Affiliate Marketing Tips - How to Increase Your Earnings With Your Choice of Affiliate Programs

There are many affiliate products to promote in the market. For new affiliate marketers, the easiest way to start is to join affiliate networks such as Clickbank or Commission Junction. Besides noting the commission percentage cut you can get out of each sale, keep your eyes open for these three aspects of each affiliate program as well.

1) How long is the duration of the cookie?

It is not easy to get your visitors to convert to customers immediately at their first exposure to your affiliate merchant site. An average visitor requires at least a few visits before he may feel comfortable enough to commit to the purchase.

Cookies are coded to expire after a certain amount of time. Some merchants set it at 30 days, while others at 60 days. The longer the cookie sits in the visitor's computer, the more it works in the favor of the affiliate. As long as the visitor returns to buy something from the same website before the cookie expires, the affiliate will be credited for the sale, so a longer cookie buys the affiliate more time and a higher chance of making a sale.

2) Are the commissions recurring?

Certain affiliate products, such as membership sites, offer recurring commissions. Every time the customer you refer renews the membership subscription, you will be credited with commissions. Can you imagine how long this can go on to? You could be receiving commissions for months and years as long as the customer stays! Sounds cool right!

3) Is the program two-tier?

When we talk about two-tier affiliate programs, it is somewhat similar to the concept of MLM. There are two sources of income for the affiliate. One is to promote the affiliate product, while the other is to recruit new affiliates under their wing. The second income could be a one-time commission for every new headcount under your second-tier or a cut of the second-tier affiliates earnings. If you actively promote the product as well as recruit new affiliates, you could possibly earn much more than a normal pay-per-sale program.

These three factors have the potential to optimize your affiliate earnings to a higher level than the usual affiliate program. But never rush into every affiliate program that is offering these terms. Always check if they are reputable companies and dependable in their payments to their affiliates as well.

Authored By:
Angela Tay