Affiliate Program Obstacles and Considerations

This is geared towards anybody running an affiliate program or who is considering running one:

1) Is the buy process simple and quick?
You want the least amount of clicks you can get away with from the product page to confirmation page.

2) Do your creatives and ad copy have a sense of urgency or an enticing offer? Give people a reason to click on your ads. ('Save 50% If You Purchase Before Friday!', 'LIMITED TIME OFFER', "BUY 1 GET 1 FREE", "FREE CD").

3) Do you offer your affiliates incentives for performance? For joining?
Offer special commission rates for performing affiliates. Let them KNOW this before and at signup. Offer them the product at a discount or even for free.

4) Do you communicate with your affiliates?
You can keep the communication lines open with a monthly newsletter and better yet personal emails touching base with affiliates. Find out what they are doing to promote your product and offer advice and resources to help them on their way.

5) Are affiliates sending you clicks but you see no conversions?
The affiliates are doing their end of the bargain so this is a problem your site or product. Your site or buy process is not working and should be painstakingly evaluated for leaks and stickyness issues.

There's more, there's always more. But these are issues I keep running into and wanted to share. Good luck!