Is affiliate marketing right for you? That’s the question and title of a recent post we did here on GigCoin where we quoted Darren Rowse’s definition of affiliate marketing, “Earning a commission when someone follows a link on your blog [or website] to another site where they then buy something.”

This time we’d like to expand the question and take it a step further by asking, which kind of affiliate marketing is right for you? Is your small business a candidate for a self hosted/self managed affiliate marketing solution?

In the post, “Affiliate Programs for Your Small Business,” blogger Charly Leetham describes three varieties of affiliate programs: done for you solutions, hosted, and self hosted/self managed.

Charly describes the varieties this way:
1) Done for you solutions are ones that are run and managed by a third party where providers will manage the program for you and handle the affiliate signups and payouts.
2) Hosted solutions are  systems that are managed and maintained by a third party provider.

The difference between a hosted solution and a “done for you” solution is that the business owner manages their own affiliates directly including the regular payment of commissions.

Most hosted solutions will charge a monthly fee for service.

3) Self hosted/self managed are ones where a business owner will install and configure affiliate management software on their own web server and manage their own service.

In this post we’ve compiled a roundup of a number of self hosted/self managed software solutions as options for businesses who are looking for cost-effective solutions. Keep in mind that in addition to pricing differences that each will have specific features and benefits germane to your business for you to compare.

Ace Affiliates suggests certain criteria for cross-comparisons. They suggest looking at: terms, network, whether it has a shopping cart and whether it’s brandable, payout options e.g. pay per advertising, pay per click, pay per sale, pay per visit, second tier, combination of percentage, flat and graduated.

Other factors to consider are whether you can receive a demo and trial version, and whether there’s a monthly fee, and set-up fee. When you visit their sites you may also want to check out their client lists and visit websites of the companies who are using their products.

Affiliate Marketing Software Solutions

Clickbank

Affiliates For All

Affiliate Pro

Ultimate Affiliate

HasOffers

Direct Track

LinkTrust

HitPath

IdevAffiliate

WP Affiliate Pro

What are your experiences with affiliate marketing software solutions? If we’ve left any off this list that you’d like to suggest, please add them in the comments below.