Setting up an affiliate program for your online business can be a great way to expand your marketing efforts and generate additional revenue. Here are some different ways to set up an affiliate program:
- Run your own in-house affiliate program and use affiliate tracking software.
- Use a WordPress plugin.
- Use a third-party affiliate tracking company.
- Use a membership program.
- Join an affiliate network.
When choosing an affiliate program for your products, you first want to determine what functions and features you need.
For example, do you want to set up an affiliate program for one product or several products? If you have several products, do you want to provide the same commission rate for each product?
You'll also want to compare the benefits and costs of several methods or programs.
Run your own in-house affiliate program
You can set up an affiliate program without relying on any third-party platforms.
Running an in-house affiliate program gives you full control and flexibility but requires more resources to set up and maintain.
You'll need affiliate software to track your affiliate sales. You need to provide promotional materials, handle commission payments, and manage affiliate relationships.
Affiliate tracking software
There are various standalone affiliate tracking software options available, such as:
- GoAffPro – https://goaffpro.com/ (has a free option)
- impact.com – https://impact.com/
- Post Affiliate Pro: https://www.postaffiliatepro.com/
- IDevAffiliate – https://www.idevdirect.com/
- LeadDyno- https://www.leaddyno.com/
- Refersion: https://www.refersion.com/
- Rewardful – https://www.getrewardful.com/
- UpPromote – https://uppromote.com/
- Trackdesk – https://www.trackdesk.io/
- Tapfiliate – https://tapfiliate.com/
- HasOffers (TUNE): https://www.tune.com/
These tools help you set up and manage your affiliate program independently. They provide tracking capabilities, commission management, reporting, and often come with additional features.
IDevAffiliate
Starting at $39/month for up to 50,000 clicks per month.
Or if you have your own web hosting account, you can pay $279 for the self-hosted version.
Click here to find out more information about idevAffiliate.
- This is cloud-based and no installation is needed.
- IDev is the best affiliate tracking software in this price range and it works very well.
- The setup is user-friendly.
- It works with almost all merchant accounts, shopping carts, billing systems, and membership systems.
- The support is great.
- They provide great training videos.
I’ve been using IDev as an affiliate and I have also set up affiliate programs with IDev for merchants so I am familiar with it from both the affiliate and merchant side. I find it user-friendly as an affiliate.
I highly recommend it as the best in this price range.
Click here to find out more information about idev.
Post Affiliate Pro – https://www.postaffiliatepro.com/
Post Affiliate Pro is a feature-rich affiliate tracking software trusted by thousands of businesses. It offers advanced tracking capabilities, multiple commission structures, real-time reporting, and a user-friendly interface. The software supports various integration options, has robust fraud prevention measures, and provides excellent customer support.
Refersion – https://www.refersion.com/
Refersion is a popular affiliate software known for its simplicity and ease of use. It offers powerful tracking and reporting features, automated commission calculations, and an intuitive dashboard. Refersion supports multiple commission structures, allows for easy recruitment of affiliates, and provides seamless integration with e-commerce platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce.
Use a WordPress plugin
If you have a WordPress site, using a WordPress plugin is one of the easiest, fastest, and least technical ways to set up your own, in-house affiliate program. There are several free and fee-based WordPress plugins to set up your own affiliate program. I checked out many WordPress plugins. The one I recommend and use myself is WP Affiliate Platform.
The WP Affiliate Platform plugin tracks the clicks, leads, and sales. At $49.95, it's the least expensive WordPress plugin.
Here's why I choose WP Affiliate Platform over other WP plugins:
- It's user-friendly and I found it easier to set up than some of the other options.
- The documentation, videos, and support of WP Affiliate Platform is superb.
- You can use it on all your sites (I have several sites so that's important to me).
- It integrates with PayPal and the most popular shopping carts.
- You can set up this affiliate plugin for multiple products or services so affiliates get paid for any product or service they promote. The affiliate sale will be tracked no matter where they land on the site or navigate to on your site as long as they use an affiliate link. (your affiliates will like this feature). If the customer leaves the site and comes back later as long as the cookie is still active it will track the sale.
You can configure banners, links, and creatives that your affiliates can use to drive traffic and sales to your site.
You can also use this plugin to measure the conversion rate of your online ad campaigns to find out which campaigns are profitable and which are not.
Check out WP Affiliate Platform here.
Membership Programs and Course Platforms
Many popular course platforms offer affiliate tracking capabilities, including SendOwl, Kajabi, ThriveCart, Teachable, Kartra, Thinkific, E-junkie, MemberVault, and others.
Membership programs with built-in affiliate programs can be a great option if you're looking to create a recurring revenue model while leveraging the power of affiliate marketing. These platforms typically offer membership management functionalities along with integrated affiliate program features. Here are a few examples:
- MemberPress: MemberPress is a popular WordPress plugin that enables you to create and manage membership sites. It includes built-in affiliate program features, allowing you to set up affiliate commissions, track referrals, and manage affiliate relationships. The integration between membership and affiliate functionality makes it easier to attract affiliates and promote your membership program.
