finding a perfect fit: selecting the best affiliate program

Finding A Perfect Fit:

Selecting The Best Affiliate Program

Amy Ely, Under ArmourElizabeth Silvermaster, Silvermaster Consulting

Karen McMahon, The Affiliate WhispererKim Salvino, Performance Horizon Group

Agenda• Introduction• Getting Started: The Affiliate Perspective• Statistics & Logistics: For All Programs & By Affiliate

Type • Spotlight: Travel Programs• Spotlight: Retail Apparel Programs• Spotlight: Cost Per Lead Programs• Final Thoughts

IntroductionsAmy Ely manages the Canada affiliate program for Under Armour and became a proud member of the affiliate community in 2006.

Elizabeth Silvermaster is the Founder of Silvermaster Consulting and has managed advertiser affiliate programs across many verticals, forming relationships in affiliate marketing since 2007.

Karen McMahon is The Affiliate Whisperer. She has worked as a loyalty model affiliate publisher for the last 9 years and has worked as an affiliate manager and affiliate program strategist for the last 7 years.

Kim Salvino is Client Services Director for Performance Horizon Group and has been managing and optimizing affiliate programs since 2005.

Getting Started: The Affiliate Perspective

A 2012 Forrester report estimates the affiliate marketing industry will grow to

$4.5 billion by 2016.


The Affiliate Landscape

http://info.linkshare.com/download-our-new-affiliate-marketing-whitepaper

Room For All vs. Competition


Find Your Place: What Type of Affiliate Are You?


Different Types of Affiliates Have Different Needs &

Requests


Statistics & Logistics: For All

Programs & By Affiliate Type

• Commission: 62% • Product or Service

Relevancy: 54.4% • Affiliate Network /

Tracking Platform: 36.7%• Brand Awareness: 34.2% • Merchant Reputation: 31%

Statistics & Logistics: For All Programs & By Affiliate Type

2013

Affiliates were asked what their top 3 factors are when selecting what merchant to promote:

• Product/Service Relevancy: 21%• Brand Awareness: 16%• Affiliate Program Reputation:

15%• Commission: 10%• Affiliate Network /Tracking

Platform: 10%


Affiliates were asked when selecting a merchant to promote, what is the top factor that sways their decision?

• Product or Service Relevancy: 21%• Brand Awareness: 16%• Affiliate Program Reputation: 15%• Commission: 10%• Aff Network /Tracking Platform:

10%


• Commission: 21% • Product or Service Relevancy: 18% • Aff Network / Tracking Platform:

12%• Brand Awareness: 11%• Merchant Reputation: 10%

2014 2013 (Adjusted)

Commission Brand Awareness

Product or Service

Relevancy

Affiliate Program

Reputation

Aff Ntwk / Tracking Platform

Merchant Reputation

0

5

10

15

20

25

2014

2013 ADJ

More Things Affiliates Love!

• Who is managing the Affiliate Program? • Is the Affiliate Manager responsive?• Are there consistently new offers to promote?• Are the offers written well? Is the creative up-to-date?• Are the newsletters/announcements easy to read and use?• Does the Merchant allow you to deep link into their site?• Is the Merchant’s site easy to navigate and purchase from? • Are the Merchant’s policies clearly stated?


Needs Unique To Affiliate Type

Coupon• New offers sent regularly with clear details & start/end dates?• Clean data from coupon automation feeds?

Niche & Product Comparison• Regularly updated, consistent data from product catalog feeds?

Loyalty• Additional tracking fields (SIDs) consistently fed back from Merchant’s site?

Blogs & Content Sites• Merchant copy/Individual brand copy available?• Deep Linking options & product suggestions?


Needs Unique To Affiliate Type

Search Engine Marketing• Merchant policies easy to understand?• Will Affiliate Manager work with you to explore regional, category and/or

brand bidding opportunities?

Lead Generation• How is company managing fraudulent affiliate actions?

Cost Per Click (CPC)• Relevant ad creative with compelling calls to action?• Upfront information re: budget restrictions?• Dependable click tracking technology and reporting?



Some Well-Managed Affiliate Programs to

Consider:

http://jebcommerce.com/clients

Spotlight: Travel Programs

Travel Programs: Building Blocks

Commission Structure• Margin based – consider per lead, pay upon booking or

consumption options• Risk vs. Reward – initial payouts vs. cancellation rates

Cookie Duration• 30 days+ - consumers spend time researching big ticket

purchases, must confirm travel with companions, etc.

Phone Tracking• Ask what % of overall online traffic converts to phone sales on

average

Mobile Tracking• Is mobile booking/purchase available and can it be tracked via

affiliate?



Reporting Requirements• Pixel should contain as many parameters as possible – room rate

& type, # of nights, market, property… Data should be made available to you to tweak marketing efforts.

