Your choices as an affiliate are many when it comes to what merchants you should be working with. In the time that I have been in affiliate marketing I have spent a good bit of time researching various affiliate programs and working with hundreds of programs at various levels of depth and utilizing various means of traffic generation.
In this section I will share my research with you. I have broken this section into two parts, a section for someone who is new in the industry and will need tools to get started and a section for those who might be more seasoned in promotion and web design techniques.
The programs I list are not necessarily the programs I am currently most involved with, but all of them are programs I have worked with or am working with. These programs will generally include those that are proactively managed, have a product line with wide appeal and are, in my opinion anyway, among the best coverting programs in their vertical.
I do not make any guarantees or assurances here. As with any other advice you receive as an affiliate publisher this information should be verified by you and you need to do your own research before spending time and/or money promoting the listed merchants.
These lists will change periodically so be sure to check back every week or two.
Recommended Affiliate Programs for New Affiliates
The following affiliate programs have tools available to help you set up your pages. There is also an active affiliate manager on the other end in case you need help. These programs are listed alphabetically in ascending order and I make no preference to one program over another.
- Betty Mills
The Betty Mills affiliate program offers a wide variety of tools for you. They sponsor their presence on GoldenCan with no 4th click charges, offer storefront creators, search boxes and a wide variety of banners. They have a huge datafeed as well. Their program is managed in-house and uses DirectTrack for tracking. - Crazy for Bargains
CrazyforBargains.com is a wonderful web site and a wonderful affiliate program. It is managed by Carolyn Tang at Shareasale, but the owner of the site is also very active in the management of the program. CrazyforBargains.com sells sleepwear, slippers, robes, boxers and other underwear and sleeepwear and specializes in the items that the consumer will not find everywhere. These people have three or more styles of bunny slippers at any given time so the depth is there. This is a great program if you have a site with family-related content. - Essential Apparel
EssentialApparel.com has a program at Shareasale as well as Commission Junction. The programs are both managed by Akiva Bergstrom. Tools are available at Shareasale as well as at Akiva’s own page creator tool site, AffTools.com. - Happy Mothers
HappyMothers.com is a nice site that sells everything that the expecting or new mother could possibly need. The program is on Shareasale so tools are available and it is managed by Kristin at Madhatter Consulting. Kristin is very responsive to inquiries and manages her programs well. - Plazan Skin Care
Plazan Skin Care sells a unique line of cosmeceutical products. They are on Shareasale so tools are available. Plazan converts well and is in a unique niche withing the cosmetics vertical. - Printable Games A to Z
Printable Games has various sites. They have a site for wedding shower games, baby shower games and more. The program is managed by Carolyn Tang at Shareasale. You can sign up for one of their programs and you can then promote any of their programs and receive commission for them all. They have lots of tools and support to help you get started.
Recommended Programs for Affiliates in General
- Newegg
If your visitors do not know about Newegg, they will love you for referring them. Newegg has a massive selection of everything electronics whether it is computers or computer components, TVs, cameras or whatever. Their site is easy to shop and their prices are good. - Sportif USA
If you have apparel traffic or travel traffic, Sportif offers a line of casual clothing for women or men that is second to none. They have many clothing items in the sun-protective clothing niche. This program is on Shareasale so tools are available. - Walmart
Walmart’s web site converts well and they offer a huge selection of everything. Walmart is a nice partner to have to some items that are hard to find as well as general category marketing efforts. Walmart is on Linkshare. - zZounds.com
zZounds is one of the best musical instrument sites I have seen. They offer many tools and the site is actively managed so it could have fit into either category. zZounds has a wide selection and pricing that is comparable to the competition. In the music category, many of the manufacturers enforce a standard pricing code so pricing is not an issue from one site to another. What comes in to play then is how well the site takes care of the customer. As a customer of zZounds I can tell you that they are among the best. Deep linking to zZounds is a snap and their reporting is clear and concise.
