For many affiliate programs, the banner ad is just an inexpensive way to advertise. It does not encourage much response from the public because it is stuck on the top or bottom of a page where it is paid little mind.

If you really want to use banner ads be sure to drive an onlooker to a product page or better yet to a sign up page where you can then send out emails. These are the best ways to put banner ads to good usage.

Okay, so what works better than banner ads for affiliate networks? Here are some ideas:

Email/Ezine Promotions to a Qualified List

Here is an interesting fact for you: at a recent conference it was stated that most people do not buy something from a website until or after their fourth visit. Fortunately, direct response marketing has been built on this fact for ages by following up with preliminary contacts and inviting them to visit the website. Email has been the best way to do this and keep up with the high volumes of emails that seem to come with having a new affiliate-marketing program.

The real strength of email comes in the approved mailing. Once the Ezine has been created and there has been a trust built between the writer and the readers, the endorsement is "gold". This makes people that were strangers become introduced to you personally. The unknown is exchanged by suggestions from someone that they know and trust. A recent study has shown that during last December there was a 300 percent increase in response to emails rather than other methods that have been and are being used.

Text Links/Endorsement With Banner

PC World does an outstanding job of raising the reply to their affiliate programs. PC World has readers that buy online; over 90 percent of their readers have bought and still buy online. They are particularly choosy with whom they make their affiliate partners and for great reasons; they are really good at selling advertising space, so little of this space is unused. When they do decide to use affiliate networks, they prefer a small banner ad that can sit in a side bar of the page as to not dominate or over run the page. To the right of the small banner "button" is text that talks about the benefits that come with clicking on the banner.

By having the text as a link and the banner as a link and combining the visual with the text description it is possible to group affiliate programs in a single website. Offer more than one product per page, you will be setting your self up with a very effective method but without overwhelming your visitors. In layman's terms, the words do the talking that pictures cannot but a picture can tell a thousands words. Therefore together they make an extremely effective affiliate advertising tool.

Featured Product

A great procedure to raise affiliate leads is to provide a web page that will act like a feature product on the affiliate's web page. This web page can stand-alone or it can be merged with the web page of the affiliate. The key is to focus on the product being sold the one product that stands out against the rest of the page. This can be incorporated into a site almost as a sponsorship, without the expense. For example: If your affiliate has a high traffic part of their web page you can encourage them to feature your product in that area. This is more effective for the affiliate to put to the test the response rates, and for the affiliate network it will result in more qualified leads.

This approach will basically eradicate the assemblage of affiliate programs and support people to click on this essential product, because it will appear to be featured. The featured product will allow you to gain publicity at the affiliate's site in a way that is perceived auspiciously by visitors.

Storefront

The best affiliate replies can come from a storefront that is integrated into a different website. It can be as straightforward as a logo graphic on the top of a page with a return link that goes to the affiliate's web page. This will make the storefront appear as an essential part of the web site as a whole.

Storefronts intensify reliability by presenting an assortment of products in a single setting. The storefront should be a fundamental part of the of the affiliate's web site and not just one of the many. Even though this requires more work on the part of the affiliate network but the returns can be rewarding. By expanding it to exceedingly trafficked websites, you can rise branding and alleged value of what you have to offer.

A really good idea would be to combine the text and banner approach to a storefront, this way you will be able to offer multiple products. Try not to offer too many products at a web site, this can confuse a visitor.

Finally, the most conspicuous lack of focal point in most affiliate networks is ad copy. Words are the essential part of what motivates people to read, then act and ultimately buy your products. If you do not have a good testimonial, ad copy and headline, your hard work will be held up.

As I like to say, there are two different types of online businesses those who test and those who end up losing money. If you are not experimenting, and counting your affiliate network efforts, you are, unfortunately, missing most of the profit . . . that is for certain.