- Teachable: Teachable is an all-in-one platform for creating and selling online courses. It offers built-in affiliate management features, allowing you to create an affiliate program for your course or membership site. Affiliates can promote your courses and earn commissions on referred sales, helping you expand your reach and drive more sign-ups.
- Kajabi: Kajabi is a comprehensive platform for creating and selling online courses, memberships, and digital products. It includes affiliate management capabilities, allowing you to set up an affiliate program and track affiliate performance. The platform offers seamless integration between your membership program and affiliate program, streamlining the process for affiliates to promote and earn commissions.
- ClickFunnels: ClickFunnels is a popular sales funnel builder that enables you to create landing pages, sales pages, and membership sites. It includes affiliate management functionality through its Backpack feature. You can set up affiliate programs, track sales and commissions, and provide affiliates with promotional materials to promote your membership programs.
These membership platforms with built-in affiliate programs provide you with a unified system to manage both your membership program and affiliate program. This integration allows for seamless tracking of referrals, automated commission calculations, and simplified management of your affiliate relationships.
It's important to evaluate the specific features, pricing, and compatibility of each platform with your membership program requirements before making a decision.
Affiliate Networks
Affiliate networks handle the tracking, affiliate recruiting, reporting, and commission payments to affiliates.
By joining a network, you gain access to a pool of potential affiliates, simplifying the recruitment process. You should still do additional affiliate recruitment yourself and not solely depend on the affiliate network's database.
Affiliates love affiliate networks for several reasons. They can find a lot of affiliate programs in one place. And they provide great tracking and tools.
The affiliate network charges the vendor a percentage for using their service. Affiliate networks are expensive for the merchant and are typically only used by large companies.
Well-known affiliate networks include Shareasale, CJ Affiliate (formerly Commission Junction), Linkshare, Rakuten Marketing, Awin, and more.
Clickbank is both a marketplace for affiliates and an e-commerce platform for digital content creators. As a content owner, you can add your product to Clickbank's database and they will manage the sale and checkout process and make it visible to their network of affiliate marketers.
See a listing with details of the top affiliate networks.
Use a third-party affiliate tracking company
You can also use a third-party affiliate tracking company to run your affiliate program and track your affiliate sales.
Affiliate tracking companies include Clickbank, SendOwl, Kartra, JVZoo, and others. See more info about third-party affiliate tracking companies here.
Using a third-party affiliate company is an easy way to get started as there is no software to install.
E-commerce platforms with built-in affiliate programs
Some e-commerce platforms, like Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce offer built-in affiliate program functionalities or provide integrations with popular affiliate management plugins. These platforms provide a convenient solution if you already operate your online business on them.
Steps for setting up your affiliate program
Regardless of the approach you choose, you need to take these steps to set up your affiliate program:
a. Define program terms: Determine the commission structure, payout schedule, cookie duration, and any program-specific rules or restrictions.
b. Create an affiliate agreement: Develop an agreement that outlines the terms and conditions of your program. Include details about promotional methods, the code of conduct, and how commissions will be calculated and paid.
c. Develop promotional materials: Provide affiliates with banners, text links, product images, and other marketing assets they can use to promote your products or services effectively.
d. Recruit affiliates: Actively seek out potential affiliates through outreach, leverage affiliate networks, or promote your program on relevant forums, social media, and industry websites.
e. Set up tracking and reporting: Implement the necessary tracking system to monitor affiliate referrals and sales. Provide affiliates with unique tracking links or coupon codes to attribute conversions accurately.
f. Monitor and support affiliates: Regularly communicate with your affiliates, provide them with updates, answer their questions, and offer assistance when needed. Maintaining good relationships is crucial for a successful affiliate program.
g. Analyze performance and optimize: Track the performance of your affiliates and marketing campaigns. Identify top-performing affiliates, optimize underperforming areas, and refine your program based on the data collected.
Remember to comply with relevant laws and regulations regarding affiliate marketing, including disclosure requirements and data privacy regulations, to ensure a compliant and ethical program.
Conclusion
Which affiliate program is best for you will depend on your specific needs, preferences, and budget. I recommend that you consider your business requirements, thoroughly research each platform that suits your needs, and explore user reviews and testimonials to determine which affiliate software aligns best with your goals.
Ready to Get Started in Affiliate Marketing?
Learn from someone who is making $50,000+ a month in affiliate marketing!
Recommendation #1:
Michelle’s course: Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing
If you want to learn from someone who’s making $50,000 a month in affiliate marketing, I highly recommend getting Michelle’s course, Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing.
Click here to get Michelle’s course, Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing.
- You can read my review of Michelle’s course here.
- Click here to get my Free Affiliate Marketing Mini-Course: How to Get Started With Affiliate Marketing Today.
Resources
Do you have an affiliate program of your own?
If you have your own affiliate program, you don't want to be legally liable for your affiliates’ mistakes! Protect yourself with this Affiliate Agreement template that is created by Amira, a lawyer, and blogger. Her affiliate template includes all the affiliate terms and conditions you must have your affiliates accept. Get it here.
