Romancing your affiliates
Wednesday 03 February 2010
TAGS: Affiliate marketing |
Forget the hearts and flowers, Client Service Manager, Emma Adcock attempts to discover “What Affiliates Really Want”…and she gets a strong feeling a cheap Valentines card might not cut it…
I don’t know about your feelings on St Valentines Day - are you coolly cynical - rising above all that romantic slush or as one of my friends jokingly calls it “The Love Tax”? Or joyously all embracing - 12 pink teddies carrying a love poem and a trip to Paris? Yes please! Whichever bracket you fall into on Feb the 14th you have to think about how you approach it ensuring that special person knows they’re …ahem….cared about (I kept that toned down for all those that nodded at “romantic slush”).
In the realms of affiliate marketing we often advise our merchants to view the affiliates they work with as long term, mutually beneficial business partners and as I contemplated which pink ted I would prefer this February I thought about the similarities between a successful affiliate campaign and those qualities searched for in a potential life partner- in essence “What Affiliates Really Want.”
To explain- like a life partner we may want good looks, success, sparkling wit and bags of cash, just as affiliates would ideally want huge commissions and lots of prizes, but we don’t live in a fantasy land and as mere merchants margins and budgets are subject to certain parameters. Attracting and keeping your affiliates, whilst also ensuring they are actively promoting your products is of course necessary to get the most out of your affiliate program and maximise your revenue- so ensuring you provide what they need is definitely advisable:
What Affiliates Really Want:
Number One Want: An Honest, Dependable Type
Affiliates want to work with credible merchants with integrity, like you they are fiercely protective of their customers and want what’s best for them. A good affiliate would never consider a merchant they felt offered a shoddy service or product. They also wish for a reliable merchant who works with a secure affiliate network that provides good reporting and tracking.
Number Two Want: Constant Communication
To promote your products properly affiliates need information and tools and advice, they would love to know the same facts you do to generate more sales for example who’s your target audience? When’s your next promotion? What’s worked for you in the past? What’s your best selling item? If you provide them with regular information and updates this causes a stir and ignites their interest and understanding.
Number Three Want: A Promising Future
They are devoting limited and valuable space to your program and they want to know you’re ambitious, that you will grow, that you will add to your product range and raise your brand profile- as they want to grow with you and make the most of your affiliate program too- helping you to make the most revenue in the process as a nice by-product.
Number Four Want: A Bit of Excitement
Sometimes a relationship needs a bit of extra spice and there are a number of methods you can use to grab your affiliates attention ranging from something as simple as involving them in discussions regarding up and coming promotions and asking for their input- or something a little bit more exotic like affiliate specific promotions and prizes based upon sales and order values.
Number Five Want: An Easy Life
Finally and most fundamentally affiliates just want an easy life and wouldn’t you choose to promote a merchant that converts sales easily, has a great product range and provides support over the rest?
So how do you ensure these needs are met? Without being trite or shamelessly self promoting- come and talk to us, we contact and build relationships with thousands of affiliates every day, we work with the best affiliate networks, we devise online promotional plans to stimulate affiliate sales, we create and implement affiliate prize draws and promotions and we support our affiliates every step of the way- making the most money for you in the process- and we don’t even expect a bunch of roses for it.
Emma Adcock is a Client Services Manager at Silverbean. If you have any questions or would like to discuss how Silverbean can help you achieve your marketing objectives through an affiliate marketing campaign; please contact our resident affiliate marketing agency expert using one of the following.