Affiliate Program Contest Ideas

If you run an affiliate program, your success as an online seller depends largely on your affiliates. They are the individuals who market your website. They bring traffic to it and help to generate sales. This is an important job. Unfortunately, not all affiliates realize the potential they have to make a difference or make money. Some need an extra push. You can provide that push and motivation by hosting affiliate contests.

When it comes to hosting contests for your affiliates, your options are endless. Anything remotely related to affiliate programs and their success can be turned into a contest. Not only that, but you can have varying rewards. For example, a contest winner can have their name listed on your affiliate program website or in a newsletter. They can also receive compensation; your options are endless. If you are looking for good and unique ideas, continue reading on for a few sample contests.

Reward top performing affiliates. Top performing affiliates are the backbone to your success. They drive the most traffic and sales to your website, where you have products or services available for sale. Everyone wants to be rewarded for a job well done. When rewarding your top affiliates, choose between the affiliate that brings in the most sales or the affiliate that generates the highest sales in terms of dollars.

Reward most improved affiliates. As previously stated, your top earning affiliates want to be recognized for their job well done. This is important, but so is providing encouragement to the “little guy.” These ones can benefit the most from a rewards system. Consider offering a contest for the most improved affiliate. Once again, you can choose from the affiliate who increased their sale frequency or the dollar amount the most.

Reward the affiliate with the best marketed website. This website receives the most traffic. Remember, traffic translates into sales for you. Affiliates need to do more than just create a sales page or throw a few links and banners on their website. If no one visits that website, both you and they won't make any money. That is why internet marketing is an important component of affiliate programs. Use site explorer websites to determine which of your affiliates have the most incoming links.

In keeping with internet marketing, you can turn your contest into a lesson. Article directories have been used as internet marketing tools for years. Capitalize on this. Ask each of your affiliates to submit one article to an article directory. They need to include a link back to their website, where your coded banners or text links are displayed. Have each affiliate participating in the contest send you the link. Read each article and choose your favorite. Which one are you, as an internet reader, more likely to click on?

Reward the affiliate with the best designed website. A well-designed and easy to navigate website is also important with affiliate programs. A poorly designed website cannot hold readers for long. Most internet users will click on the back button before they get the chance to see or click on your company's banners or links. For that reason, consider hosting a contest for the best designed or easiest to navigate website. If you can't decide, pick a few of your favorites and get your other affiliates to vote.

Reward affiliates with the best ad placement. If your affiliate program relies on banners, you know the importance of ad placement. Clickable graphics appearing at the top of the page get more clicks, as readers don't have to search the page to find them. Hosting a contest for ad placement can also turn into a lesson. You highlight the importance of ad placement. Since many seasoned affiliates know all about placement, it may be best to avoid compensation. There may be too many winners. Instead, write the names and provide links to the affiliates with the best ad placement.

Most of this article focused on using banners and text links as affiliate marketing tools. If you are selling a single product or service, you may opt for traditional sales pages. For example, your affiliates can use a provided template or design their own standalone sales pages. In that case, host a contest and reward the affiliate with the best sales page. You can base your contest on design, ease of reading, and information provided.