I have a tangible product that would be great for affiliates. Should I run through an affiliate network or install affiliate software on my server and work directly with the affiliates?
There are various reasons to go with a third party affiliate software versus or an affiliate network.
If you run your affiliate program through a network, you’ve got an established base of affiliates that could join your affiliate program in one click.
Otherwise, if you are using an installed affiliate software, you’d have to sell affiliates on your affiliate program and the affiliate software you are using, as the affiliate would need to create an account specifically for your program.
So, it is a bit more of a hurdle to go with software, but it’s more cost effective, too.
You’ve got to figure out whether you can dedicate the resources to sell your affiliate program and the platform that is powering it.
In contrast, you can focus just on selling your affiliate program when you’re running through a network, since they’ve already got a critical mass of affiliates working with them.
Additionally, when going with an affiliate network, you get some level of support, depending on the network and your contract.
If you have your own technology or an installed software, you could find it challenging when tech issues arise.