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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!
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.
Cleopatra's Casino - mysteriously disappeared some time ago
Dr Gadget - they don't seem very communicative
Emperor's Herbologist - Thanks! Payment received as a proper cheque to pay in the bank! None of this PayPal nonsense here!
eWorld Online Casino - unexpectedly unplugged without telling us
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
Gamer UK - gone, and domain lost!
Golden Comps Casino (gone?)
Gothic Match (Paid up Jan 2008)
In2Skin Body Jewellery - gone - domain lost!
Leaping Salmon - appears to have gone some time ago.
Lillo's Italian Restaurant - Food in the town of Boston, Lincolnshire, UK. - Closed!
Lucies Farm - including kobe beef and free range eggs
Ontrack Hard Disc Drive Recovery
Palmer Data Recovery - they've celebrated their first anniversary
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 - added just after Issue115
Speed Traps UK - it's been there for years, but was adjusted and improved on Issue122
Sports Bike Shop - added on Issue110. Successful sales occur on a regular basis.
Trellian - see Submitting your website to searches - They send as a message every now and then saying there are zero hits
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.
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.
Xytron Data Recovery - very pleased with the new pages
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.