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Originally Posted by punkworld
Aside from all the obvious things, the one thing many programs lack is text/information to work with. Bloggers and such really need that.
Also, with the rapid growth of review sites, some automated temp pass thing for affiliates would be nice. When reviewing sites, all the mailing back and forth as well as waiting for replies wastes way too much time.
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It is an amazing thing that since what, 1998-ish, everyone knows banners are dead, text is king. Yet very few sponsors pay more than lip-service to the notion in practise.
Something else which is more than faintly ludicrous is that the best tools - customs ads, restricted content, etc - are (when available at all) usually kept for the biggest affiliates: those who need them least because they have the knowledge and resources to provide their own. The standard of assistance provided for newbies is generally dismal.
We cannot seem to shake off the notion that in this business it's every man for himself, yet what is the point of running an affiliate program unless you try to make everyone in it earn money. Okay, so it's tough they cannot earn for the sponsor without earning for themselves, but no-one said this is a perfect world. It's simply too wasteful and expensive to be constantly appealing to the whole webmaster community for affiliates, and then leave it entirely to chance whether they work out (for you).
Seriously, the first thing I would do if I ran an affiliate program would be to start classes in some shape or form and provide the tools I know people need, rather than whatever happens to be convenient and traditional. Follow the principle of the Catholic Church about "give me a child by the age of..." to build some loyalty and trust. Keep promo material fresh and delete stuff which isn't working. Make the webmaster area as fast and easy to use as possible. Answer emails. Check out affiliates sites and offer them advice if you can see anything wrong. Etc. Etc.
In short, this industry needs to get away from the hands-off, commission-only sales mentality and start working more like the franchise world, which recognizes that it is in the brand owner's interest to ensure that the people selling his stuff do the best job possible. Forget prizes, extra-payout days and the rest, which end up mostly as unworked-for bonuses for affiliates who are already doing well: put the money into developing proactive affiliate support.