• Use subIDs, pubrefs, etc. to track different channels

Commissionable Items DisclosureVerify program’s commissionable items• Confirmed bookings• Group travel• Travel packages• Rental cars


• Gift cards/e-certificates• Tickets to local attractions• Add-ons: upgrades,

excursions, spa appointments


Travel Affiliate Program Promotional Materials: Must Haves• Datafeed or API Access – real time data inventory availability &

pricing• Clean creative with compelling calls to action• Ability to deep link, within the site & booking engine• If global, creative in all market languages and currencies• Keywords – an acceptable list of generic terms• Best practices, hotel trends, market/property demographics• Proactive program management



Travel Affiliate Program Promotional Materials: Above & Beyond• White label functionality• Widgets, dynamic search boxes, video content• On-site Tours• Exclusive rates, pre-release promotions, flash sales• Co-branded capabilities• Content tips:

o Infographicso Slideshow presentationso Press releaseso High quality photo stock


o Detailed property descriptionso List of unique amenities &

inclusionso Pet and eco-friendly confirmation

Spotlight: Retail Apparel Programs

Brand Relevancy: Is This The Right Fit?

Do You Believe In The Brand?• Do you personally shop at or support the brand you’re promoting?

Will Your Audience Respond?• Does the brand appeal to your current audience?• Can/should you design additional sites to grow the relationship?

Marketing The Brand: Are You Setup For Success?• Is the brand well recognized and does it have a good reputation?

o Establishes customer confidence = better conversion• Do the products fit well with your promotional calendar or marketing ideas?

o Back to school, Fall essentials, etc.o Avoid simply posting a branded banner


Program Structure: Key Considerations

Commission Structure• Steady commission vs. volume based• Rev share vs. flat commission per product • Does commission vary by product?• Is commission influenced by new customer vs. repeat customers?• What are the exceptions? Gift cards? Employee orders? Etc.• How do cancellations and full or partial returns impact payment?

Cookie Duration• Often 30 days – typically not a big purchase requiring extra research


If these details are not listed in the retailer’s program terms – ask!

Program Structure: Key Considerations

Tracking • Phone: do you receive credit for phone orders inspired by your site?• Mobile: are mobile orders tracked appropriately via affiliate?• Multiple geographies: If separate programs exist, how does tracking work?

Reporting• Determine what information can be provided:

o Product level detail enables smarter marketingo If new/repeat customers are valued differently, request this insight


Creative Assets: Directly Impact Success

Marketing Calendar• Communication is key!• Ask for key selling timeframes, new product launches and big stories • Plan ahead & align (where possible) with big themes on your site

Data Feeds• Regularly updated: daily updates to accurately reflect inventory• Contain quality imagery: multiple image views and sizes• Well categorized: age, gender, size, color, price, category• Sub feeds: top sellers, sale items, seasonal or weather-specific products,

feeds by customer type (gender), or interest (football)• Store builders: is a tool available via the program or network?• Add’l. resources : partnerships with For Me To Coupon and PopShops


Creative Assets: Directly Impact Success

Banners & Text• Regularly updated• Variety = accommodate and inspire• IAB Standard and unique sizes• Mobile & tablet responsive sizes• Deep text links to boost conversion • Capability to deep link

Unique Content• Press releases and product launch information• Product specs, descriptions, and key selling points• Gift guides and seasonal spotlights


Spotlight: Cost Per Lead Programs

Lead Programs: Various Types


Long Life Cycle

Mortgage

Insurance

Short Term Trial

Software

Online Services

Future Payment

Travel

Rentals

Commission Structure: More Than A

Dollar AmountCommission Is Often Based Upon: • The amount of information requested for lead

Start With The Lead Form Or Call Questions:• Is the lead form easy to follow and simple to fill out?• Is it clear the reason why the consumer needs to provide the information?• What information is the company asking for?• Leakage – is there a phone number or outbound link and does it track back

to you?• Reality Check - would you feel comfortable filling out the lead form?

Creative Options• Clear, concise banners and text language• Email, advanced links, hosted lead forms


Commission Structure: More Than A

Dollar AmountUnderstand Conversion Rate vs. Lead Commission• The battle of TMI – do you host a form

or number that asks TMI?• Is the company recognizable and

trustworthy?• Is the model sustainable? Too little

information for too much commission often means the program won’t last.

• Get an understanding of conversion rate and return rate, and calculate what will be best for you!


Reporting: Can Make Or Break A Program

Pixel Reporting vs. Batch Reporting

• Pixel or Post Reportingo Provides real time informationo Might not contain all the data you needo Might not do any lead validation

• Batcho Lead information might be validatedo Might contain additional details that helps understand conversion rateo Delay in conversion information

• Ideal program: validates lead information in real time


Reporting: Can Make Or Break A Program

Platform Necessities• Flexible tracking options for advertiser implementation• Fair locking model and commission payment options• Provides detailed reporting and shares information provided by

advertiser• Allows for additional tracking options

o Pixel piggybacking, subIDs, etc.


Final Thoughts• Find a place in affiliate marketing that you love and enjoy. Look for

affiliate programs that are well managed and provide the resources you need to be successful.

• Ensure you are 100% clear on commission structure, including eligible items and the impact of returns.

• Choose programs that you are proud to support – your level of interest impacts your ability to promote them effectively

• Make sure any lead programs you promote make sense for your customers and have transparent reporting and validation.

Contact Us

Find Us On TwitterAmy Ely @aely

Elizabeth Silvermaster @esilvermasterKaren McMahon @Aff_Whisperer

Kim Salvino @kim_salvino