What 90% of Affiliate Managers Often Overlook

Essentials Overlooked by 90% of Affiliate Managers Presented by: Missy Ward (Twitter.com/MissyWard) Co-Founder of Affiliate Summit, FeedFront Magazine, GeekCast.fm & AffStat.com Co-Publisher of Revenews.com & MoneyMindedMoms.com

Affiliate Recruitment

The Recruitment Hot Mess
Where it all goes wrong:
More or Less?
Time Commitment
The Affiliate Content
Exposure/Networking
How to Find Affiliates
The Pitch
Incentives
Photo by GuideSpot.com

Mistake #1: More is Always Better
Goal: Make Determination on Quantity vs. Quality
80/20 Rule?
Available Resources

Mistake #2: Recruitment Isn’t That Important
Goal: Time = Money when it comes to recruiting.
If you build it, they will come mentality
Takes too much time to recruit
Factors:
Size/Age of Program
Manpower (Dedicated AM?)
Seasonality
Competition
Suggested Commitment:
1-2 hours per day/week

Mistake #3: Affiliate Information Page Sucks
Goal: Grab Affiliate’s Attention
Conspicuously displayed on Merchant Page
Sell Without Hype
Competitive Advantage
Commission, Cookie Duration
Conversion Rates
Sample Creatives, Deals, Promotions
Link to Blog, Facebook, Twitter, Contact
Info, Newsletter, etc.

Mistake #4: It’s OK To Be Shy
Goal: Make Your Face Synonymous With the Program Your Managing
Can’t be afraid to Network
Elevator Pitch
Guest Posts, Podcasts
Industry Magazines
Meetups
Forums
Facebook, Twitter, Linked In

Mistake #5: Finding New Affiliates is Easy
Goal: Create a Multi-Channel Approach to Recruitment
Existing Customers
Announcements (Forums, Groups, Newsletters,
Blogs, Twitter, Network, LinkedIn, Facebook…
Affiliate Directories
PPC/SEM to Affiliate Program Page
Advertising
Cooperative Marketing
Individual Recruitment

Mistake #5: Mass Solicitations
Goal: Target Properly But Do Not Spam
Software (Arelis, LinkCapture, Syntryx)
Search Engine Rank/Domain Tools
List Buying
Promotion (Win a Free …)
Network Email

Mistake #5: Used Car Salesman Approach
Goal: Discuss Specific Ways Your Program Works With Their Site
Avoid Generics (Highest Paying Offers, Best Conversions, etc)
Avoid Jargon, Overpromises & Lengthy Emails
Avoid Misleading and Generic Subject Lines
Take time to review site, discuss specifics
Provide examples (Creatives, Coupons, etc.)

Mistake #5: Forgetting the Wow!
Goal: Stand Out from the Pack
Sample Products
Exclusive Deals For Their Audience
Test Budget (Deducted from Commissions)
Slotting Fees
Exclusive Landing Pages
Bonus Commissions
Contests

Miscellaneous Things That Affiliate Managers Overlook in the Area of Recruitment (that drive me crazy)
Don’t use a contact database, so they forget who they contacted – and how many times
Don’t follow up after 1 st email solicitation
That affiliates may not want to be contacted by OPMs for other programs
Avoid blogs altogether
Forget to put the Join URL in the solicitation
Using a non-related email address (gmail, yahoo, etc.)
Use generic names (Affiliate Manager @)
Forget about seasonality, holidays, etc.
Stalking is creepy and guessing at email addresses makes you look lame
Responding to inquiries that come back from solicitations in a timely manner

Contact Me
Twitter.com/missyward
Facebook.com/missyward
Linkedin.com/in/missyward
[email_address]

What 90% of Affiliate Managers Often Overlook

by Missy Ward on Mar 24, 2011

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What 90% of Affiliate Managers Often Overlook — Presentation Transcript