Affable affiliations

Now that our affiliate program is beginning to catch on, I think I can make this post. Because when the idea was sprung on Lynne and me — and honestly I can’t remember who or what did the springing so I will take the credit — we thought it was brilliant. Okay, maybe I’m putting a thought in Lynne’s mind — I thought it was brilliant.

It seemed like free money. Folks, like marinas and yacht clubs and nautical bits entrepreneurs, could register with our affiliate host and locate an empty spot on their websites to place a link to our cruising guides, and don’t we all have empty spots.

Then, if someone clicked on the link and, anytime within the next six months bought one of our guides, we would pay the site owner 25 percent of whatever the clicker spent.

A matter of trust

When we first launched the program, it was tough to get people to come aboard.

That’s a thing about money, especially promises of free money. It breeds mistrust.

We are asked: why would you pay someone 25 percent, or about $10 if they bought a five-guide package, for doing nothing?

Because it’s not nothing. Advertising costs a lot. The yachting magazines in BC and Washington have treated us well, and running our humble ads in them has resulted in lots of clicks. But it’s not free.

So this is capitalism perfected. We build a product. If it’s a product your members or customers would find useful, we share it together and benefit together.

What could be better?

Anyway, I am beginning to breathe a little easier now that folks are beginning to join up. It’s tough when things you think are brilliant get only a blank stare from most everyone else.