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PHASED DEVELOPMENT PLAN: TRANSITIONING FROM CJ AFFILIATE/SHAREASALE TO YOUR OWN SYSTEM

 

PHASE 1: USING CJ AFFILIATE / SHAREASALE AS INITIAL SETUP

1. Setting Up with CJ Affiliate or ShareASale

  • Goal: Use an established affiliate network to quickly get your affiliate program started while building traction.

  • Tasks:

    • Sign up with CJ Affiliate or ShareASale and set up your JesusStraight Affiliate Program there.

    • Upload marketing materials (banners, text links, social media posts).

    • Set up your commission structure (e.g., 20% per referral after costs).

    • Track referrals and payout commissions through their platform.

2. Managing Affiliates

  • Goal: Recruit affiliates through CJ Affiliate / ShareASale’s existing network.

  • Tasks:

    • Provide instructions and resources to affiliates on how to promote your platform.

    • Track their performance using the dashboard of CJ Affiliate / ShareASale.

    • Monitor payouts and commissions, ensuring all payments are handled by the affiliate network.

3. Advantages of Starting Here

  • You gain immediate access to a large pool of affiliates who are already familiar with using the platform.

  • Less development is needed at this stage since you’re leveraging their systems for tracking, payouts, and management.

 

PHASE 2: BEGIN TRANSITION TO YOUR OWN SYSTEM (WORDPRESS-BASED)

1. Parallel Affiliate Setup on WordPress

  • Goal: Start setting up your own affiliate system while continuing to run on CJ Affiliate or ShareASale.

  • Tools: Use AffiliateWP or Affiliates Manager plugins for WordPress.

  • Tasks:

    • Install the affiliate management plugin on your WordPress site.

    • Create affiliate sign-up forms, referral tracking, and dashboards for affiliates.

    • Import your existing affiliates or invite new ones to sign up through your WordPress system.

    • Set up the same commission structure (e.g., 20%) that you’re using with CJ Affiliate / ShareASale to ensure consistency.

2. Offering Affiliates the Option to Switch

  • Goal: Gradually encourage affiliates to move from CJ Affiliate / ShareASale to your new platform.

  • Tasks:

    • Offer incentives for affiliates who sign up for your new system, such as higher commission rates or additional bonuses.

    • Provide instructions on how to use the new platform, highlighting the benefits (e.g., simpler payout process, direct support).

    • Continue to run both systems in parallel during this transition phase.

 

PHASE 3: PHASE OUT CJ AFFILIATE / SHAREASALE

1. Complete Migration to Your Own System

  • Goal: Fully transition from using CJ Affiliate / ShareASale to only using your WordPress system.

  • Tasks:

    • Notify your affiliates on CJ Affiliate / ShareASale that you’ll be phasing out the program on that platform.

    • Offer incentives and clear deadlines to encourage affiliates to move to your new system.

    • Gradually stop accepting new affiliates on CJ Affiliate / ShareASale and direct them to your WordPress platform.

2. Automating Your WordPress Affiliate System

  • Goal: Automate as much of the affiliate management process as possible on your WordPress site.

  • Tools:

    • Use Stripe or PayPal to automate payouts to affiliates.

    • Use AffiliateWP’s reporting and tracking features to monitor affiliate performance.

  • Tasks:

    • Automate the calculation of commissions and referral periods (e.g., 90 days).

    • Set up automatic payouts on a monthly or bi-weekly basis.

    • Provide affiliates with detailed analytics and marketing tools via the WordPress dashboard.

3. Shutting Down on CJ Affiliate / ShareASale

  • Goal: Fully deactivate your affiliate program on CJ Affiliate / ShareASale.

  • Tasks:

    • Notify all remaining affiliates that the program on CJ Affiliate / ShareASale is closing.

    • Ensure that final payments are made to any remaining affiliates on the platform.

    • Close the program on CJ Affiliate / ShareASale and focus exclusively on your in-house WordPress affiliate system.

 

PHASE 4: SCALING YOUR OWN AFFILIATE SYSTEM

1. Expanding Features and Functionality

  • Goal: Enhance your WordPress-based affiliate system by adding advanced features.

  • Tasks:

    • Implement multi-tier commissions, allowing affiliates to earn from their referrals’ network.

    • Set up leaderboards, milestone rewards, and other gamification elements to motivate affiliates.

    • Offer global payouts by integrating multi-currency support and enabling international affiliates to join and promote the Jesus Network.

2. Customizing the Affiliate Program

  • Goal: Make your affiliate system fully branded and tailored to the Jesus Network.

  • Tasks:

    • Customize the affiliate dashboard, referral links, and marketing tools to reflect your mission and brand.

    • Offer affiliate training resources directly on your platform, teaching affiliates how to better promote JesusStraight.

    • Build in multi-language support to cater to a global audience.

 

CONCLUSION

This phased plan outlines how you can transition from using platforms like CJ Affiliate or ShareASale to fully managing your own affiliate system on WordPress. Starting with established networks gives you immediate access to a large affiliate base, while building your own system gradually allows you to control the process, customize it to your needs, and ultimately offer affiliates a more personalized and branded experience.

By the end of the transition, you’ll have full control over your commission structures, payouts, and affiliate relationships, enabling you to align the program closely with the mission of spreading the message of JesusStraight.

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