VoIP Affiliate programs

Hosted VoIP and on premise SIP solutions are rapidly growing every year, with new companies and services launching on a regular basis. VoIP vendors use many tools to market and advertise their services to potential customers. One such alternative that is pretty popular in the industry are affiliate or referral programs.

Affiliate versus Reseller Programs

It is easy to get confused between the various reseller opportunities and affiliate programs being run by providers. One of the biggest differences between both the programs is the responsibilities of the affiliate or reseller. In the case of a referral or affiliate program, all you have to do is refer new subscribers via text links or banner ads on your website.

On the other hand, reseller programs allow people to resell VoIP services from white label providers. Depending on the particular program, the reseller may be responsible for customer support, billing etc. In essence, VoIP resellers are going into business for themselves while affiliate program participants are only serving as endorsements or advertisements for potential customers.

What Is an Affiliate Program?

A typical affiliate program allows participants to earn additional revenue by referring new customers to a particular VoIP service. This usually involves placing banner ads, text links or referral IDs in various places owned by members. These may include websites, blogs, newsletters etc. Not all of the programs are run by the service providers themselves. Quite a few utilize third-party platforms to make it easier for participants and the company.

Such programs are generally not limited to just consumers, even owners of small businesses may be able to participate. However individual affiliate programs may have certain conditions or terms that preclude certain groups from participating. For instance, a service provider might have a separate referral program for existing subscribers which means they cannot participate in the regular affiliate program at the same time (to prevent double counting). Service providers also have the option to reject individual applications at their own discretion.

How do Affiliate Members Get Paid?

The most common methods of payment include PayPal or wire transfer. Payments may be made on a monthly or quarterly basis, depending on when the minimum threshold is reached. Some programs offer a percentage of the value generated by a customer as commission while others offer a flat fee for each sign up.

VoIPstudio Affiliate Program

VoIP studio also has their own affiliate program that has recently been improved and relaunched. Participation in this program has a few distinct advantages from most of the other such programs within the industry such as low payment thresholds and monthly payouts. Some providers try to restrict payouts only to certain types of sign-ups or only if the new subscriber purchases a certain level of service. They also require members to reach a minimum threshold of $300 or even $500 Before starting payments.

VoIPstudio affiliate program members can start getting paid on the 15th of every month for the previous month’s sales as soon as they reach the minimum threshold of $50 (for PayPal transactions). Apart from this, VoIPstudio also provides ready made banners for participants to include on their websites or blogs. You can even refer new subscribers simply by sending them your affiliate ID which they can enter when they purchase services.

Subscribers you have referred have 120 days to complete their purchase, giving them enough time to try it out. Customers who request refunds, fail to make payments or otherwise reverse charges due to any reason do not count towards earning commission. For this reason, VoIPstudio may wait a certain amount of time before crediting sales.

Advertising Your Affiliate Program ID

There are many ways in which members can advertise the referral link or affiliate ID. You can add links on relevant websites, individual pages or blogs. Some businesses regularly send out newsletters to current and potential subscribers with updated news on the industry. Banner ads or text links can be included in these publications as well.

Such affiliate programs offer benefits for both the service provider as well as participants. Providers are better able to grow their subscriber base – via word-of-mouth rather than mass advertising. These alternatives are also a great opportunity for publishers to monetize content in unobtrusive ways. It is rare for such win-win opportunities to exist but they can happen from time to time.