We’ve been speaking a lot about JV pages & contests this week and as you have seen, they are very beneficial to both vendors and affiliates. Done correctly, both the product owner and the affiliates who promote it will be able to increase the size of their lists, boost their income, and gain more recognition in the affiliate marketing niche. As a vendor, it is very important for you to come up with a JV contest that affiliates will want to participate in, and that includes prizes that affiliates will work hard to win.
The affiliates that choose to participate in your contests are more than likely going to have an interest in the content of your product and have lists full of people who do as well. Having prizes that compliment your product can be a wonderful way to get people interested. For example, if your product is based around the topic of video creation, you could have the latest video creation tools as prizes – video cameras, lighting set-ups, microphones, etc.
If you’ve chosen to go with a theme on your JV Page, it is a good rule of thumb to have the prizes you are offering stick to that same theme as well. You can get really creative here and offer some really interesting and unique prizes that people will love! This type of contest is also a great way to stand out and be sure you’re offering prizes that other marketers are not.
Remember that affiliates shop around and look at a lot of marketers’ JV Pages when deciding on what contests to enter. You’ll want to be certain that your contest isn’t simply the same old, run of the mill competitions that they’ve seen a million times before.
When listing your prizes, be sure to include their equivalent cash value. In our experience, most affiliates will request the cash, but if you do offer physical prizes it is imperative that you have them on hand and ready to distribute to your contest winners before they are listed on your JV page. Never, ever offer anything that you are not 100% ready to deliver.
Also, as we mentioned in an earlier post, make sure that you have familiarized yourself with the laws concerning prizes, contests, giveaways, sweepstakes, etc. Be aware that in most states, any prize you offer must be in your possession before you advertise it. Knowing and abiding by the rules pertaining to your contests will ensure that it runs smoothly and help you avoid any type of hiccup or legal action along the way.
Affiliate contests are an amazing tool to use during a launch and will help you to keep your affiliates excited about the promotion of your product. It is also an excellent way of rewarding those who work hard to bring awareness to your brand and show appreciation to the people who are the backbone of your sales force. Try to have prizes that anyone can win, from the ‘big dogs’ to the newer, less experienced affiliate who might not be able to meet a higher sales minimum requirement. The size of the prize is not always the most important thing, but the fact of winning a prize at all.
