An Affiliate Network provider will act as the middleman between you (the "Advertiser") and internet Affiliates ("Publishers").
An Affiliate Network offers ready-made access to hundreds or thousands of internet Publishers who are eager to test new "offers," such as yours.
The Affiliate Network's middleman role includes contact management, third-party tracking of lead referrals and conversions, and intervention if challenges arise with specific Publishers.
Since many Affiliate Networks have negotiable pricing, try to get a good rate for your organization. Ask your Affiliate Network for a list of similar clients, call the companies' Affiliate Managers, and ask for their contract details. Many Affiliate Managers will be happy to share their experiences and you can use the information to bargain with the Affiliate Network for a comparable deal. Stress that you are a non-profit organization and ask for a better rate than for-profit companies receive. If possible, negotiate a contract that does not require a minimum time commitment.
Major Affiliate Networks
There are hundreds of Affiliate Networks. The "majors" include: Commission Junction, LinkShare, and Performics.
Commission Junction
If you seek the widest possible distribution of your banner advertising (even at very small Publishers), Commission Junction, http://cj.com, would probably be your best bet.
Once you enroll your organization at Commission Junction, Publishers will apply to advertise for you. It's then your option to approve or deny each Publisher, based on who you feel would best represent your cause. Commission Junction serves a variety of Advertisers, but is particularly popular among organizations who want to pay for leads rather than sales.
Unless you can negotiate a better deal, Commission Junction will agree to act as your affiliate middleman in return for as much as 30% of the fee you pay to Affiliates. On top of that, expect Commission Junction to charge approximately $2,300 to get your account set-up plus a mandatory deposit in an escrow account from which you may pay commissions to Publishers. You will also be asked to pay a minimum (perhaps $500) per month to your Publishers to stay enrolled in the program and to commit to a contract term of at least one year.
LinkShare
LinkShare, http://LinkShare.com, is a good choice for mid to large size organizations that are willing to invest more in advertising. When you enroll in LinkShare, you choose the Publishers you want to work with and send them an offer which they may either accept or reject. LinkShare is most popular among commercial retailers that have multiple items for sale through their website.
LinkShare's prices are variable depending on the services a merchant requires and the amount of work that must be done for a customer's account (smaller companies who have fewer Affiliates and require less attention will usually pay less). Set-up costs can be $10,000 or more, and monthly minimums are generally around $2,000. It costs about $2,000 to renew your membership in the network each year, and commission fees are variable. If you enroll in LinkShare, you must sign an exclusive contract, guaranteeing them your business for one to three years..
Performics
Performics, http://peformics.com, is best suited to large organizations with substantial campaign budgets. If you approach Performics to set-up a custom Affiliate Program, expect that they will try to up-sell you to all-encompassing online marketing services.
A Performics Account Executive assigned to your organization will create a custom list of Publishers best suited to your needs and will secure relationships with them on your behalf. You may also request to use specific Affiliates. With Performics, it is not necessary to hire a full-time Affiliate Manager, since the company will manage the Publishers for you.
Each contract is individually negotiated and cost varies from customer to customer. Performics is generally used by large cataloger companies such as L.L Bean and Edie Bauer.
For those who have the budget, Performics has the ability to customize an Affiliate Program to fit a specific situation and work with your organization to bring about results.
Alternative Affiliate Networks
There are many smaller Affiliate Networks, as well as do-it-yourself affiliate software providers, which offer lower set-up fees and minimums. The trade-off is that this will expose your Affiliate Program for consideration to fewer Publishers. So, to find sufficient Publishers, you would need to do more of the recruiting yourself.
On the other hand, a smaller Affiliate Network may be more flexible with their fees and more accommodating to creative arrangements where Affiliates expect little, if any, compensation.
As this book went to press, Google was alpha testing a quasi-Affiliate Network which also might be worth considering.
