Hey there Sea Changers. Welcome back to my series of program lists to assist those of you looking to fund your sea change with affiliate marketing. I made comment within my other post on how to sell smartphones online that there was a high chance that you may be reading this post on a cell phone. If you are, then have a look at it… do you have a phone case or a screen cover, is there a selfie stick somewhere close by? Or are you thinking of upgrading to a newer phone? These are the things that people consider (and obviously purchase) and why I have looked into my 10 cell phone affiliate programs to ring in some extra cash.
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As I run through them, I am conscious that there may be a number of variations and sub-niche areas to look into. So how have I picked my best 10? Well… I really just wanted to give you a good cross section of what is out there so I did some searching around and checked a few out and chose them by looking at:
- What they offer
- Commission rates
- Payment terms
- Cookie duration
- Application processes
- Affiliate/Marketing materials provided
Before we start however, let’s have a look at what I mean by the term ‘cell phone’ and how it can be incorporated within an affiliate marketing website…
What do we mean by Cell Phones?
Cell phones, mobile phones, smartphones or tablets… these are the devices I am looking at within this post. In general, the online sale of smartphones and their accessories is a very good niche to work at from a one-stop-shop scenario. However, if you are looking to make money selling smart phones online, there is certainly enough to build a decent site on one of its sub-niches alone. So for this post I have tried to cover a good cross section across some of the sub niches such as:
- Smartphones
- Accessories
- Apps
- Plans
- Use
What can affiliate marketers promote?
There are essentially no real barriers to what affiliate marketers can promote when it comes to cell phones. There are however some things to be aware of as you run your eye over affiliate program possibilities that may suit your site. These are:
- Know your audience, some purchasers are looking for specifics and want the best whilst others are hoping to just pick up a basic model on a budget. Choose your affiliate sites accordingly.
- Purchasers of the latest products will not take risks if they don’t trust you or your affiliate site. Make sure the programs you choose are reputable and have good recourse options if the purchaser is not happy.
- If you are dealing with contracts for SIM cards etc., make sure all of the fine print is accessible within the vendor site.
That said, stats show that people will spend money on smartphones online if it can make their lives easier so as long as you are meeting their needs and solving problems, then you are on the right track. And to give you a boost, let’s have a look at 10 programs that I have found below:
1. AT&T
Let’s start with one of the big players in the cell phone market with AT&T. They are one of the biggest suppliers of smartphones and data plans in the U.S. with access to major phone manufacturers including:
- Samsung
- Apple
- LG
The obvious advantage here is the seemingly endless array of products, cross and up sell opportunities to be found within this site including:
- Phone contracts (pre and post paid0
- Accessories
- WIFI
- TVs
- Internet
There is certainly enough here to build an entire site around or as a base with the addition of a few of the sites mentioned below within this post.
Note: I have chosen to include AT&T as an example for this post. You may however want to check out Verizon, Sprint, Virgin or Vodaphone as well.
Commission Rate: Not stated
Payment Terms: 30 Days
Cookie Duration: Not Stated
Application required?: Yes, personal and website information as well as promotional plans and platforms to be used.
Marketing material provided: Text links and banners
2. Best Cellular
Best Cellular offer a complete range of cell phone related products including:
- Phones
- Plans
- Signal boosters
- Accessories
As with AT&T above, there are plenty of options to promote here especially if you are dealing with those who have purchased a device elsewhere and are looking for data plans and accessories. Their product range in relation to actual phones is not large (and certainly not as cutting edge as others) however there is enough there for those looking to assist readers who “just want a basic phone to make calls with”. Best Cellular promote their affiliate program as being perfect for:
- Phone review websites
- Prepaid wireless stores
- Technology bloggers
- Internet marketers
- YouTube phone review experts
- Tech review websites
Commission Rate: Not Stated – but commissions paid on all products sold
Payment Terms: Monthly
Cookie Duration: Not Stated
Application required?: Yes, Basic personal and website information required.
Marketing material provided: Ad banners, text links, comprehensive affiliate SEO training program
3. Orchard
Orchard is a very good site for those working within the budget or ‘just need a phone’ niches in that it deals with the sale of used and refurbished Samsung Android Phones, iPhones and iPads.
Whilst the latest and greatest phones are not available, there is a great range of phones in perfect working order that are only a model or two behind. All phones are fully unlocked and ready to use on any network. And for those of you working with those upgrading their devices, the site also offers a service where they will sell your old phone for you as well.
