# General Business Category > Business Online Forum > [Question] Affiliate Marketing in South Africa

## Thembadl

We only have two giant affiliate companies in South Africa who are monopolizing underdeveloped industry.
What recourse one have if you are not happy with the service/treatment you get from these giants?
When you use their communication channels they take you from pillar to post.

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## AndyD

Hi Thembadl, welcome to TFSA.

You obviously have a gripe, feel free to expand your first post and explain. I'm also fairly sure you might have a solution you're itching to tell us about :-)

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## Thembadl

Thank you AndyD
I am only 8 months old in affiliate marketing. I am figuring out what is what and what is not. I have made some few hundreds during that time of which I have not seen a sent of it. While I was still fighting for my payment, my accounts got suspended. I have offered to cooperate with their investigations as their findings will also teach me good practices. 
The biggest challenge is that these Giants are only South African because they have sub-domains registered in South Africa. When I need to elevate my problem I have to call office oversees. Every time I talk to the next person he/she promises to comeback to me.
As I said, I am new in this industry and I want to be a major player in it. I am still not sure of the legal or formal avenues of the industry. It looks like everyone can do as one pleases. 
I have legitimate claim on some of the commission they are holding as they are as a result of leads not clicks. If they end up playing this hide and seek, is there some sort of Ombudsman I can resort to?
Hope this explains my question. I am avoiding being specific as I don't know legal implications like they regulate other media.

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## Dave A

> I am only 8 months old in affiliate marketing. I am figuring out what is what and what is not. I have made some few hundreds during that time


That must have raised a few eyebrows. I've found the conversion rate on local affiliate schemes absolutely pathetic, and most of the time the pay per conversion is pretty pathetic too.

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## Thembadl

Thank you Dave A.
Some times I see myself as a victim of my success. I set myself a target that once I started making money I will double my monthly income until it is not practical to do so. On my first month I made R57, the second month, R160, 3rd, R500, 4th, R1200 and the first week of 5th, R2 500.
I started my website because I has +/- 7000 e-mail contacts, mine was to find the way to make money with that database. With spam restrictions and cost of e-mail marketing, I had to try many things myself spending long hours building. When I thought I got it, I get suspended.

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## Dave A

Well, your performance is way better than average!!! That must be some technique you've got.



> When I thought I got it, I get suspended.


Have they given any reasons?

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## Thembadl

It is the power of social networks. I would think there is a grey area there because some campaigns says NO SOCIAL MARKETING. Sometimes you share something on Facebook and Facebook pools the banner/image that is not suppose to be marketed there.

No, there have not given me reasons for suspension.

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## Chatmaster

Do you mind naming the company?

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## derekjay

I have to agree with Dave on this one, that the local aff/ppc type companies (or at least those with local divisions) are for the most part not very good (putting it lightly).

IMO, I would honestly just focus my efforts on finding a trustworthy affiliate network (and there are many excellent ones out there), and put my energy into that, as opposed to wasting time in the past. 

I know that its easy for me to say that (because I'm not the one being short changed), but past experiences have taught me that for the most part, chasing after small change is not worth it. Rather focus your energy on where you want to be, and take the necesarry steps.

My 2 cents  :Smile:

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## Thembadl

Thank you all for your comments and contributions. The message I got is that you are on your own in online industry. I should have known better with toilet website and whatever link that exposes classified information.
Good news is that one of the companies has opened communication channel again and I am happy with our negotiations. I will only name the company I am talking to because they have shown interest in addressing the issue, that is TrafficSynergy. They have pointed out what I was doing wrong. I will take some time to explain in details as that may help others and there are also grey area TO ME around the issue. As that is required by the advertiser, I have to comply. 
Like I said I am very new in the industry, clarity in this issue will determine my future in the industry.

