CPA (Cost-Per-Action) Affiliate Programs

CPA (Cost-Per-Action) Affiliate Programs

By Stephen S Alison    

The Internet is full of acronyms - CPC, PPC, EPC, etc., etc. And now we have another, CPA. So what is CPA?

CPA is an acronym or short for Cost Per Action or Cost Per Acquisition. The term CPA is not new. If you browse through the Search Engines using the keyword phrase "cost per action" or "cost per acquisition" you will find numerous websites with CPA related articles dating from 2001 - over 5 years ago.

In a nutshell, CPA is a performance based online advertising payment system in which payment is based solely on qualifying actions such as a lead, a sale or registration. In other words, merchants/advertisers determine what actions they want to reward and how much they are willing to pay for those actions.

Lead, Conversion or Registration

The actions defined in a CPA or Cost Per Action agreement relate directly to some type of conversion, with leads, sales and registrations among the most common and does not include deals based solely on clicks such as AdSense, which are referred to specifically as cost-per-click or CPC.

The definition of a Lead, Conversion or Registration can vary from one CPA Affiliate Network to another.

A lead or conversion may simply be considered to be no more than a website visitor providing his/her name and eMail address.

In another example, to be considered a lead or conversion, a website visitor may need to complete and submit a 1 page or 2 page application form. In this example, the product in question may be a home loan or payday loan. But it does not matter to the publisher whether the applicant gets the loan or not or has to wait 30 days before they get an answer from the lender. Once the visitor has 

completed the desired or contractual action, the publisher has earned a commission.

In another example, a lead or conversion may simply be achieved by a website visitor completing a small website form and paying a small $postage fee via a credit card for the advertised product to be sent to their mailing address.

What all this means is that publishers i.e. website owners, get paid not on how many times an ad is seen or even on how many times it's clicked, but according to how many people click on it and take the action specified by the advertiser on his/her site.

Comparison of CPA Affiliate Programs with Cost Per Click or Cost Per Sale Website Monetization Models

CPA Affiliate Programs are very similar to other popular website monetization models whereby a publisher takes advantage of the arbitrage opportunities between low cost traffic and high paying contextual ads or products paying high affiliate commissions.

In one Scenario: low cost pay-per-click or other traffic is driven to a website or landing page displaying high paying contextual ads. When someone clicks on the low cost pay-per-click ad, they then get referred to the website or landing page. If that same someone then clicks on a high paying contextual ad, the publisher earns a commission.

In another Scenario: low cost pay-per-click or other traffic is driven to a website advertising high paying affiliate products or directly to the advertiser's own website. When someone clicks on the low cost ad, they then get referred to the Product page(s). If that same someone then orders and pays for a product the publisher will have earned an affiliate commission.

The subtle difference between the first scenario and the second scenario is that in scenario 1 the publisher gets paid with a % of the value of the click regardless of whether the visitor purchased the end product or not. In scenario 2 the publisher only gets paid if the click resulted in a Sale. In CPA (Cost-Per-Action) Affiliate Programs the publisher gets paid if the click resulted in a lead.

CPA Affiliate Network

Before you can engage in a CPA Affiliate Program you will need to apply for affiliate membership in one or more of the 50+ CPA Affiliated Network Companies. All applications are stringently reviewed before they are approved.

Once your application is approved there are essentially 7 simple steps to start generating profits:

1. Find the ultimate high paying, high quality CPA Campaigns to advertise;

2. Identify appropriate Keywords;

3. Register your Domain, prepare and upload your Landing Page;

4. Set up super Low Cost P-P-C Advertising Test campaigns;

5. Monitor and Identify Profitable Test campaigns;

6. Turn Profitable Test Campaigns into fully-fledged Campaigns;

7. Rinse and Repeat;

CPA Affiliate Programs can work well with any type of advertising or traffic generation but are especially extremely profitable when undertaken with a pay-per-click advertising program.

Caution - CPA Affiliate Programs are very profitable and are currently fashionable. All Internet marketers should start looking at CPA Affiliate Programs but before they engage in this activity they should make sure that they have read and fully understand pay-per-click advertising.

Stephen S Alison is a retired "bean counter" who spent 26 years in middle management positions for major US financial institutions in Europe and a further 10 years as an adviser/consultant to a number of European financial institutions. 

He owns and operates a number of "hand built" niche websites including: http://www.1clickflipping.com

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3 Simple Steps to Make Money Online Via Affiliate Marketing

3 Simple Steps to Make Money Online Via Affiliate Marketing 
By Ken Coh

Today I want to give you a 3 step plan to make money online even if you don't have your own product.

