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Affiliate networks?

PostPosted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 1:36 am
by aorenstein
Hello,

I am new to this forum and just started my journey of creating an affiliate website. So far I have some of the basics down, yet I stumbled upon a concept I am not quite sure of. Affiliate networks.... My understanding is they are the middlemen between the affiliate and the merchant, they give you access to merchants and they take a cut when you make money. This seems like a standard practice for affiliates. This may seem like a silly question, but do I need one of these affiliate networks in order to succeed? Any tips on what I should know before deciding to work with one of these networks? Will merchants work with me without an affiliate network? Tons of questions I know...any insight/info would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Agatha

Re: Affiliate networks?

PostPosted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 6:55 am
by tknoppe
Hi Agatha
No, you don't need to join an affiliate network to succeed, you could certainly connect with enough private affiliate programs and do nicely; however I believe many people also choose affiliate networks, in addition to private ones, to offer them a variety.

For example: businesses are usually built around a niche market, so in order to offer complimentary products/services in your niche (depending on what your niche is, of course - some niches are single product or service based) you may need to offer several different things, and affiliate networks offer that, you can find pretty much anything at Amazon.com or Commission Junction/cj.com (physical products) and then for ebooks many go to Clickbank.com. Just to name a few examples.

Re: Affiliate networks?

PostPosted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 3:01 pm
by aorenstein
Thanks for the advice. I guess I should of mentioned what my preliminary niche for my affiliate is: bridal/wedding shoes. I hope that isn't too narrow of a niche? I have been viewing affilate sites that provide wedding shoes and they seem to be one-stop shops for everything bridal: jewelry, veils, garters, cakes, purses, etc. Whereas, as a recent bride myself I found it easier to buy my bridal shoes online from a site that only carried shoes.

Re: Affiliate networks?

PostPosted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 3:13 pm
by tknoppe
There could be two schools of thought on wedding shoes as a chosen niche:

1. It's tightly focused, very specific and easy to target your market. It's been a long time since I've gotten married and a couple years since any of my daughters got married, but I know there are vendors just for wedding shoes. Keyword research would reveal the best keyword phrases and how many searches those return.

On the flip side.....

2. Brides are busy and one-stop shopping of getting the shoes with the dress can be a plus; or at least being able to get a hand bag, garter or some wedding accessories in one spot is a plus. I think anyone goes to just one huge wedding super store and buys all their wedding needs in one place; but I'm wondering if shoes are something that a bride is going to buy online - or is she going to want to try them on for comfort, fit, etc... first?

So as with choosing any niche, always a positive and negative and selecting the right keyword phrase(s) to target with good traffic would be the best place to start.

Re: Affiliate networks?

PostPosted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 10:59 pm
by terrapin719
Well, Traci explained that all beautifully and gave you some great advice. I can't think of anything at all to add :lol:

Re: Affiliate networks?

PostPosted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 11:15 pm
by aorenstein
Yes she did. Traci, thank you for your great advice. You gave me a lot to think about regarding my niche and whether I may want to expand it. You've been soooo helpful - thanks again! :)

Re: Affiliate networks?

PostPosted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 7:17 am
by tknoppe
You're most welcome. If you have any other questions, or need more help, just post - as that's what we're here for. :)