Commission Rate: 6%
Payment Terms: Monthly
Cookie Duration: 30 Day
Application required?: Yes, Orchard’s affiliate program is managed by Share-A-Sale. You will be required to apply for an account then for the Orchard affiliate program. You will need to enter personal and website information as well as promotional plans and platforms to be used.
Marketing material provided: Text links and banners
4. Gazelle
Gazelle is another site dealing with the buying and selling of mobile phones and tablets. It’s product range is a little larger than Orchard above and works in a similar fashion with the ability to trade in or sell your old phone and/or purchase refurbished/second hand ones as well.
Again, this site would fit into just about any phone based niche.
Commission Rates: 10%
Payment Terms: Monthly.
Cookie Duration: 60 days
Application required?: Yes, Gazelle’s affiliate program is managed by Share-A-Sale. You will be required to apply for an account then for the Gazelle affiliate program. You will need to enter personal and website information as well as promotional plans and platforms to be used.
Marketing material provided: Text links, banners, affiliate only promotions
5. Cellular Outfitter
Cellular Outfitter promote themselves as having the largest selection of cell phone accessories online with over 1,000,000 products available. Obviously that is too many to list here but their categories include:
- Cases & covers
- Wallets
- Screen protectors
- Chargers
- Cables
- Batteries
- Mounts
- Bluetooth & audio
They cover all of the major brands and to be honest, I would be surprised if there was a smartphone accessory that was not available on their site. There is so much here for review, comparison, how to and information posts of any type and any audience from the budget conscious to those who are after the best of everything.
Commission Rate: 10% (up to 20% once monthly sales exceed $10,000)
Payment Terms: Monthly
Cookie Duration: 45 Days
Application required?: Yes, the Cellular Outfitter affiliate program is managed by CJ Affiliates. You will be required to apply for an account then for the Cellular Outfitter affiliate program. You will need to enter personal and website information as well as promotional plans and platforms to be used.
Marketing material provided: Text links, banners, product feed
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6. OtterBox
OtterBox is all about the phone case with cases for every phone and tablet type as well as a smaller range of accessories such as:
- Screen protectors
- Chargers
- Batteries
- PowerPacks
As an added cross selling opportunity, they also offer a range of collectible cases based on the following themes:
There are cases for just about every phone that is on the market at any given time and for many uses making it a great option for many phone related affiliate marketing sites.
Commission Rate: 10%
Payment Terms: Monthly
Cookie Duration: 30 days
Application required?: Yes, OtterBox’s affiliate program is managed by CJ Affiliates. You will be required to apply for an account then for the OtterBox affiliate program. You will need to enter personal and website information as well as promotional plans and platforms to be used.
Marketing material provided: Banners, Text Links
7. FreedomPop
FreedomPop is an all in one cell phone site that offers a range of used and refurbished phones, tablets and mobile hot spot devices. Their biggest market however is its range of free and low cost SIM cards and mobile plans. These plans are way cheaper than the big companies and are usable to site purchasers and “bring your own device” users alike.
Their mantra around free mobile and internet services is outlined within their site as follows:
“We are committed to providing to customers free mobile services in the same way Skype provides free voice, Dropbox free data and Spotify free music. Through its innovative model and approach, FreedomPop currently offers customers free 4G mobile phone service, free wireless internet, and free home broadband.”
Commission Rate: Not stated – commissions can be earned on free services
Payment Terms: Monthly
Cookie Duration: 14 Days
Application required?: Yes, FreedomPop’s affiliate program is managed by Impact. You will be required to apply for an account then for the FreedomPop affiliate program. You will need to enter personal and website information as well as promotional plans and platforms to be used.
Marketing material provided: Text links, Banners
8. Greatcall
Greatcall works with cell phones and medical alert devices to provide online access and peace of mind for seniors. Its products consist of:
- The Jitterbug Smartphone with simplified menu for ease of use
- The Jitterbug basic flip phone for call only requirements
- Medical alert device
- On person medical warning and topple alert device.
Their data and call plans are on par with the larger telcos with variable offerings based on planned usage and data requirements. There is also a small range of accessories available such as chargers, cases, headsets and screen protectors.
