It’s the Holiday Season and Santa isn’t the only one making his list and checking it twice. Networks and Merchants all over the World Wide Web are busy making their lists as well. All they want for Christmas, all they want everyday is the Perfect Affiliate. Let’s explore the qualities that an affiliate needs in order to achieve perfection.
To simplify the world of Affiliate Marketing: there are Advertisers and Affiliates. Ideally, these two groups treat each other as trusted partners that the Performance Marketing world requires them to be for this model to work. A Merchant or Advertiser is someone with a great product or service, a wonderful website (at least in their eyes) who would like to drive more traffic to buy their products or services. An Affiliate or Publisher knows how to bring traffic to the Advertiser’s site. Networks are like match makers, finding both Affiliates and Advertisers and setting them up on dates where the Affiliate and Advertiser find companionship, or continue courting other partners in the never-ending search for a profitable relationship.
While researching for this article, I typed in the term ‘Perfect Affiliate’ into my favorite search engine. I then searched the same terms on several of the top search engines. It was very enlightening. Instead of finding a Perfect Affiliate the results all uniformly offer tips for finding the Perfect Affiliate PROGRAM. Apparently, this is a very one-sided marketplace, where Affiliate are free to seek perfect programs but Advertisers and Networks have never publicly sought a perfect affiliate.
There were so many articles written about the Perfect Affiliate PROGRAM that I decided I might learn something by reading a few of them. The articles all seemed to contain a laundry list of what the authors regarded as good reasons for choosing a (hopefully perfect) program to become an affiliate for, but none of them contained advice that might make an affiliate a Perfect Affiliate.
I interviewed several Network Affiliate Managers and a few near perfect affiliates as well; I’ve come up with my own definition for what makes the Perfect Affiliate. It’s deceptively simple; the Perfect Affiliate makes money for both themselves and their Advertiser, (and their Network if there’s on in the picture). Even if the Perfect Affiliate never takes a shower or brushes their teeth, their successful production is what puts them in the perfect category every time. Ok, that’s very simple, but it’s also the first rule of being the Perfect Affiliate:
#1 Rule – Perfect Affiliates are Profitable!
Affiliates choose the programs that they get involved in, and that to a great extent determines their success or failure. Selecting a program that works with your strengths is an important first step toward being Perfect. If the program you select has great tools, and the product is one you understand, you’re half-way to Perfect. If you are an emailer and your list(s) really buy every mortgage, credit card and financial service you send them, it may be a big mistake to send them a ring tone offer. If you’re a search guru and the keywords you already purchase are throwing off leads that are related, for example health leads might easily tie you into beauty or fitness, so expanding your business in related ways can help you achieve perfection. If you find you don’t choose well for yourself, make sure you hook up with a great network, and get friendly with their Affiliate Manager, they can help you select offers to run. So the next rule is:
#2 Rule – Perfect Affiliates pick programs that they can be Successful with!
The offer that an Affiliate is evaluating needs to have a lot going for it. For one thing, the offer needs to be legitimate! Is the offer legal? Does the Advertiser have a good reputation in the market? Sending spam makes you a Spammer – these are crucial questions to ask. Do they pay their Affiliates on time, or will you be constantly struggling to get paid? Rule #3 is:
#3 Rule – Perfect Affiliates do their Homework
So the Product or Program that you select should hit your target audience, be legitimate and pay out without problems. Not every offer will make money for you the first month or two. If you believe in it, and are willing to re-work your strategy to make the offer profitable, you’re getting closer to Perfect. The best affiliates are the ones that really understand the process, from click to conversion, and know that it takes work on their part. Many new affiliates expect every offer to work and if they see results lower than expected, give up too easily. The more experienced affiliates know they have to test different offers and different media to find what works best for them. Check conversion rates, measure and understand your data and constantly evaluate the results.
#4 Rule – Perfect Affiliates work Hard, don’t give up and evaluate offers constantly
Trust is a big issue between advertisers, networks and affiliates. An Advertiser or Network has to trust that their affiliate will conform to CAN SPAM and other DMA best practices to ensure that their brand is never injured by an affiliate’s actions. And Affiliates need to be able to trust their advertiser or network, and know that they are looking out for them as well. A great Affiliate Manager at a Network or Advertiser can steer Perfect Affiliates toward gems and away from troubled offers. Danay Escanaverino put it this way, “There are quite a few affiliate managers who work hard on their affiliates’ behalf acting as an advocate to ensure that they are compensated fairly for their hard work by advertisers. There is definitely a big opportunity for mutual trust and while it is up to AMs to cultivate that, it is certainly great when an affiliate for whom you fought and worked to help recognizes the effort and allows you to do your thing on their behalf.”
#5 Rule – Perfect Affiliates form mutually Trusting Relationships
Tied in with Trust is Respect – the Perfect Affiliate respects the offers and abides by the rules associated with the offers. Rules like keeping current on creatives and keeping current on suppression lists are crucial. Following the program guidelines will keep you out of trouble with the Advertiser or Network you’re working with. Shawn Schaefer, Marketing Director for LinkValu Affiliate Network advises. “Don’t cut corners, if an offer’s terms and conditions stipulate ‘no co-registration’ then don’t do that!” Abiding by stated rules is one of the hallmarks of Perfect behavior.
#6 Rule – Perfect Affiliates Respect each Offer’s Terms and Conditions
As an Affiliate Marketer, you are part of a team. You are the virtual sales force for every offer you promote! You are down in the trenches of marketing, getting the offers out to the consumers and you are often in the best possible place to provide valuable feedback to the Advertiser who owns the offer. Advertisers and Affiliate Managers aren’t mind readers! A smart Advertiser will listen to your suggestions and make necessary changes. Is the creative getting tired? Let them know! Are your conversions dropping? Let them know! Give your feedback in detail and freely, because the improvements a smart Advertiser makes will improve your payouts!
#7 Rule – Perfect Affiliates offer Actionable Feedback to Advertisers
Perhaps the most important rule for Perfect Affiliates is ‘Remember to Communicate!’ Robert Dedich, email Marketing Coordinator at Spectrum Direct says “The perfect affiliate is proactive” meaning they stay in contact and ask what offers do well and what creative works. The Perfect Affiliate doesn’t just make calls, they return them, and they are forthcoming with information on their calls. The feedback an affiliate provides to an advertiser often helps the advertiser improve their program, sometimes leading to increased payouts for the affiliate. Annie Coryat, President of iForce Media says “The perfect affiliate is on top of their game and pays attention to the details of the offer. They stay in communication, check back in and give feedback.” Annie has told a few less-than-perfect affiliates “I think we need to see other people” when it became obvious that they weren’t working out.
#8 Rule – Perfect Affiliates Communicate Openly and Often
To conclude, I’ve determined that Perfect Affiliates are more frequently affiliates that have been with an Advertiser for a while, and like a good marriage, they’ve grown to trust and benefit from open communications. Perfect Affiliates do not grow on trees; if they did no one would be crowding the halls at AdTech or Affiliate Summit and other gatherings where Advertisers go to broadcast how great their offers are. If Perfect Affiliates could be ordered online at EBay, and arrived via FedEx, the face of the Performance Marketing World would be quite different, and we’d all have one or two of them under the tree this year.
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