Affiliate Marketing can be so rewarding, but you need to avoid these common mistakes

Having worked with lots of programmes during my time in affiliate marketing, I thought I would outline some of the common mistakes I see and how they can be corrected. In the new Smart Insights Affiliate Marketing strategy guide I go into the details of how to get these key communications factors right.

1. You don’t communicate with your affiliates

I start with communication, because it's obvious, important, but often not done well. Communicate effectively with your affiliate base doesn’t mean just sending an email now and again, but actually asking for feedback from them as well. Communication should be a two way street where you encourage feedback and ideas from your affiliate base. Take the time to find out what they need from you and the…

Four affiliate marketing experts give their view on key developments in 2012 and their predictions for 2013

With 2012 coming to a close I wanted to look back at the past year. Understanding the changes we have seen helps to outline potential growth areas for 2013. To get a good perspective I asked a number of leading experts in the affiliate marketing field to give me their views on where they see affiliate marketing developing in 2013. A big "thank you" to: Fiona Robertson, Head of Performance at agency LBi; Kevin Edwards, Strategy Director for Affiliate Window; Geno Prussakov, author, consultant, founder and chair of Affiliate Management Days conference Matt Bailey, Commercial Director at Performance Horizon Group

Question 1. What for you has been the biggest development in affiliate marketing in 2012?

Fiona Robertson (FR): The continued progression away from a standalone…

Five factors to consider to grow your market share in 2013

Affiliate Marketing is an area that doesn’t always get as much focus as some other digital areas, but for people that take the time to embrace it, there are rich rewards available. I thought I would look at some of the key things that should make you think about investing more time or budget in the channel. This graphic shows the range of options it gives you to increase your online footprint across multiple digital media channels.

A £5 billion industry

In 2009, Econsultancy predicted that the industry was worth £4.13bn, and that it would be worth £4.6bn in 2010. The IAB are currently conducting research into the size of the UK industry which is expected to value the industry at £5bn. Within the affiliate market you have a wide…

Take inspiration from buddy films to get the best from your affiliate programme

I often say that affiliate marketing is a people-led business, and that the better relationships you can build with your affiliates the more you (and they) will get from the partnership. I love an analogy, so I have looked at some of the fundamentals of building good, solid partnerships with inspiration from some of the best partnerships out there. From Wayne and Garth, the stars of Wayne’s World, to Donkey and Shrek, there are some great lessons to be learnt from these classic ‘buddy movies’.

1. Be honest

Honesty is the best policy. With affiliates you need to be honest with what you can and can’t do. Don’t commit to something and cancel at the last-minute. Do this too regularly and you will find affiliates are less keen to work…

Starting out as an affiliate – find your niche and reap the rewards

Have you ever thought about becoming an affiliate, either personally or as an alternative revenue source for your business? With the current global economic climate and technological advances leading to increases in entrepreneurial spirit, more and more people are looking to affiliate marketing as a source of online income. Done right, affiliate marketing can bring in some genuinely easy money, but doing it right means doing it smart.

With a lot of the competition sewn up by a minority of big players, it can be hard for the "small-time newcomer" to get started. However, the kind of growth seen in many affiliate niches in recent years will always bring with it opportunities.

Potential opportunities

Online gambling, gaming and weight-loss all lend themselves well to affiliate marketing; the high commission, CPA and the frequent lack of any physical ‘product’ combined with ever-increasing…

How to think "out-of-the-box" when setting goals for affiliate marketing

Thinking about the options for affiliate marketing can often be ‘boxed’ into one area. For example, content sites can help develop a brand, or cashback sites can drive high volumes of sales. What isn’t always considered is how you can achieve other objectives through these sites. The affiliate type I will focus on is cashback as I work in that area, but making sure you discuss and define the objectives of your campaign prior to promotion can help you to get more from your affiliates. You may even get suggestions, ideas and promotional space that you might not have thought of. I have looked at some typical goals for affiliate marketing and given examples of how these can be achieved through a cashback site.

1. Selling surplus stock

One area that many advertisers can take advantage of is cashback users’ love for a bargain.…

A summary of key issues you should be considering when looking to choose an affiliate network

If you launch an affiliate programme you will need to ensure that you have a tracking solution in place. One of the most popular solutions is to work through an affiliate network. Affiliate networks essentially act to facilitate relationships between affiliates and clients. The basic service they offer is tracking and payment of sales - but affiliate strategy, reporting and affiliate recruitment are also available depending on the service level you require. I thought it would be helpful to outline some areas I recommend considering when making the decision on which network to use.

What will it cost?

The first question marketers ask. Naturally! This will most likely be one of the main areas for you to consider because of affiliate marketing’s performance-based payment structure. Most networks will…

Demystifying the affiliate marketing jungle

It can be hard to understand affiliate marketing if you're new to it. When I mention I work in affiliate marketing people often looked scared and confused! Quite often you might be unaware of the amount of times you come into contact with an affiliate site in your day-to-day life. This is why they are such a great opportunity to expand the reach of a retail or ecommerce site - you can reach audiences that you wouldn't otherwise and only pay when sales are delivered.

Like walking through the jungle it’s a lot less scary if you know what to look out for. Understanding the different types of affiliates and some of their characteristics can help to improve your chances of surviving and prospering. With that in mind I have looked at some of the animals that make up the affiliate marketing kingdom.

Content sites for SEO

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 The 5Cs for setting up an affiliate programme

Affiliate marketing continues to flourish as a key digital marketing tactic supporting a wide range of e-commerce sectors driving new revenue streams, and according to the IAB, the sector is now worth over £4bn. A recent Econsultancy affiliate report  highlighted the growing importance of affiliate marketing with key insights including: 48% of affiliates drive at least £5k per month for merchants, compared to only 31% of affiliates who were generating this much revenue in 2009. 30% of affiliates are now sending at least 20,000 visitors a month to merchants' websites

Affiliate Action Plan: the 5 C's

I've put together an affiliate action plan covering 5 key elements you should consider when managing a program, they are: Competitor analysis, Commercials, Creatives, Communication & Campaign Analysis. Some of the actions listed are to help your affiliate program stand out from the competition.

1. Competitor analysis - Before…

Mutual benefits, great communication and unrefusable offers create an outstanding affiliate programme

Don Corleone was a visionary. He was able to look ahead and predict what would happen before his competitors. He thrived in a competitive environment despite a number of challenging circumstances. While most of us don’t have to face being shot at in our day to day work, I think Don Corleone would have been an exceptional affiliate marketer. He managed to make the most disloyal of men advocates of his cause. In this post I will explore some of the areas that helped him do this, and how you can apply them in your affiliate marketing campaigns.

1: Build strong relationships by helping affiliates achieve their objectives

This is one area where Don Corleone thrived and something that is pivotal to affiliate marketing. Your affiliates are your partners so you need to…