What is Affiliate Marketing With Incentives?
A lot of new affiliates join networks and wonder, “What is affiliate marketing with incentives?” They see the option listed by an offer (most often as a no-no), and they want to know what it involves, and why it would be banned.
Incentive marketing simply means that the affiliate is offering something to the customer in exchange for their lead or sale. The free iPod sites that were popular in years past are a key example. Users completed a number of offers and referred a certain number of friends, and in exchange, they received a free iPod. Other sites offer free downloads, cash payouts, or other prizes in exchange for filling out affiliate offers.
Although this method can work well for affiliates, advertisers don’t always approve. When someone is signing up for a product because they are getting a reward, they don’t always turn into good customers. This is especially problematic for lead-based offers, where customers give up nothing but their time to help the affiliate earn the commission.
Penalties for using incentives when not allowed are steep. At the bare minimum, your commissions will be reversed. Sometimes, you’ll be blacklisted from your network and even some others when your name gets out (remember, advertisers often work with more than one network). You should also note that many offers allow prize incentives, but not cash. These details are important.
It’s easy and tempting to use incentives, but you have to make sure that you know an advertiser or networks policies before you do it. Ignorance is never a good argument when you get busted doing something the advertiser doesn’t condone.