TRAFFIC
White-label tracking solutions also give you more control over how you run the administration of your programme, from the data you show internally and externally to features such as language translations, payment options and frequency, and multi-brand management within the one platform.
A network doesn’ t offer this kind of customisation but it does provide benefits such as help with programme account management( resource), automated payment processing( functionality) and access to an established base of affiliates that you can contact to help launch your programme( recruitment). These features, along with a lower price point, can really help smaller brands get a foot in the door without incurring high start-up costs. What’ s more, they support growth and scale as well as any white label solution.
Build a solid foundation to grow from You have to select a provider that meets your current business objective and will also support future programme growth. For example, you might want a lot of flexibility to run your own unique promotions, commission incentives and payments to add value for your affiliates. But not every network or tracking solution would be able to support these kinds of functions. Get your technology wrong and it could cost you a lot of money down the line when you need to expand – or worse, have to migrate because you can’ t customise to allow your programme to grow. If the structure of your affiliate programme is not correct it can have a huge impact on your revenue and impact your profit margins for negotiating better commercial terms with partners.
You might want a platform that can handle tracking all your digital marketing activity to help ease the burden of data analysis. Services such as mobile app store optimisation, payper-click tracking and the ability to build attribution modelling will make your acquisition function a lot easier as your programme grows.
Time spent at the beginning researching the various platforms and pricing structures will pay dividends in the end. While start-up pricing
may look reasonable to begin with, often there are hidden costs for add‐ons or plug-ins and any additional customisations you might need later down the line. This can prove expensive in the long run so match your requirements correctly at the start to avoid additional costs later. The tracking and reporting that you have at your disposal for this channel is just as important for your affiliate partners. Remember they are working with a number of operator brands, not just your own – so the easier you make it for them to access their data and optimise their campaigns, the more they will support your programme growth.
Understand what features come as standard versus what you have to pay for Compliance features are absolutely essential, especially in our regulated markets. Ensuring the solution you use to track your affiliate activity can also monitor content and campaigns across thousands of sites and multiple geographical areas is key to managing a larger programme base. To make this channel really work, you need flexible, changeable software supported by reputable companies that invest in its continued development.
Payment processing also plays a vital role in your affiliate programme. Paying on time and offering multiple payment options( to make it easy for affiliates to receive their commissions quickly and securely) will help support your programme growth and build affiliate reputational
“ The affiliate space is a specialised area of digital marketing and it needs a specialist to advise you on how to navigate it”
trust. Some affiliates specialise in recommending sites that accept PayPal or cryptocurrencies. Even those that don’ t specifically mention this as a feature of their site may be hesitant to recommend sites without certain payment methods embedded, possibly because they have conversion rate concerns. Making sure you have the right payment mechanics in place to support the programme delivery, and the right internal resourcing to manage those payments, is therefore key.
Another important feature that you should look at when choosing a platform provider is the ability to manage communications and email marketing campaigns to your affiliate database. Email sends and updates will help encourage your affiliates to actively promote your latest offers on their sites. You also need to think about how conversations and negotiations will be managed in the platform. People change jobs frequently in our industry and you don’ t want the nuts and bolts of a commercial agreement to leave the
16 iGB Affiliate Issue 71 OCT / NOV 2018