Strategies that take your affiliate campaigns beyond links.
Creating an affiliate program is an action full of value and ambition, in which we put all our efforts in order to have good results. This can change after a few months when we do not get the desired result, achieving only a few sales, affiliates who are not active and with the uncertainty that our average growth channel does not reach the desired results.
Don't worry, the mistake is not in the strategy, the mistake is in the way we face it. In order to achieve good results we don't have to focus on distributing links to affiliates and expect miracles.
In order to have a good affiliate program, we have to get rid of the traditional mindset we may have about the affiliate system. Next, we can learn how to take our affiliate program to the level of transforming it into a growth machine based on strategy.
1- The search for partners.
The first thing we have to keep in mind is that we have to stop looking for affiliates, we have to change our mentality and look for partners. We have to start in the affiliates as an important part of our marketing team, left behind the idea of the affiliate as a number in our control panel.
- Conversion: the first thing we have to do is to stop being generic, actions such as sending PDF with generalized information, a good idea is to create “The Kit to success” using presentations that convey information in a direct way and create banners that do not look like they were designed in the 90s. Another important thing to keep in mind is to give the scoop to your affiliates so that they are aware of the new launches that we are going to have.
- The key is communication: It is true that email automations to welcome a new affiliate can be a very useful tool, but we have to keep in mind that automations do not build relationships. So, the best we can do is to set in our calendars meetings with the best performers, private communication channels are an effective tool, as they allow us to share opinions and ideas. Channels are very important as long as we make them feel that the opinion matters, this way we can make our affiliates feel heard and in turn they will get more involved in our offers.
2- Quality over quantity
Having too many affiliates subscribed to our offers is not a good metric to take into account if only 8,000 are active. It is better to have 100 affiliates engaged with our brand than to have 20,000 who only spam our link.
- Ideal Affiliate Profile: How can we know which is the perfect affiliate profile for our product? In order to know what the ideal affiliate profile is, we have to first ask ourselves if we want a youtuber, a tiktok influencer or a blogger. Based on our product, we have to create the perfect affiliate profile.
- On the hunt for digital talent. The most direct option is the best, all we have to do is look for content creators who are promoting a product similar to ours, contact them and tell them why their profile and content fits our brand.
3- Commissions that really incentivize
We have to say no to flat commissions, as these do not incentivize high performance. A good commission structure is one that rewards effort and loyalty.
- Tired Commissions. Establishing a scalable commission system helps us to create engagement with our affiliate. An example of this is to start with a 10% commission on the first sales, a commission that rises to 15% after they exceed a set sales volume. In this way, we will ensure that our affiliates have a clear objective and the desire to grow.
- Bonuses. The implementation of achievement bonuses is an incentive for affiliates who achieve a number of sales or creative content during the month.
- Public recognition. Publish and give recognition in our social networks to the affiliate of the month or send a newsletter to recognize the work done.
4- Technology integrations
Technology integration is not just another expense, a robust affiliate platform such as LinkTrust is not a luxury, it is the backbone of our offering program.
- Escalation automation. Having automated payments, tracking and reporting frees us to focus on our offer strategy and strengthen partner relationships.
- Data as a compass. The last click is not important, we have to analyze which affiliates are the most valuable, which content generates the best conversion and what is our real ROI. With this information we will be able to refine each time our strategy until we get the results we want to achieve.
5- The End Customer
Being able to simplify the end customer experience does not mean that the affiliate's work does not end the moment the customer clicks.
- Conversion through Landing Pages. Our landing pages have to be optimized and have to be specific. For example, if an affiliate talks about books, the link we provide to the affiliate must redirect directly to that page.
Our duty will always be to promote affiliate marketing and in order to do so we will not achieve it with a single trick, but we have to have a system in which both the affiliate and we can grow together.
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