How to Use the SureCart Affiliate Marketing Platform in WordPress

Introduction

Creating an affiliate marketing program for your online store can be a great way to increase exposure and revenue. By allowing people to earn a commission for sales they refer to your store, you can incentivize them to promote your products or services. In this blog post, we will discuss how to create an affiliate program using the SureCart platform completely FREE on your WordPress website and explore various settings and options.

Configuring Your WordPress Affiliate Program

The first step in setting up your affiliate program is to log into the SureCart platform app. Once logged in, make sure you are in the correct store that you want to set up the affiliate program for. Click into the “Settings” option and then select “Affiliates”.

Allow New Affiliates

The first option you will see is to toggle on or off the ability for new affiliates to join your program. If this option is toggled off, the affiliate platform feature will not be enabled for your store.

Enter a Description

Next, you will want to enter a description for your affiliate program. This is where you can provide information about how much an affiliate can earn for referred transactions to your store. The amount you offer can vary depending on the type of store you have. For example, Amazon offers 1% or 2%, while typical software offers 20% or 30%. Specify the commission percentage or amount in this description.

Auto Approve Affiliates

You have the option to auto-approve affiliate applications or manually approve them. If you enable auto-approval, anyone who applies to be an affiliate will automatically get approved. However, it is recommended to manually approve affiliates to ensure quality control and to have better oversight of your program.

Sign Up URL

SureCart provides a default sign-up page for affiliates. You can copy the sign-up URL provided or use Short Triggers, a plugin that integrates with SureCart and allows you to create a more in-depth form for affiliate registration. If you choose the latter option, you can integrate form responses and push the information into the affiliate platform.

Referral Tracking

Choose how you want your referral tracking to work – whether it should attribute the commission to the first click or the last click. Additionally, specify the duration of the click-to-purchase window. This determines how long an affiliate will be eligible for a commission after a click on their affiliate link.

Affiliate Referral URL

The affiliate referral URL refers to the URL where your SureCart plugin is installed. By default, it is set to the URL of your store. However, if you have multiple websites or want affiliates to send traffic to a different website, you can customize this URL.

WordPress Plugin Tracking

If you have a WordPress website, you can enable WordPress plugin tracking. This will automatically track referrals on the store where you have SureCart installed. However, if you want to track referrals across multiple websites, you can use a tracking script provided by SureCart.

Commissions and Payouts

Decide how you want to pay your affiliates – a percentage of the total sale or a flat rate. Enter the commission percentage or amount accordingly. Additionally, if you offer subscription-based products, choose whether you want to pay commissions on renewals and specify the duration of the commission eligibility.

Lifetime Commissions

If you sell multiple products, you can decide whether to offer lifetime commissions. This means that if a customer initially purchases a product through an affiliate link and later makes subsequent purchases directly on your store, the affiliate will still receive a commission. Enable or disable this option based on your preferences.

Payout Instructions

In the payout instructions, you can specify the terms and conditions for paying out commissions. This includes mentioning the payment method (e.g., PayPal), the frequency of payouts, and any minimum commission requirements. It is common to have a delay between the purchase and the payout to account for factors like refunds and chargebacks.

Managing Affiliates

Once you have configured your affiliate program, you can manage your affiliates through the SureCart platform. You will receive email notifications when someone applies to be an affiliate. To approve or deny an affiliate request, go to the Affiliates tab in the platform. Here, you can review the requests, including the applicant’s name, email, and their intended promotion strategy. You have the option to approve, deny, or delete the request.

Approved affiliates will receive an email invitation to sign up and create a password. Once they complete this step, they will appear in your list of active affiliates. From the platform, you can track clicks, referrals, and conversion rates. You can also view and approve referrals for payout.

Affiliates will have their own interface where they can access an overview of their performance, including clicks, referrals, and the commissions owed to them. They can also view a list of transactions they have referred and monitor their progress as partners of your store.

The Affiliate Dashboard

On the affiliate dashboard, affiliates can view all their metrics. When they log in to their account, they can see an overview of the main metrics displayed. 

The only setting available for the affiliate is to select the email address where they wish to receive the payout.

Set Up Affiliate Marketing on WordPress for FREE

With the Free SureCart platform, creating and managing your affiliate program is easy and straightforward. By configuring the various settings and options, you can tailor the program to suit your store’s needs.

Monitor the performance of your affiliates and provide them with the necessary tools and support to succeed.

Remember, affiliate marketing is a partnership, so fostering strong relationships with your affiliates is crucial.

Regularly communicate with them, provide them with promotional materials, and offer incentives to keep them engaged and motivated.

With the right affiliate marketing program in place, you can tap into a network of promoters who will help drive traffic and sales to your store.

*All Images sourced from SureCart Docs