I have already mentioned the vital importance of a good and reliable user-centered support. It’s all about an effective two-way communication. In my opinion it’s a pretty obvious issue, but even so, it’s “obsessively” neglected by many affiliate advertisers and more than 60% of affiliates throughout the world are unhappy with what merchants and advertisers are doing – or not doing – on the communication front.

Honestly? I simply can’t understand how it’s even possible for an affiliate advertiser to be uninterested in providing help and support to its “sales team”. According to my foggy red-neck philosophy the equation is very simple: if you want results, you’ll have to build trust and you’ll have to support your “crew” constantly and efficiently. In any way you can. As I said, it’s all about communication, so you’ll have to focus on 3 main factors: the form, the type and the timing of your communication. Choose them carefully and pay attention to their needs and preferences. Here are a few tips for you:


  • the most widely accepted form is the good old email; of course, there is always room for occasional phone calls, but a well-targeted, purpose-oriented email is probably the best way to contact them; with that being said, you should keep in mind, that a really good support also needs at least one specific instant communication channel (online chat, social media support, etc)

  • use both group and individual messages

  • don’t be spammy or overwhelming; find the healthy balance somewhere between a weekly or monthly newsletter; if you don’t have anything newsworthy to bring them, simply skip your newsletter

  • avoid sending messages at the very beginning or the very end of the month when they usually are assaulted by other advertisers; send your messages towards the beginning of the week, possibly on Tuesday

  • personalize your messages, be concise and relevant, and of course, use strong call to actions


OK. You’ve got the idea … If you want to learn how to manage an affiliate program … You must be there for them anytime. You must help them in any way you can. It sounds like a cliche right? Well, it might be a cliche, but you can’t create an efficient support platform if you don’t understand their motivations and their problems. Your goal is to detect – or even better, to anticipate – the potential roadblocks they can encounter. In order to do that, you’ll have to keep an eye on your most important metrics to identify the under-performing areas.

So, let’s see what are the most important metrics that can help you to create a better support platform:


  • the percent of active – and inactive – affiliates

  • the percentage of top-affiliates and their share of total sales

  • the chargeback rate and reversed sales rate; if any of them it’s bigger than 10-15% you have a considerable number of affiliates who aren’t promoting your products to the right audience

  • the most efficient sales approach; it’s a good idea to segment your affiliates based on how they are closing the deals (email marketing, blogging, paid search, etc); in this way you can provide segment-specific help focusing on the least efficient segments

  • the engagement; a very high number of clicks resulting in a very small amount of sales – or even no sales – also indicates a low affinity between your products and the audience targeted by your affiliates


Conclusion

If you don’t want to hit the proverbial plateau, you’ll have tweak your affiliate program continuously. I know, it’s another cliche, but is also another undeniable truth. Affiliate program optimization is one of the most important responsibilities of every affiliate manager and it’s an ongoing, never-ending process. There is always room for growth. Period.

As your affiliate program grows, you’ll find some things that perform especially well and you’ll find some things that don’t work at all. You’ll have to analyze carefully the anatomy of those failures and successes to eliminate the biggest roadblocks and to duplicate the most lucrative avenues.

And don’t ever forget your competition! Join their affiliate program to find out their strengths and weaknesses. Check out their key performance indicators, analyze their marketing materials, take a look at their social media profiles and “test” their support platform. Review your discoveries objectively through a prism of practical application and try to turn the given data into new competitive advantages that can be easily applied by your affiliates.

Believe me, if you can keep them active and interested while you have an outstanding, efficient support platform, the success of your affiliate program is GUARANTEED. Literally.


And that's it my friends!

If you have any comments, further questions or update requests please don't hesitate to react! Like, comment and share!


Tasks 0/2 completed
1. Define your preferred support avenues! Email? Live chat? Etc ...
2. Define the style, the language and the timing of your chosen communication avenue!


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CLandi Premium
Under "Tools", wouldn't an experienced IM ( Internet Marketer ) have these things? Most of what you say we should provide would apply to the person to give those affiliates all the necessary sales needs. Sales page, thank you page, etc... No?
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smartketeer Premium
Again, I don't understand the question :(
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CLandi Premium
Zed

I am registered with many internet marketers ( as a buyer, not a product seller ), and last week I received an email from one of those marketers. He and his partner were promoting an eBook maker that created an eBook in five minutes.

It not only created an eBook cover, but also templates and content. The sales price was $47. It has since increased.

Soon after this sale came out all the other internet marketers with whom I am listed hit me with same eBook. I have a relationship with an email marketer who I met in 2009. He has a partner, and they provide great training webinars, several of which I have purchased.

I have a few domain names associated with the gambling business. Not online gambling, nor an inducement to gamble.
However, I have thought about doing a membership with maybe a ten week course, or an eBook. I think linking each course to You Tube might make it easier for anyone to understand. Especially if it is a membership.

I'm thinking about a possible newsletter that is casino related, but filled with stories of my experiences in the casino business. For example, on my way to work one day, I decided to meet Ann Margaret who was playing in our showroom. Then came the news: Ann Margaret fell from a platform that was lifting her up to - I don't know what. She fell and shattered her face.

I think such a newsletter would be of interest to anyone who would like a back scene look at what goes on in a casino from one person's perspective.

Your thoughts.
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smartketeer Premium
Sounds like a great idea. Especially the YouTube channel. Go for it!
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CLandi Premium
Thanks for the support.

Now I'm going to bed. ( 6:40 am ).
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CLandi Premium
Can we use WA for affiliates to promote? What about cross over promotions ( affiliates receive a commission; I receive names from them )?
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CLandi Premium
Zed

I found what I was looking for. This is perfect for me. You started in July this year, but you know way too much to be a beginner in internet marketing. Am I right?
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smartketeer Premium
Yep :)
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CandP Premium
This is AMAZING! What a great idea for training! We shall be saving it for study. We have often wondered about this.
Thanks, Zed!
Colette and Philip
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smartketeer Premium
Thank YOU!

Once you've familiar with it, don't forget to write a review :)
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