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Copyright © 2008
Adam Nowak
What does "a good partnership programme" mean? It certainly means a programme that can bring you financial benefits. It's true. But what exactly makes a given PP better than others?
Commission Trap
Which partnership programme seems more attractive to you - the one that offers you 5 % commission or the one offering 20%? The first answer that comes to your mind is: "it's obvious that the latter! A higher commission means bigger profits at a lower cost and in a shorter time!"
Be careful, though. The 5 % commission in the first example is indeed not much, but thanks to other advantages (that will be discussed later on) such a programme can turn out to be a lot more interesting.
Commission IS important, since, to some extent, it determines the amount of money you earn. Don't make a critical mistake and don't choose the PP only on the basis of the commission it offers. Other factors are equally important.
Cookies and the role of them in PP
Cookies are small files saved on a user's computer. Among other things, they are used to identify an Internet user during further visits on websites.
In partnership programmes, cookies are used to assign an Internet user to a given partner. I will explain it using a simple example:
1. Mr. X visits a website about science-fiction literature. He reads a book review and decides to buy the book. At the end of the review, the author placed a partnership link to the Internet bookstore where you can get the book. Mr. X clicks on it.
2. When he enters the bookstore site, a cookie with the partner's identificator is saved on his computer. Mr. X does not yet decide to make a purchase - he decides to do it the next day. He turns off the computer and goes to sleep while the cookie remains on his computer.
3. Mr. X gets up in the morning and remembers that he was supposed to order the book. He enters the bookstore site (this time directly without using the partner's site), he finds the desirable item and, after a while, he orders it.
4. Mr. X collects the package, pays for it, and delves into the book. And what about the partner? He is glad - he charged a commission for the sales of a book!
As it can be seen, cookies are highly beneficial for partners. Thanks to cookies, the effort of a partner is not wasted - he gets a commission, even if the customer buys a product a few days or weeks later.
CnebPoints partnership programme is based on an extended cookie system. One may find an exact description of the system on the programme's website - it is worth reading, especially that the programme is very good.
The form of cooperation - a link, or perhaps something else?
Generally, we can distinguish two basic forms of cooperation - a reference link - the partner receives a link with a special code, and a form - the partner receives a ready to use website or its fragment.
Let us consider now the advantages and disadvantages of both solutions.
A partnership link is much more convenient - it is sufficient that a partner "disposes" a user to click on the link. The moment the user clicks, the role of the partner is over.
A form is a more time-consuming solution for a partner - s/he often must put a lot of effort into adjusting the form to her/his site. On the other hand, a potential customer cannot skip the partner when purchasing a product - he just does not know that the partner represents another company.
The connection of a partnership link with cookies (mentioned above) is becoming more and more popular. Such a solution eliminates to a large degree the problem of skippig the partner when purchasing a product. Thanks to the presence of cookies, the partner receives a commission due even if a customer returns to the company's website again after a long time.
"Partnership link + cookie" is a form of cooperation that is classified high in my personal ranking. Such a solution is still not very common, though. Therefore if you are to choose between a simple partnership link and a form, choose the latter.
If you do not have a choice and the PP you chose offers only a simple partnership link, do not renounce it! Such a solution can also help you achieve good results. You just have to persuade a visitor that the product you recommend is worth purchasing at first attempt. :-)
Levels - one, two, or maybe more?
In a the two-level partnership programme, you receive also a commission from the income of the partners that you have recommended. There can be more levels - then, obviously, you receive a commission from the earnings of the partners that have been recommended by the ones that you have recommended...
I know from experience that the income within the partnership programme depends on how much YOU manage to sell. Commissions from the income of the partners you recommend can be a nice bonus but you MUST concentrate on effective cooperation on selling and not on searching for new partners.
It's simple - Promote the PRODUCT and not the PROGRAMME,.
Paid PP - sometimes it is worth paying In some cases, if you want to take part in a PP, you need to invest. It can be e.g. buying a subscription or purchasing a company's product.
CnebPoints partnership programme by Piotr Majewski requires paying a subscription for access to his CzasNaE-Biznes service. The programme is excellent, so it is worth doing it - especially that "CzasNaE-Biznes" is the best database on e-business and e-marketing (also in partnership programmes) in Poland.
@VirtualCorporation partnership programme is also paid - if you want to participate in it, you need to buy a www server. I decided to use @VC servers long time ago and I have no plans to renounce it - they are simply very good and they measure up to my expectations. I consider their partnership programme the best in its category.
If you find a good partnership programme that suits you and if it is not free - pay for the opportunity to use it.
Product Base - can you sell it? And last, but not least, the most important feature of PP. You MUST, MUST, (...), MUST choose the PP that offers you such products/services your visitors will be interested in.
Imagine you run a website for Eskimos (well...ok, I could have come up with something better). You find an excellent PP - 50% commission (very high), extended cookie system, lack of any registration or participation fees, two levels... You join it, put the links on the website and wait. You wait and wait...and nothing happens. Absolutely nothing. Unfortunately, the partnership programme is run by a company producing and selling ice. There is a saying...
"You can't sell ice to Eskimos." Period.
You can make really big money using a programme that offers you 2% commission and simple partnership links (without cookies) - but it has good products that your customers will be interested in. Therefore, it is so important to prepare a profile of your perfect visitor - only when you know who and what he/she is like, can you select an appropriate PP and promote the chosen products or services effectively.
This article was translated by mLingua Worldwide Translations, Ltd. mLingua provides professional language translations in all major Western and Asian languages, software localization and web site translation services. Please visit http://mlingua.pl
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