Most merchants understand that having an affiliate program can help them make more sales. Having your own affiliates promoting your products all over the internet means that you will generate more sales. When planning on launching an affiliate program, merchants have several questions regarding how they can structure their affiliate program so that they can easily recruit affiliates and retain these affiliates for the long term.

This article provides answers to some of the key questions frequently asked by merchants.

How can I structure my affiliate program?

The structure of your affiliate program will be mostly determined by the products and services you are selling and what you want your affiliates to do. Do you want your affiliates to bring you leads? Do you want your affiliates to generate sales, or will they be bringing in life-log customers to your business? It also helps to assess the affiliate programs offered by leading competitors in your niche. Affiliates normally compare the main affiliate programs in a niche. It is a good idea therefore for you to look at other affiliate programs in your niche and structure your program in such a way that it will be appealing to your potential affiliates.

Is it necessary for me to provide my affiliates with some marketing tools, and what tools should I provide them with?

Yes, you must have a wide range of marketing tools available so that your affiliates can choose what suits them best. Providing your affiliates with marketing tools will help them easily promote your products. As you know, marketing on the internet is competitive, and use of marketing tools is important. Also, there is a wide range of ways through which your affiliates can drive traffic to your website where you are selling your products. It is important that you provide your affiliates with what they need to drive traffic to their affiliate links and generate sales. Solo ads, banners, texts, classified ads and articles are some of the marketing tools that you can make available to you affiliates. Your affiliates can then select the marketing tools that they want to use, and they can also customize the solo ads and articles and use them to promote their affiliate links. It is also worth the investment for you to also provide brandable free e-books and reports in which your affiliates can put their affiliate links. It is a good idea for you to actually ask your affiliates the marketing tools which they need.

How much should I pay my affiliates?

There isn't one specific answer to this, but the rule of thump is that you must be generous with your affiliates and pay them good commissions. The payment and commission structure of your affiliate program is determined by the products you sell as well as what other merchants in your niche are offering their affiliates. Remember that affiliates always look for the affiliate programs that pay them best before they sign up. So it's a good idea to pay your affiliates commission that match or exceed other competing affiliate programs in your niche.

Before you start setting up your affiliate program, you must do the necessary research in terms of the suitable affiliate program and commission structure. The most important fact to remember is that affiliates look for the best program - one that pays well and provides marketing tools. Have all your questions answered before you develop your affiliate program. A well planed and managed affiliate program will attract many super affiliates who can cause sales to sky rocket and increase the merchant's profits.