How Should You Select Merchants To Promote? Part 1: Networks

It's entirely up to you to be honest, but here's the subconscious list I run through when I've got a product / merchant to promote.

There's several levels to think about, Network, Merchant, Product, but I'll just deal with the first today:

1) Collective Perception
We all have our favourite networks, but I think these networks forget that our views of them aren't just instilled within us at birth! They occur for many reasons. One of those reasons is that others may have had good and bad experiences with those networks. So I do read what others have to say on the forum and on messenger, those experiences help to form part of my reasoning on who to promote, and especially if I've never worked in that sector before or if I'm looking at a merchant on a network I've never used before. I've been told stuff on the d-low about some networks that obviously they don't want to get out in the open, some names try and have a clean reputation, but the truth is somewhat different - I won't mention names.

2) Individual Perception
I think all of us have had issues with every network from time to time. I've had issues with CJ, TD (still do and they don't seem to care about my issue), Buy.at with HMV, a credit card merchant with OMG (who called everyone else that was promoting it to tell them but not me - that cost me a few £k), Affiliate Window (back in the days - I can't even remember what it was about), Affiliate Future (getting me recked and leaving me naked in the bath - Pete was off duty then). So I've got my own list of networks that I try not to work with much.

I know others haven't got a great perception of Buy.at because of all the dodgy brand bidding stuff. Many see them as just a brand bidding network. I see that they had a great temp/work experience/placement person in Nicola White who helped with content and getting samples from her merchants. So that was a thumbs up.

3) Ease Of Creating Links And Finding Products
When I've got a long post or article to write I need to find relevant products and create the links very quickly - time is money and all that.

At the moment Affiliate Window is far and away the easiest to do this. With their Shop Window product I have created a site that I use just for this purpose (being indexed and ranking is just a bonus). If I wanted to write a post about "diamond rings" for example I'd just search in the Shop Window site and get all the images and links I need. It even gives you a redirect link which blocks Google out of crawling and you don't have to upload the images - you can hot link them! Perfect!!

I know another large network is launching similar product soon, they're already high up my list so I use their fairly rudimentary tool too.

Paid On Results also have a great link building tool. If I know what merchant I want to promote I'd go straight to the site find the products and drop them into the POR tool. I'm sure I could use POR much better - they have some great tools - just that I haven't got round to using them all yet. Also I don't have to worry about putting their links into a hidden redirect of my own as their links are ok.

TD is on my naughty step big time! But it's very easy to create links, just not so easy to find the products. Because of my network perception (1+2) above I try not to use them.

Webgains is also affected by 1 + 2 above. I haven't tried hard enough with them and I feel the same is true in reverse. They've go the link building tool within the merchant creatives section. But, I'm afraid, Webgains is never in the forefront of my mind when populating my sites with merchants or products :-(.

CJWho? I only use these if I really have to! Like I do with Hotel Chocolat.

Buy.at had their tool which allowed me to search on their merchant's products. It was just a shame that I only ever really found books (could they post here which merchants currently have feeds?)

4) Payment Terms
As I'm now solely a content affiliate it doesn't really affect me. I earn well from consultancy so my affiliate earnings are pretty much just for retirement, but payment terms are still important. Affiliate Future pay very quickly (are they the quickest), and their payments are guaranteed (does anyone else offer this?), Affiliate Window pay twice monthly (more bloody work for me creating invoices ;-) ) and know there's a "payment on demand" network somewhere.

I'll be lucky to get money out of TD, CJ seem to take ages and POR I have to remember to request payment (I can't even remember my niece's birthday!).

5) Trust
This may relate to the others. But I know that that when a network first starts up I won't use them, unless I know the people there and had built up a good relationship in the past. Look what happened to Zanox and that "sea"-related network (are they still around?) etc. There's too many other networks I trust and too much to do to risk spending my limited time on networks that just smell a bit fishy.

6) They Communicate In A Manner That Makes It Easy For Me To Promote Their Merchants
Webgains have a great blog (perhaps there's too many posts??) but they keep you informed in a manner I like. I've added their blog feed to my reader and can search easily on product names and merchant types within Google Reader.

Affiliate Future have great news updates and merchant content areas within the login.

I don't feel most of the other networks see blogging as a central element to their affiliate communication. TD and CJ seem to be non-existent on the forum.

Only Linkshare (Darren Newmark) is in daily contact with me on Messenger. The other networks (and agencies) speak to me weekly (which is fine).

6) Experience In The Industry
AF are obviously great in travel - which I no-longer have as a core sector, but they are strong in other areas like gifts that I work in.

AW are very strong in gadgets and consumer products so I push them up to the top of my list when looking for products / merchants to promote.

Buy.at are generally week in my areas, save for Thorntons and Ethical Superstore.

TD, I feel also aren't strong in my areas. I get the feeling that the ones they do have in my sectors are poorly converting. I'll revisit them later on.

POR - I feel bad. As I know they'll have great merchants for my Christmas blog but will have a day populating my current posts with their merchants.

Linkshare - they have some great merchants that I've got to build in.

7) Relationships
It is important to build relationships with people within the networks. Some networks have worked at talking to me and bringing me along to events.

I had some great relationships with people at OMG. I've got to rebuild those. AW work hard at building relationships. Affiliate Future I feel are the best, Pete, Mary and even Maz are/were great at really taking an interest in what you do. Ken at Altogether Digital/Ads is great. James Little is a little angel ;-) for keeping you informed and feeling valued. Julia at Affiliate Window is a helpful contact. I couldn't mention anyone at CJ and TD don't seem to care. Clarke at POR is there if I need him. And I even know anyone at Buy.at would help if I asked.

There are some great network staff if you think about it.

From all this what are my perceptions of the networks? Which do I look at first??

1) Affiliate Window - just because they make it easy for me to promote their merchants. OK, it's very easy and they have loads of great merchants in my sector. I just which they were as approachable as AF.

Joint 1st) Affiliate Future - Great people, great product, great offering and pay quickly.

3) Paid On Results - Makes life easy, no fuss, no crap, they just get on with it

4) LinkShare - Still a bit untested, they've got rid of much of the Americana, still a bit to go but I know Darren is there on hand.

5) Webgains - so much potential for me. Its my fault I've done next to nothing with them

6) Buy.at - some great merchants, very helpful staff but that closed-BNB still annoys me.

7) Altogether - great people. A client does nicely with one of their merchants and I'm building them into a new site.

8) OMG - helpful but I've been too lazy/busy lately to look at their retail stuff as I've still got it in the back of my head that they're a finance network

9) TD - some good merchants but have really pissed me off

10) CJ - I stupidly applied to a load of yank merchants when I had a US site and they now just get in the way. I can't get my head around the payments and see them as too clunky to use in a hurry!