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## Thembadl

The problem was that I was using text links to promote campaigns that clearly stated BANNERS ONLY. Then my argument, in the forum, not with the companies, is what difference does it make because I did not mislead the consumer? I am not an advertising guru but my logic tells me that the venerable person that must be protected is the consumer.
Why would I want to advertise www.phuzemthonjeni.com with the banner on CPC, why not CPM? My logic again, the aim is not to get clicks but to get impressions for free. There is nothing wrong with that as the customer is not short changed but I am. Why should I give a company free advertising on my website? That is working well where ads rotates like adsense or where product has a good conversion. 
From my short experience I have discovered that there are campaigns that are doing well with banners and others are doing well with text creative. I am also here to make money. Why give me nonperforming banners and texts, why I am not given a room to be creative with what is working for me because what is working for me will intern work for the advertiser? Of cause along universal rules of protecting the consumer.
That is my logic, I will be grateful to be enlightened because I might be getting it all wrong.

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## Dave A

Thing is they set the terms of the offer - you decide whether to accept those terms or not. For example:



> Why would I want to advertise with the banner on CPC, why not CPM? ...the aim is not to get clicks but to get impressions for free. Why should I give a company free advertising on my website?


If there isn't a call to action on the banner and it's paid on CPC, then don't market it. You're right - if it's a brand building banner it *should* be on CPM, but the choice to run the ad (or not) is the publishers.



> I am also here to make money. Why give me nonperforming banners and texts, why I am not given a room to be creative with what is working for me because what is working for me will intern work for the advertiser?


Because it's too easy to encourage clicks for the wrong reasons, which won't work for the advertiser, or the rest of the food chain either in the long run.

Ultimately there are reasons for non-performing ads. They're either 
bad adsnot relevant to the page contentadvertising bad or unpopular productshave lousy ad placement
If you're running them, are any of those problems the advertiser's fault?

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## Thembadl

Thank you Dave. Yes, it was my lack of understanding of the system.

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## Peter Princeton

i have looong ago given up on "local" networks (which are just branches of overseas networks, as you stated correctly)...

for me...

own products...

and then payspree and paydotcom.

we have paypal access now - so no more endless waiting for cheques

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## robinsonwang

We are looking for affiliate in south africa,anyone who want to sell the electronic products there, please contact me directly!

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## Slippy

OP might be interested to know a third player has joined the game - Admarula.

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## robinsonwang

I have tried to find the local SA affiliate website but failed. Then I found both clixgalore.com and shareasale are all acceptable there. Here I would introuduce two affiliate programs to you who are interested in making money online.

*Make Money Online with the StarzMart Affiliate program Now!*

*ShareAsale.com Program:*
http://www.shareasale.com/shareasale...rchantID=33096 
*Clixgalore.com Program:* 
http://www.clixgalore.com/AffSelectP...dvProgID=13338

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## bennies

How do you feel about merchants payout to affiliates? Do you think it is worth the effort?

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## bjsteyn

> The problem was that I was using text links to promote campaigns that clearly stated BANNERS ONLY. Then my argument, in the forum, not with the companies, is what difference does it make because I did not mislead the consumer? 
> 
> Why would I want to advertise www.phuzemthonjeni.com with the banner on CPC, why not CPM? My logic again, the aim is not to get clicks but to get impressions for free.


I remember i had the same thoughts when i started. I believe if it is a CPC add, then it shouldn't matter if you use a banner or a text link to send traffic to the advertiser. As long as it is not misleading. Because if you are running a CPC campaign then it means you want clicks from people that might be interested in your product. A text link is normally more personal than a banner and might lead to higher conversation rates i think. i have not tested this, it just a theory.

Whereas, as you said, if you are running a CPM to get impressions for building your brand then BANNER ONLY ads make sense.

I think that is something that should be looked at by the South African affiliate networks. 

SA Affiliate Networks Offerforge/Trafic Synergy are so quick to jump on there horns, but do little to assist and develop there affiliates. Anyways i have not done
any affiliate marketing for them for a couple of years and don't know if things have changed.

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## Antoine from Public Ideas

Hi All,

Follow to this discussion i would like to introduce Public Ideas Affiliate platform. We have recently opened an office in Cape Town to launch our activities on the South African market. 

At the moment we are launching different campaigns on Dating, travel & insurance sectors.
We can provide dynamic banners, voucher codes and an kitmails. 

Here is the link to register directly on our platform and have access to the campaigns : 
http://za.publicideas.com/publishers/

Warm regards !  :Smile: 

Antoine

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