they are with but we have also increased there online business for them too (so not just a case of people swapping links because they like me better LOL).

And the ones we are not yet beating other networks on, we will do shortly, as we only allowed them to join because we feel we can make money from them as in the case of many we spotted areas of business where they are not represented yet.

Propaganda over, but safe to say, never discount a fresh approach from a different mind set, when a company works on the basis they need to make sales to make any money from you, it really focus them to make it work.

Imagine if you took the mind set of, I make money from Google Adwords, so just not bother trying Oveture, Espotting and Mirago as to much extra work for me.. only to find out that being lazy is costing potentially hundreds of thousands of pounds.

[Qui Gon Jinn]

Simon,

This decision really depends on what network your currently with.

Graham (Buy a Gift) my fellow Rock Ape friend, is with impo a good network at AW, so is Jon at Natural Instinct with POR.

So in effect there is no inclination or need for them to change and the majority of top affiliates cross the major networks anyhow.

Programs don't always ski ramp immediately and this means communication from any new merchant to their affiliate base, especially in the embrionic stages of a program, where an affiliate manager probably needs their most focused effort. However, a network which is 100% sales driven without fees would have an incentive to do this on your behalf, which is far more valuable than the over rated consulatancy fees which float about.

I can only say from our opinion we DO hold back on programs if we are disatisified with a network, for whatever reasons... whether it be ethics or their conduct doesn't meet out own guidelines. Even if we could potentially do well from of the program and forge a great relationship with a merchant, there is a matter of principle which comes first.

Therefore I don't fully believe an affiliate will always come to you,

Which network are you currently with by the way?

Maybe you could initially hand pick 20 publishers who you feel you would like to be associated with, don't ask your current network in case there is preference to the names which are suggested. Simply pick up the phone and introduce yourself, then exchange ideas on promoting the program, you may well be pleasantly surprised at the rapport you build up.

Then ask these publishers the question, "we are currently on network X would you promote us more if we were on network Y?".

From this you can make your own informed decision, whilst touching first base with your online sales force.

[Graham@Buyagift]

Graham (Buy a Gift) my fellow Rock Ape friend

I'll take that in nicest possible sense QGJ

You're totally right - it does depend which network you are currently on. Had Buyagift been on a Spyware friendly network I would certainly have looked to get a decision from the network, or looked elsewhere.

Graham

[Sofas-Direct]

Gee Guys..................thank you all for the input.

In answer to some of the questions I signed up with AW. However this was more by luck than judgement. Since we started actively trading in January 2004 we felt that we had to have a more robust marketing program than PPC.

So I emailed a number of affiliate networks........guess what.........only AW responded and we took it from there. And through AW I became a member on this forum.

I have to say that I was completely unaware of the spyware issue at the point of choosing a network but can forsee a shed load of problems for new merchants signing up to networks that will not take a rigid stance on these parasites.

This then poses another question. How do we make prospective merchants aware of the spyware issue before they sign up to a network?

At the last IMRG workshop on Search Engine marketing the issue of spyware was not even mentioned but I see it as an ever increasing problem for both merchants and affiliates.

Generally I am satisfied with my choice of network but would want to access their affiliate network directly rather than relying on their newsletters which appear to be few and far between at the present time.

I apologise if im rambling on but thank you all for you inout.


Simon


simon@sofas-direct.com

[Tyson Pearcey]

Hi Simon,

there are a couple more thoughts in this thread for you:

http://www.a4uforum.co.uk/showthread...threadid=19067

Cheers

[Qui Gon Jinn]

Graham@Buyagift

Hence the word "fellow" ... "friend"... matey

[Qui Gon Jinn]

Simon,

When was the last IMRG workshop?

When is the next?