Be Free, which builds and maintains online affiliate marketing programs, yesterday said it has set up a “blue ribbon” program that will reward clients that maintain quality business practices.
The Be Free Acclaim Program, set to start next month, will reward partner marketing programs featured on Be Free's Fast App affiliate application with an “Acclamation Point” if they reach and maintain certain criteria.
The program is designed to encourage Be Free's customers to run first-class partner marketing programs and subsequently to raise “the bar for affiliate partner marketing and enhancing the overall quality of affiliate programs across the Web,” according to the Marlborough, MA-based firm.
“This means advanced technology from Be Free,” said Sam Gerace, founder and chief technology officer at Be Free, “but also requires Be Free's customers to make improvements and changes in their individual partner marketing programs. The overall goal is to significantly improve the affiliates' collective success, both for partners and for our customers.”
The Acclamation Points, which will be featured on Be Free's Fast App and Reporting.net partner resource center, will help affiliate partners to evaluate and select merchant programs that best suit their needs and expectations.
Programs that do not meet the Acclaim criteria will remain on the Fast App without the Acclamation Point. New programs will be given a period of four months before being evaluated for the program. Each month, Be Free will send an Acclaim Status Update e-mail message to affiliate partners that have opted in to receive communications from Be Free. This message will list all of the merchants that have changed their Acclaim status in the past month.
The required criteria include providing monthly payments to partners; sending payments to partners within 35 days of the payment period end date; providing partners with 14 days advance notice of compensation changes; providing Be Free with timely and accurate transaction information; posting an e-mail address for support inquiries on Reporting.net and responding to inquiries within five business days; and being in good standing with Be Free.
Optional criteria include using automated payment scheduling; providing a monthly e-mail communication to some segment of partner base; maintaining complete and current partner application data; and completing BFAST training.