One of the easiest ways to make money online is via affiliate marketing. This means that you are selling someone else's product.

You will get a commission for promoting the product.

It saves you a tremendous amount of time because you don't have to create your own product. Someone else has already done that for you. They've written the sales letter and they will handle the customer service.

All you have to do is send customers to their site.

So without further ado here is the 3 step affiliate marketing system to generate income online.

Step 1: Find a Buying Niche

Yes, you need to pick a niche to market to. The three biggest niches in the market are health, wealth and relationships. You can't go wrong with these three big niches.

They are filled with desperate people wanting to buy solutions to make them feel better.

If you can, find a niche that you have a passion in. But make sure that the audience in your niche are ready to buy.

There is no use following your passion if there is no one willing to buy that kind of product in your niche.

Step 2: Create a Pre-sell Message

So now what you need to do is create a sales message. You need to pre-sell people so that they are warm before they go to your vendor's site.

It needs to contain some benefits of your vendor's product.

More importantly you need to tell your audience how your vendor's product will help them solve their problem and make them feel better.

You can do a review of the product. Be honest in your review.

People will easily pick up that it is a fake review if you only talk about the good points.

Be sure to include the bad points too.

Step 3: Generating Traffic

This is the part where many people fail.

Without traffic going to your site, you will not get any sales. So how can you drive traffic to your site?

Well there are 2 ways:

1. Free Traffic

2. Paid Traffic

Let's talk about free traffic first. Although free, in the monetary sense this type of traffic is not completely free. You will have to invest time with free traffic.

Article marketing is a perfect example of free traffic. You write an article on a specific topic in your niche. At the end of the article you put a link back to your site.

Despite what people say, article marketing is still a very effective way to generate traffic. Especially when you put your article on sites that are highly related to your niche, you will get traffic.

3 Simple Steps to Make Money Online Via Affiliate Marketing
By Ken Coh

Although you don't have to pay for it, you still need to write the content; hence you are paying with time.

However, when you are starting off, you won't have much money, so start with the free traffic methods first.

Once you make some money using free traffic methods, it's time to move on to paid methods. Paid traffic methods include things like pay per click and banner advertising.

With pay per click you essentially pay someone like Google to place your ads in their search engine listings. It's very fast. You can get traffic very quickly.

However, there is a learning curve.

You need to test and tweak your campaigns otherwise you will burn your advertising dollars very quickly by using the wrong keywords.

So there's the system. To recap:

1. Find a buying niche

2. Create a presell page

3. Drive traffic to the presell page

That's it.

Find Out More CLICK HERE for a Simple 7 Day Plan to Make Money Online after Just 7 Days

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The Top 22 Affiliate and CPA Networks

The Top 22 Affiliate and CPA Networks. By Evan Ernst 

Affiliate Networks are a great way for website owners and content producers to monetize their work with related products and services. 

With literally hundreds of affiliate networks in existence, it can be an arduous task to stay in the loop about the network options with their respective pros and cons. 

We've picked our favorite 22 affiliate networks; included in this list is a little something for everyone. 

From the beginner affiliate marketer to the Fortune 500 company, these affiliate networks have the tools, campaigns, and integrity that other networks continue to strive for. Here they are, in alphabetical order:  

Affiliate.com 

Affiliate.com is a Media Breakaway, LLC company who has been involved in the affiliate marketing arena since 2001. With value added services that include domain registration, email list management, and website hosting, Affiliate.com has proven they are one of the leading affiliate networks. Affiliates are paid on a net 15 basis, and advertisers can place offers on their network with no setup fees. Affiliate.com's blog is the place to check out their new offers and company announcements. Their website home page lists all of their social network profiles so potential affiliates and advertisers can follow them too.

Buy.at

Buy.at has been a pioneer in affiliate marketing since 2002 when it was launched by Perfiliate Technologies. They were then acquired by AOL in 2008 and have become part of the Platform-A department of AOL, and are a business unit of AOL's Advertising.com. Buy.at is the second largest affiliate in the UK, and has been aggressively expanding their offerings into the U.S. Buy.at has many well known advertisers including Ticketmaster, The New York Times Store, Discount Tire, Speedo, and TurboTax to name a few. Buy.at offers a customizable reporting dashboard to publishers, and pays affiliates monthly. Advertisers and affiliates alike enjoy the added level of transparency that Buy.at has become known for.

