Before You Write That Review...
I'm still pretty new to this whole affiliate marketing thing and I've run into a few snags that I thought would be worth mentioning. The idea is to save some of you other newbies a little trouble and heartache.
I spent quite a while researching a particular product for a recent review, even contacting the only seller I could find directly. Turns out, the owner of the brand name went out of business, but the product was still available under a different brand name; same product, same specs, different name plate. OK, that presented no real problem. As I was finishing my review I thought I would check one last time for other reviews to compare or contrast. That's when it happened. I found another site selling the same product for significantly less than the site with which I was an affiliate. I checked and found the less expensive site had no affiliate program. What was I to do? I felt that I was in something of an ethical bind; how could I promote a far more expensive price just because I was in an affiliate relationship with the site? The first thing I did was pose the question to the WA community where I received a lot of very good suggestions. What I ended up deciding is (I haven't done it yet) to continue with my review (after all, my opinion of the product had not changed) and publish both sources and prices. My thoughts are that the readers don't know if I get anything from either one. One source has name recognition in the general marketplace and the other is probably only known within my niche. Likely buyers will almost certainly go for the better price, all other things being approximately equal. But if, by chance, someone chooses the higher price, good for me.
The point of telling you this is to reinforce the need to do your research. No one will accuse you of cheating if you promote a higher price out of ignorance, but they may not come back to you if they think you don't have a clue.
This second thought may seem a bit more obvious, but sometimes I'm a bit thickheaded and it takes a while for things to penetrate. Another product I decided to review has an "exclusive" arrangement with a retailer, one who I know offers an affiliate program. So I did my research and wrote my review. Then I applied to the affiliate program so I could link to the review and get some sales. Apparently, I was not paying attention to the lesson when it was pointed out that you should join as an affiliate first. I was not accepted into the program, most likely because my site doesn't generate enough traffic yet.
I will save the review as a draft and apply again later and learn my lesson well.
So, my second point is, do not assume that you will be accepted into an affiliate program just because you are such a nice person. Save yourself some time and heartache before you write that review.
Recent Comments
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Good points, Tom. But even if you did NOT find that cheaper price, nobody would have held it against you if you had simply promoted your affiliate. That's an ethical thing and, by promoting both, I think you are taking the high ground. Most people these days do some research and price-checking before they buy anything. I know I sure do!
Absolutely I research before buying. The most important thing about my decision is that I can live with myself. A distant second, I hope giving a choice garners some trust for my site
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You past the test, grasshopper! You are now a true blue and trustworthy reviewer! Your reward will be in the form of much respect from those who (or is it whom) attend your site and read your reviews. Well done. Seriously though, I think it was a good decision to let those inquiring about the product to make their own choice. I probably would have just picked something else. ): )
Well, while I'm learning about affiliate marketing, I may just be learning a bit about myself as well.
It's all good.