Host a contest once per quarter.
There is very little that will get affiliates active more than a contest with a desirable prize awaiting the affiliate who generates the most sales. Whether it’s a hefty cash award of $500.00+ or a valuable non-monetary prize, it’s a great way to boost sales.
The better the prize, the better the participation from your affiliates.
I’ve tried contests ... some successfully and some not so successfully. Let me quickly just share my top 3 tips for running a successful contest for your affiliate program.
The right duration is critical.
If your contest lasts for a long time (say a full month) then there isn’t as much
“urgency” to get involved. If your contest lasts for a short time (say 3-5 days) then many affiliates won’t have time to participate. A “two- week” contest generally seems to be a good, middle-of-the-road time period, so that’s what I recommend.
Leveling the playing field helps.
Let’s face it: all affiliates aren’t equal. Some have more resources. (I.E. Bigger lists, more traffic, reputation, etc.). So, if you’re not a “super” affiliate, you may not participate in an affiliate contest because you’re thinking, “I’ve got no chanceat winning, so why try?”
That’s why you should consider offering a grand prize for your “winner” (I.E.
Affiliate with the most sales.) AND the same grand prize for a RANDOMLY
SELECTED affiliate among all those who record at least one sale. That way, your
“super affiliates” can slug it out for first place while ALL of your affiliates can actively participate with an equal chance at winning the same prize through the random drawing.
Something new offers a reason. It’s always a great idea to make something “new” available for your affiliates to promote during the contest A few ideas include –
A new marketing resource of some kind. (Article, video, report, etc.)
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A discount price of some kind. (I.E. 25% off the regular price.)
A special bonus incentive that is normally unavailable.
What this does is allow your affiliates to contact their lists about your product again (hopefully they have already done this in the past) without overly mentioning the same product. In other words, they have something new to mention that they haven’t told their contacts before ... which gives them a legitimate reason to promote your product without seeming like it’s overkill.
Note: Now, when I mention “something new”, let me point out that you do NOT want to hold a contest for a “new product launch”. Why not? Because your affiliates are probably going to actively promote a new product anyway. Don’t waste a contest on something they are probably going to be actively marketing anyway ... save your contest to boost sluggish sales and get affiliates active again after their initial interest has waned.
2. Offer incentives for sales goals. This is similar to the contest in that there is a time period involved, but is different in that EVERY participating affiliate “wins”. The idea is simple –
Determine a period of time in which every affiliate who refers a set
number of sales will receive a pre-determined “prize”.
Let’s look at a few quick examples –
Example 1: All affiliates who refer at least 2 sales during the next 10 days will automatically receive a free copy of the product.
Example 2: All affiliates who refer at least 1 sale during the next week will automatically receive a special report that is unavailable anywhere.
Example 3: All affiliates who refer at least 3 sales during the remainder of this month will be granted free access to a
teleseminar that’s only available to qualifying affiliates.
Example 4: All affiliates who refer at least 5 sales during the
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week of the 15th – 22nd will automatically be given a one year subscription to a membership site.
The bottom line that makes this so attractive is that “anyone” can win. If you reach the number of sales referred within the specified time period, you win.
You aren’t competing against someone else – which makes it attractive. And, yet, there is a time period and a criteria to reach ... which builds urgency.
All in all, another great way to get affiliates active.