ClickBooth

ClickBooth is an industry award winning CPA network with many exclusive advertisers. With over 5 years experience in affiliate marketing, ClickBooth has become the premiere network for over 20,000 publishers and brands like Blockbuster, ADT, Dish Network, America Online, and VistaPrint. With a continuing effort to ensure the quality of affiliates and advertisers, ClickBooth has maintained a superior level of network compliance within their network. The ClickBooth Blog features even more info about the company, contests, and links to the major social sites so you can easily connect with them.

Commission Junction  

Commission Junction is one of the largest affiliate networks in the world, and they work with some power-house companies like Yahoo, Home Depot, HP, Apple Store, Dell, Staples, Buy.com, E Harmony, and Expedia. CJ has a pioneered many affiliate resources which have been adopted by many other networks. Among those resources is CJU, an area of the CJ website dedicated to educating CJ publishers about affiliate marketing's best practices. CJ was also one of the first affiliate networks to make public internal performance metrics (like EPCs or Earnings per Click) for both publishers and advertisers, enabling both groups to make better decisions about their campaigns.

CrispAds  

CrispAds is the affiliate network arm of Intela, a performance-based marketing company with offices in the U.S. and UK. They feature a "blog advertising network," which has allowed bloggers to sign up and earn revenue in a format that is designed for bloggers. Some of CrispAds advertiser brands include Visa, DirectBuy, Gerber, and Toyota. Their blog is the best way to stay current on new campaigns and special announcements.

CX Digital Media  

CX Digital Media, formerly IncentaClick, is an affiliate network based out of Toronto, Canada. CX Digital Media works with advertisers like Netflix, DirectTV, U.S. Army, FreeCreditReport.com, and FlyCell. The blog has details about their current affiliate bonuses and promotions, as well as links to their social profile pages. CX Digital Media has an agency component designed to work with traditional advertising agencies for online media buys.

DirectAgents  

DirectAgents is an interactive marketing agency from New York specializing in affiliate and search marketing, lead generation, and media buying. Some of their high profile advertising clients include Experian, Scholastic, SnapFish, Terminix, and TruGreen. DirectAgents has been presented with numerous awards, including the Inc 5000 for fastest growing companies. The DirectAgents Blog is a very active affiliate blog, with posting occurring almost daily, and is the best source for media mentions and company events.

FluxAds  

FluxAds is a CPA network that takes a hands-on approach by matching up affiliates with offers that match the demographic of their audience. The FluxAds website even has a live web cam where visitors to the website gain a visual insight into the daily activities of the FluxAds team. Their blog is full of quick tips, conference reminders, and has the links to their company's social profiles. They have been actively posting content on their blog since January 2009.

Google Affiliate Network

The Google Affiliate Network is a relatively new player on the scene but has quickly become one of the primary destinations for both advertisers and affiliates.It is one of the more strict networks for allowing publishers to sign up without the proper verification; they take a close look at publisher websites and promotion methods prior to account approval. The Google Affiliate Network hosts their blog on Blogspot. They frequently blog about new laws that affect affiliates and system maintenance schedules, and they have a section for GAN frequently asked questions.

Hydra  

Hydra Network is one of the most popular CPA networks and has won numerous awards including Inc 500 Fastest Growing (2007, 2008), and 2009 Internet Advertising Competition Award for Outstanding Achievement in Internet Advertising. Hydra features many exclusive campaigns that can only be found on their network, as well as offers that can be incentivized. Hydra's affiliate dashboard is very well laid out, making it easy to access reports, campaigns, and account settings.

LeadFlash

LeadFlash is a CPA network and is one of the largest players in the cash advance/payday loan vertical. More recently LeadFlash has moved into the home loan modification, debt, and automotive loan verticals as they continue to host some of the highest paying CPA offers on any network. The LeadFlash affiliate dashboard is one of the most simple and easy to use dashboards of any CPA network. Finding the category of offer to promote and integrating it into your website or email campaign is very intuitive. LeadFlash is located in Florida and employs nearly 50 people.

LeadPile  

LeadPile is one of the largest lead aggregators and they feature one of the most diverse selections of lead types for both affiliates and lead buyers. Through their custom forms, LeadPile reports that over the last 30 days they have served 61 different lead types. LeadPile has a few different options for affiliates; they can send traffic to a LeadPile web property, embed a form on their own website, or HTTP and XML post directly into a LeadPile server. Their demo videos clearly explain and illustrate many of the CPA lead concepts and decrease the learning curve when starting to work with them for the first time. The LeadPile blog has current company news and lead-gen tips for their affiliates.

LeadPoint

LeadPoint is a lead network founded in 2004 in Los Angeles offering services for both lead buyers and sellers. With many lead types, LeadPoint has services for voice leads, custom forms, and other creative solutions for lead delivery. The LeadPoint Blog is a great resource for all topics pertaining to lead generation and links to their social profiles. LeadPoint also has a UK arm of business that works with many of the same verticals as their U.S. counterpart.

