Your affiliate network is only as strong as your marketing materials and your support (see Step 6). Most affiliate networks rely on banner ads only; use the following list, ranked in order of effectiveness, to offer a complete selection of marketing materials to your affiliates.
A. Banner Ads
Build your banner ads to include full size and small, logo banner ads to people can link. Most affiliates will simply post this and do nothing else; be sure to encourage them to use the following.
B. Text/Banner Ads
If you do offer banner advertising, write up several headlines and short commentaries about your company. Use testimonials as much as possible and encourage your affiliates to write their own recommendations next to your logo. Their word of endorsement is more powerful than any banner ad, taking it beyond the unfamiliar advertiser to a recommended resource.
C. Ezine/Email Advertising Materials
Create small, classified ads and longer ad copy about what you offer. Write this as a press release format, or focus on specific new approaches you are taking. Make it newsworthy and offer this to lists to publish. Encourage ezine and mailing list moderators to become affiliates and to review your site. Their endorsement is an effective piece of your affiliate puzzle, and best of all, they create the content!
D. Search Engine Keyword Pages
Since you will be doing search engine positioning in your own marketing roll out, it makes sense to offer keyword-enhanced Web Pages for your affiliates. Encourage them to place these on the search engines; if done as a regular, monthly routine, this can help assure you of high placement in the search engines, increasing exposure through an affiliate strategy few have put into place. Imagine finding 5 of your affiliate sites in the top 10 search engine rankings?
E. Product Portal Pages
For each of your specific categories in your online catalog, make sure that you create a special page that features the top 3-4 products in a specific line. Encourage your affiliates to link to this page. Drive the products from your database, so that you can change the content and keep the Web Site address the same. For example, if you had computer cases you were offering via computer retailers, you create a special page with your best 3-4 offers. Make sure you include an email form for your customer loyalty program and links back to your entire catalog. Bring them into a page that deals with what the affiliate's Web Site is specifically offering; you can make changes easily by determining one Web page address and changing the content via your database when needed.
F.
Full Storefronts
For your biggest partners, a complete entry storefront is a good idea. Many sites like to have their logo co-branded, along with a return link to their site. This should be a one page entry to your database and can be easily arranged using frames or simply driving everything from your database This is for your Tier One partners only, but it can be an effective source of co-branding and sales.
