What Are Residual Affiliate Programs?

Affiliate Marketing is usually thought of as a one-time sale program. Someone buys a product from an affiliate's link and the affiliate gets paid a commission for that sale. Commissions for a by-sale type of affiliate program range from 15% to 50%, and sometimes as much as 75%.

A less known type of affiliate program is the Residual Affiliate Program. This type of affiliate program typically pays a smaller commission percentage for each affiliate referral; perhaps 10% to 20% per sale. Since they do pay a smaller commission, many affiliates ignore them.

So what is a Residual Affiliate Program? These programs are based on a monthly fee type of product such as web hosting or membership sites. So, an affiliate not only gets paid a commission for the initial signup, but he or she also gets paid for each and every month that the customer remains a member or continues to use a  hosting service.

Residual affiliate programs may have a smaller "sales" commission, but the affiliate gets paid over a longer period of time.

The types of residual affiliate programs to look for (besides web hosting and membership sites) are long distance telephone, DSL and dial-up Internet ISPs and autoresponder services.

It takes the same amount of effort to promote a residual affiliate program as it does a by-sale affiliate program. You definitely want this as part of your 'multiple streams of income' affiliate business plan.

Be sure to compare the income potential of the residual affiliate program with that of the by-sales program. It won't help your bottom line to choose a residual affiliate program whose commission doesn't add up to at least the initial commission paid by the by-sale type affiliate product.

Affiliate Marketing is usually thought of as a one-time sale program. Someone buys a product from an affiliate's link and the affiliate gets paid a commission for that sale. Commissions for a by-sale type of affiliate program range from 15% to 50%, and sometimes as much as 75%.

A less known type of affiliate program is the Residual Affiliate Program. This type of affiliate program typically pays a smaller commission percentage for each affiliate referral; perhaps 10% to 20% per sale. Since they do pay a smaller commission, many affiliates ignore them.

So what is a Residual Affiliate Program? These programs are based on a monthly fee type of product such as web hosting or membership sites. So, an affiliate not only gets paid a commission for the initial signup, but he or she also gets paid for each and every month that the customer remains a member or continues to use a  hosting service.

Residual affiliate programs may have a smaller "sales" commission, but the affiliate gets paid over a longer period of time.

The types of residual affiliate programs to look for (besides web hosting and membership sites) are long distance telephone, DSL and dial-up Internet ISPs and autoresponder services.

It takes the same amount of effort to promote a residual affiliate program as it does a by-sale affiliate program. You definitely want this as part of your 'multiple streams of income' affiliate business plan.

Be sure to compare the income potential of the residual affiliate program with that of the by-sales program. It won't help your bottom line to choose a residual affiliate program whose commission doesn't add up to at least the initial commission paid by the by-sale type affiliate product.