LinkConnector  

LinkConnector is an affiliate network which launched in 2004. Their client list includes JC Whitney, MyLife, American Muscle, WordTracker, PR Web, and Monster Learning Network. LinkConnector's platform features some great benefits, including an affiliate widget builder and a linking technology that allows for affiliates to link directly to the advertiser's site while still maintaining a high level of tracking. The LinkConnector home page also has links to their Facebook and Twitter profiles so you can quickly connect.

LinkShare  

LinkShare is one of the largest Affiliate Networks and boasts one of the most impressive client portfolios. Advertisers include AT&T, iTunes, Delta, CompUSA, Enterprise, FootLocker, GNC, Hotwire, Macy's, McAfee, PetSmart, Toshiba, WalMart, and Zales, to name a few. LinkShare's affiliate platform features an exclusive CPA area called "Lead Advantage," where publishers gain access to high performing lead offers. LinkShare was founded in 2006 and has offices in both the U.S. and Europe.

NeverBlue

NeverBlue is a lead generation affiliate network headquartered in Victoria, British Columbia. It began business in 2004 and is a subsidiary company of Vertrue Inc. NeverBlue's advertisers include GameFly, MindSpark, PerfectMatch.com, and CellFish. The NeverBlue blog gives potential affiliates some insight into the corporate culture of their company, and offers some helpful tips to affiliates. Their "meet the team" pages are filled with fun facts about the people who work there.

PartnerWeekly

PartnerWeekly is the largest full-service player in the cash advance/payday loan space today. That didn't happen by accident. Their philosophy of continuous improvement makes being sensitive to affiliate needs a way of life. Today, that means offers that convert extremely well, and that generate industry-leading ROI. Tomorrow, that means a dedication by the company to diversification within other non cash verticals. More choice. More opportunity for profit. Business relationships, and how to make them great, is a PartnerWeekly mantra. That starts with the best offers. An unmatched capability to customize them. Supported by world-class customer service from experienced affiliate managers, and real-time communication tools to maximize business results. PartnerWeekly is a business unit of Selling Source LLC, which earned its place in 2008 at #68 on the Inc 500 list. That didn't happen by accident either.

PepperJam  

PepperJam was founded in 1999 by internet marketing expert Kris Jones and has successfully integrated several core services to their affiliate network side of business. Among those value added services are search, media buying, and design services. The PepperJam was recognized by Inc Magazine as one of the fastest growing companies in the U.S. Their blog announces new campaigns on their network, company events, and links to a few of their social profiles.

ShareaSale  

ShareaSale is an affiliate network with over 2000 merchants and numerous awards. Their website features a preview of all merchants that they work with so potential affiliates can search by category, allowing easy look-ups of relevant campaigns. Merchants to ShareaSale have a minimal network access fee and a very competitive pricing structure. The ShareaSale Blog is the prime source for company info and events.

Share Results

Share Results is an affiliate software and network with merchants that include PhotoBucket, Nero, eLearners, and PlanningFamily.com. Founded in 2002 by Nicky Senyard, Share Results is known for, among other things, the high level of transparency the network provides to both its affiliates and merchants. Share Results features multiple campaign types like CPA, CPL, referral, and rev share, and they make their affiliate payouts monthly via wire, check, or PayPal. The Share Results Blog is packed with great affiliate information and video interviews with industry professionals.

Tribal Fusion

The Tribal Fusion network serves over 20 billion impressions per month reaching over 230 million users. Clients include Classmates.com, Morpheus Media, Beyond Interactive, PowWeb, and Artifact Software. Tribal Fusion has a very handy "channels" page which compares some of their network metrics with some competitors. Potential clients are also able to drill-down the category that their site fits in and see landscape of Tribal Fusion's reach within that vertical.

Zanox

Zanoxis a leading affiliate network with advertisers that include Jamster, 1&1, ZoneAlarm, GameOn, and FerrariStore.com, Amazon, Lycos, Procter & Gamble, Citibank, among others. The Zanox blog features a live cam of their office in addition to links to their Facebook Group, company Twitter account, Flickr photos, and their iGoogle gadget. Zanox works with over a million affiliates in over 190 countries and offers direct support in about 30 countries.

Evan Ernst is a technology marketing specialist and COO of Adworkz, a performance marketing agency with an innovative Affiliate Network, a lead management and delivery platform, and a full suite of website development and optimization services. http://www.adworkz.com

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