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Independent Affiliate Programs
Not all companies that have an affiliate program are signed up with an affiliate marketing company, instead choosing to have their own independent affiliate program. The advantage of having an independent affiliate program, for example by using the Affiliate Tracker or Kowabunga software, is that it's less expensive than paying for the services of an affiliate marketing company, but the disadvantage is that you have to keep track of everything yourself, do all the tracking and accounting, and recruit your own affiliates. However, there's also the independence aspect itself, which appeals philosophically to some people. It's also been known merchants to decide to "go independent" after a bad experience with a company.
Here's a list of companies with whom we have an independent affiliate program relationship at this site. If you would like to sign up to be an affiliate of any of these companies, please sign-up by the special "webmasters" links and/or mention "ZYRA" where appropriate!
LIST BEGINS
0800Flowers.com - we're in touch and now it's all paid up to date around Valentine's day 2008.
123-reg Domain Registration - payments arriving on a regular basis
3mobile and 3 mobile store and 3 mobile shop
Absolute Solutions Secured Loans - updates arriving every week
Accident Compensation - after persistent failure to return calls, it was decided to bung this up!
Ace King Club - I'm afraid the page has been bunged up!
Affiliate Tracker - Elsmore Business affiliate links restored 2008/11/13
Amazon - payments come in every now-and-then according to how many new books have been sold.
Bonaport Insurance - haven't they gone?
Carwatch UK - their affiliate program seems to have gone.
Casino on Net - now with the New Buy.at
Challenge Casino - seems to have gone!
ChildWorks - gone!
Cleopatra's Casino - mysteriously disappeared some time ago
DirtBag Clothing - now with Share-a-Sale - now independent!
Djangos Music - gone!
Dr Gadget - they don't seem very communicative
DVD World - apparently gone
Emperor's Herbologist - Thanks! Payment received as a proper cheque to pay in the bank! The affiliate program lasted quite well, but in 2011 their website seemed to disappear.
Eurolingua - affiliate program lost
eWorld Online Casino - unexpectedly unplugged without telling us
The Finance Facility - new program 2012/01
Flowers 2 Send (now 0800Flowers.com) - see 0800 Flowers
Four Eyez - we are seeing good business 2007/12
Fred Hager - dollars arrived in 2007/10
Friendly Wills - departed
Frontier Finance - see Absolute Solutions
Gambling Place - another lost gambling affiliate program - looks like we are not going to be paid.
Gamer UK - gone, and domain lost!
Golden Comps Casino (gone?)
Gothic Match - proving to be successful. (Paid up to 2010 April)
In2Skin Body Jewellery - gone - domain lost!
Ladbrokes - Yes, the famous bookmakers. Proving to be very successful here!
- also, survived moving to the new payments system.
Leaping Salmon - appears to have gone some time ago.
Lillo's Italian Restaurant - Food in the town of Boston, Lincolnshire, UK. - Closed!
Liquid Web - a web hosting company
Lodging.com - the affiliate links went to 404 error pages and the company continued trading but failed to answer e-mails. Also, we have not been paid recently.
London Souvenir Shop - gone
Lucies Farm - including kobe beef and free range eggs
MadBid.com - unusual-style online auction site
OFIZ virtual offices - bunged up
Ontrack Hard Disc Drive Recovery
Palmer Data Recovery - they've celebrated their first anniversary
Pink meets Blue - gone
Prime Naturals - the affiliate links seem to have gone
PublicAds - gone
Regency Mortgage - nice to be on the new affiliate program
Regency Holdings - a multiplicity of enterprising businesses
SenLab Label Software - doing very well
Soft UK - sadly the website seems to have disappeared!
Speed Traps UK - it's been there for years, but was adjusted and improved on Issue122. However, it has now GONE.
Sports Bike Shop - added on Issue110. Successful sales occur on a regular basis.
The Spin Room - was http://www.thespinroom.com/servlet/RegisterOrigin?OID=181 - gone!
Trellian - see Submitting your website to searches - They send as a message every now and then saying there are zero hits
Trend Times - nothing has been heard about this since it was put on here!
UK Power - In contrast to uSwitch, UK Power had an affiliate program with Commission Junction but then declared independence and had an Independent Affiliate Program! We are optimistic about this in August 2011.
uSwitch - success before Xmas 2007, and has done very well as an independent affiliate program, but in June 2009 uSwitch moved to being with Commission Junction and recommended affiliates to move the program there. Later the affiliate program migrated to Affili.net and we followed it there. It can be difficult to keep up with these things sometimes.
V21 Internet - What do you think are the chances we are going to be paid after BISCIT took it over?
Voodoo Machine - Gone and taken over by cybersquatters!
W H Smith - We were on the independent affiliate program for two years and now the WH Smith affiliate program has moved to TradeDoubler we have joined the TradeDoubler program. An amicable solution was found and commissions were successfully settled. So that's good. Sadly this didn't last, and after the affiliate moved to OMG UK things came to grief. As of July 2011 the page is bunged up. How Sad! However, better news in August 2011 as they moved to Affiliate Window and resumed having a reasonable affiliate program. Oh good!
Xytron Data Recovery - very pleased with the new pages
LIST ENDS
How about that? there are a few dozen independent affiliate programs at this site. In contrast, Zyra's website has nearer to a couple of thousand companies listed with affiliate programs via affiliate marketing companies. Merchants, whether on an affiliate program with an affiliate marketing company or on an independent affiliate program, often do very well here. If you run a business and you're wondering, see What an affiliate program can do for your company
Also see Xyroth's list of independent affiliate programs
From an affiliate point of view, independent affiliate programs have advantages and disadvantages in relation to affiliate programs which are run collectively at affiliate marketing companies. You have to read all the smallprint for all the companies and you have to reach the payment threshold for each company, whereas with affiliate marketing companies it's all done en-bloc (at least if it's done properly that is! - see Good Affiliate Company Guide). However, with independent affiliate programs, the commission payments are often more generous (because they're not having to pay a marketing company). Also, as independent merchants have to recruit their own affiliates rather than have a ready-made affiliate-base, they often offer an affiliate recruiter bonus. This is especially good if, like me, you like to promote the spirit of affiliate marketing as well as just make money out of affiliate marketing!
If you are interested in setting up your own independent affiliate program, there are some software packages available from Kowabunga and Affiliate Tracker. Well worth giving it a try.