Commission Rate: $75 per sale
Payment Terms: Monthly
Cookie Duration: 45 days
Application required?: Yes – Greatcall’s affiliate program is managed by CJ Affiliates. You will be required to apply for an account and then for the Greatcall affiliate program. You will need to enter personal and website information as well as promotional plans and platforms to be used.
Marketing material provided: Banners, Text Links
9. LifeHack.Store
Whilst not a dedicated smart phone store perse, LifeHack.Store has a great range of off-the-wall (some might say useless) mobile phone accessories that would add a great gift, novelty or pure ‘must have’ aspect to any affiliate site. As far as phone accessories are concerned, their product range includes (but is certainly not limited to):
- Phone case cigarette lighter
- Smart phone fan
- Selfie sticks and tripods
- Camera lens kits
- In case mini screw driver sets
- Car window solar chargers
- VR kits
Obviously there are also multiple cross selling options here with products for the home, office, leisure and travel – just to name a few. All products are designed to “make daily lives easier” – I mean, you never know when you will need a mini screwdriver hey. All in all, I can’t see this site being large enough to centre an affiliate marketing setup around however there are some great post writing options from within its product list.
Commission Rate: 10%
Payment Terms: Monthly
Cookie Duration: 60 days
Application required?: Yes – personal and website information required.
Marketing material provided: Banners, Text Links, coupon codes
10. Suc-it
Suc-it is a small site that only contains one product – the suc-it selfie pad. This little pad allows for hands free use of your mobile phone just about anywhere. It is cheap and comes in a variety of colours and sizes.
There are plenty of other accessories listed within this post but to be honest, I just liked the look of this one and cannot help but think of all the places that this little device would come in handy. Again, you wouldn’t’t be able to build a site around it but it would certainly be a handy ‘side sale’ addition to any phone niche site.
Commission Rate: 15%
Payment Terms: Monthly
Cookie Duration: Not Stated
Application required?: Yes – Suc-it’s affiliate program is managed by ECA. You will be required to apply for an account and then for the Suc-it affiliate program. You will need to enter personal and website information as well as promotional plans and platforms to be used.
Marketing material provided: Banners, Text Links, Affiliate newsletter
Amazon Associates
Alternatively, should you wish to set up your site up with a range from a few different brands or companies on the same site then you can do so via Amazon. Amazon provides access to a good range of smartphone related products and has a fairly good affiliate program as well. So if you wish, join the Amazon Associates program, locate the best products relevant to your site within Amazon itself and you can post links on your own site as per below:
Amazon’s commission rates are not too bad and some prefer this avenue due to the sheer amount of traffic and trustworthiness that comes with a company site of this size.
How to find your own affiliate programs
As stated earlier, by outlining the sites above I have really just tried to give you a good cross section of the types of programs that are out there by listing the really good ones in each ‘category’. That does not mean that you cannot find affiliate programs that better suit what it is that you are trying to do within this space – especially as I could never even begin to cover every phone related requirement or sub niche in the one post. Luckily for us, there is a simple way to find these programs online.
All you need to do is enter “affiliate: niche type” into your search engine (substituting ‘niche type‘ for whatever product it is that you are choosing to sell).
There are smartphone related affiliate programs for everything else that we have listed at the top of this page as well – you will just need to have a look around until you find one or two that suit your site. Once you have completed your searches, you can look through and find programs that:
- Relate to your niche/problems that you are solving.
- Have quality products – your brand can be severely damaged if you promote poor quality products.
- Have solid payment and customer service arrangement.
- Pay decent commissions.
- Have good testimonials covering commission payouts and quality of product.
In most cases, you will need to apply for the program before you are allowed to promote their products – don’t take this step lightly or you will be rejected. Affiliate programs will generally want to know:
- Your website name.
- Traffic levels.
- Why you want to join – (“so I can make money by selling your selfie sticks” is unfortunately not generally a good enough answer).
- How you plan to promote their products.
Conclusion
So… There are 10 of the best cell phone affiliate programs to work with this year. I hope it has been helpful for you as you commence your own phone based affiliate marketing business and as usual, please do not hesitate to comment below if you have any questions, need some advice or have any experiences to share. Oh, and especially comment if you have any experience with these, or any other programs as well.
Until next time
Have fun
Paul
Note: If you make a purchase from this page, there is a very good chance that I make a commission from it – these commissions do not increase your sale price. This may include sales made via Wealthy Affiliate.
Do you want further assistance with any of the above or need help to build your own smartphone based website?
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