INSIGHT
● ● How
many are investing in creating
regular training programmes that
will help these staff members build
effective affiliate relationships for
their business and drive incremental
programme growth by bringing in
higher level expertise?
● ● Do senior managers even know that
this problem exists within their
programme — do they care?
On the job training doesn’t
cut it any longer
New affiliate managers are learning their
trade mostly from on the job training,
which is handed down by colleagues
leaving the channel and who are no
longer invested directly in the day to day
requirements of growing the affiliate
relationships for the business.
What this means is old bad habits are
being passed down to a new generation
affiliate managers and there is a natural
degradation of skills transfer taking
place in the workplace. What worked
three years ago in terms of good affiliate
management techniques simply won’t
work effectively today because of
fast-paced digital disruption.
Marilyn L. Rice once said: “There is
no substitute for experience.” Never was
a truer word spoken when it comes to
affiliate marketing.
Sharing the basic theory of effective
affiliate programme management is all
well and good, but getting access to real
hands-on experience is still limited for most
companies. The truth is there just aren’t
that many affiliate management experts
operating in this sector. Finding an affiliate
marketing expert with several years of
multivariate brand and global experience —
that isn’t already employed by someone else
— is as rare as hen’s teeth.
The art of growth hacking affiliate
programmes is currently happening as
affiliate marketing is still an evolving
marketing function. Learning the basics is
just the starting point — taking these tools
forward into practice in various verticals
and across a breadth of different brands
is where you learn to shine as an affiliate
marketing expert.
Why aren’t we investing more
into developing affiliate
management skills? keep evolving and therefore so should your
professional development and learning.
It’s currently estimated that around 40% of
acquisition traffic is coming from within
the affiliate channel. A number of affiliates
are now so big they are considering
becoming operators themselves. So why is
there still resistance to invest more in this
channel and build relationships that will
drive mutual business growth longer term?
It’s vital that as an operator you are
giving the best service and support to the
affiliates that drive business to your portals
for continued growth. This means investing
in your people and their skills development
to drive strategies that will allow your
programme to grow competitively.
The value that affiliates bring to your
business is not just about how much traffic
they can send to your site. It’s about the
broader brand exposure given at minimal
upfront cost because of the nature of
commercial remuneration that cur rently
governs our industry. It’s vital that your
affiliate programme managers are out
there on the floor, at events, meeting new
affiliates and building better relationships
with existing ones to secure valuable above
the fold real estate at commercial terms that
make business sense. Making a positive change to
increase professionalism in
affiliate marketing
The importance of
self-lead learning
On the flip side of all this, If you want
to call yourself an affiliate marketer, you
better commit to the idea your learning
will never end. The onus is squarely on
you personally to invest in your own
self development to become the best
ambassador you can. To be a good affiliate
manager you have to know how digital is
changing around you as this is what your
affiliates are facing daily.
It’s not a job, it’s a career. Investing in
your skills development outside of work
hours, spending time with your affiliates
to understand their businesses and helping
them work through any blockages to create
long-term revenue growth for your brand is
a key function of the job.
The igaming market and the digital
channels we use to acquire new customers
If you really want to effect change and
growth hack your programme — consider
taking these steps:
1) Seek out experienced affiliate marketing
experts to consult in your strategy
2) Invest in continued education for
yourself and for your people — they
are your front line
3) Acknowledge affiliates still play a
pivotal role in your business. Decide
how you want these relationships to
develop long term
4) Be bold — communicate effectively and
always in a professional manner with
affiliates who are now really medium-
sized business owners
Being a good affiliate manager is not just
about asking how much traffic an affiliate
can send you. It’s about understanding
how the affiliate operates and how they
are securing new traffic to their site, and
then on to yours. It’s about finding ways to
harness their expertise to match your own
marketing strategies and objectives.
Most importantly it’s about taking a
step forward to challenge the status quo
and to create great affiliate business
relationships built on the basis of
professionalism and trust.
With almost two decades of
digital marketing and affiliate
experience within retail,
payments and various igaming
brands, LEE-ANN JOHNSTONE
has a wealth of expertise as an
award-winning digital marketing
expert and business mentor.
In 2015 she curated and developed
AffiliateFEST and has now
founded Best Odds Marketing
(www.bestoddsmarketing.com)
a digital marketing consultancy,
training, event management and
business coaching agency supporting
igaming businesses.
iGB Affiliate Issue 64 AUG/SEP 2017
43