Developing strong, long-lasting relationships with the affiliates is vital, and for this, retailers must understand the differences between their role and that of affiliates.
It is primarily the job of the affiliates to drive high volumes of consumers to the retailer's site through their own portal, forum or blog; it is not their responsibility to convert them into loyal customers - this requirement falls to the retailer.
So, how can marketers ensure affiliates are pulling their weight and that both parties are aware of each other's objectives?
1. Treat affiliates as part of the marketing mix. Keep them updated with developments within the marketing strategy: they are an integral part of a digital marketing campaign. By treating them as a partner, they will feel valued and be more likely to drive high-quality customers to you.
2. Target the affiliates with whom you want to work. Affiliates are like any supplier and you need to understand the difference between them and the qualities each can bring to the table.
3. Understand what affiliates want to achieve from the relationship. Affiliates work on a commission basis, so marketers commonly think that this is the main driving factor for them. It is also equally vital for them to work with merchants in which their audience will be interested, in order to keep visitors coming back.Retailers must work closely with their affiliates and create a bespoke offering for each of them, whether this focuses on commission rates or products that will be pushed via their websites.
4. Keep the creative fresh. Affiliates are protective of their website, forum or blog content, and rightly so. They do not want to promote, say, Valentine's Day goods after 14 February.
5. Give it time. Review your strategy and adapt it accordingly; seek honest advice from the affiliates and the networks; and avoid knee-jerk reactions.
David Hall, communications director at online marketing
POWER POINTS
- Work alongside an affiliate with the right target audience
- By treating them as a partner, they will be more likely to drive high-quality customers to you
WHAT IT MEANS FOR ...
Brands: Affiliate marketing offers brands the potential to reach a wider audience. For example, networks are using their technologies to help traditional publishers and established online portals generate CPA revenues.
Consumers: Consumers are using blogs, price comparison sites and so on to help them make the right purchasing decision. For retailers it is about catching consumers when they are browsing.
Agencies: Affiliate marketing is designed to reinforce existing strategy. Agencies should seek to understand what can be achieved through affiliate marketing and communicate this to the client, acting as the middleman between affiliates and retailers. When entering this arena, agencies have added responsibility and must be aware of how the client wants to be represented on affiliate sites. Agencies need to help merchants avoid problems by educating their affiliates about their clients' core brand values.