There are several things that factor into my decision to join an affiliate program and market a product. One of those decisions is going with an in-house program or a network program.
Many merchants will have programs on multiple platforms: IE an in-house program running on IDev Affiliate or Post Affiliate Pro and a network based program running with PepperJam, LinkShare, ShareASale, or Commission Junction.
Advantages of in-house programs:
- The average in-house program will have higher commissions because they are not paying out the fees to networks
- The linking structure is direct to the merchant
- Direct relationship with the merchant
- Most are managed by an OPM or in-house employee
- 2 Tier earning opportunities
- Multiple payment options
- Lower minimum payouts
- Opportunities for exclusive deals and coupons
Advantages of Network Programs
- Standardized statistics and reporting on clicks, sales
- Statistics on the merchant in the network like average Earnings Per Click for affiliates as well as information on each banner’s performance.
- Access to feeds and instant shop building tools/widgets
- The merchant must keep a certain amount prepaid in escrow to ensure affiliates and network fees are paid.
- Alerts on low balance Merchants or suspensions
- Payments are consistent
Before making a decision on which platform to join, it is important you do two things:
- Carefully read the affiliate agreement
- Contact with the person in charge of the affiliate program.
Make sure all of these questions are answered:
- When do they make payments?
- What is the minimum Payout?
- How are payments made?
- How many customer return days (Tracking Cookie Life)?
- Are there any PPC or SEO restrictions?
- What is the refund policy?