If you happen to be a Canadian, no this isn’t about the Sponsorship Scandal in Politics, nor really is it a scandal per se. Least in my mind it isn’t a scandal, merely a rather poor showing of ethics, of caring for those who help make the paysite program a success, other than the members of the site.

I refer to the treatment of Affiliates.

I wonder, why is it that even the most respected programs, seem to have moments when they do not give a rat’s ass about their affiliates? Is it simply a ‘blond moment‘ or is it that they really couldn’t care less? Do they have this notion that people will promote their product because they make a ton of cash so they don’t have to take their feelings, or their work load, into consideration?

When you acquire a new set of sites to promote under your affiliate program, is it wise to not inform the affiliates of that site about the changes? Is it caring to announce it on your own industry related outlets, but not to personally notify each affiliate by email of your acquisition? Then too, given how the links now have to be changed to match your program, why do you not make the old program remain active, and ask affiliates to transfer to your program with new promotions? Allowing the affiliate to still earn income from the old links, without being FORCED to go back and make a lot of code changes?

Then too, is it wise to terminate those old link codes, specially when some of the major promotional venues, like Link Lists, Top Gallery Posts, won’t let you change what you have submitted?  And that brings up the issue of terminating those old links as well, because do you terminate only the affiliates, but keep the old incoming account active so that the New Sponsor Owner retains ALL OF THE INCOME GENERATED FROM THOSE OLD LINKS?

An interesting conundrum isn’t it?

Posted on March 21st, 2008 by No Bull
Filed under: Marketing 101