CRYPTO TO THE FORE
EMBRACE THE METAVERSE
EXPLORE VOICE SEARCH
SEEK A STELLAR CONTENT CURATOR
STAND BY FOR MORE AI
INVEST IN FINDING CONTENT CURATORS , NOT TRAFFIC DRIVERS
As the traffic acquisition channel becomes more fragmented , affiliate programmes will no longer be able to oversee and manage a one-size-fits-all approach . Before , there was a huge focus on SEO and PPC affiliates as a key source of traffic in programmes , and while that is still a valuable and viable source which is heavily relied on , we need to understand that affiliates can come in a variety of shapes and sizes .
Don ’ t discount someone because they haven ’ t got traffic . Ask questions as you might miss an opportunity to work with a stellar content creator who is adept at bringing you quality customers this way .
Think of affiliates as entrepreneurs , not as traffic drivers . Consider their business needs , not just their requirements for traffic and volume and think about how you can help them to grow .
Affiliate managers need to continue to self-educate on how best to work with all types of traffic referrers to avoid missing out on new niche opportunities . It could be that you need to create specific models dedicated to influencers or brand ambassadors and consider platforms and channels you hadn ’ t previously as part of your programme makeup .
When working with these new kinds of content curators , affiliate managers need to learn to understand their needs and create collaborative partnerships . This will become a vital support to the growth of your own programme and expansion efforts .
“ IT ’ S ESTIMATED ROUGHLY 50 % OF SEARCH IS VOICE ACTIVATED BUT SOME AFFILIATE MANAGERS ARE NONE THE WISER IN TERMS OF HOW THIS COULD AFFECT THEIR PARTNER REFERRALS AND TRAFFIC SOURCES ”
FIND THE RIGHT MARKETING AND AI TOOLS
There is no doubt artificial intelligence ( AI ) is here to stay . According to a report on DataProt , 37 % of businesses employ AI technology as a whole , and there is no doubt that this is one of the key things digital marketers should be looking at to augment programme growth , customer conversion and retention .
There are a number of great marketing technologies being used in affiliate programme management to automate elements like partner discovery , outreach and monitoring . This year I think we ’ ll see a lot of SaaS products upgrade their infrastructures to implement automation and help affiliate managers get more efficient in terms of affiliate administration .
Just recently I ’ ve seen one such company launch an innovative payment and tax service that monitors affiliate earnings and plugs into their financial accounting software to simplify payment processing from multiple partners and keep their business spending on track . And that ’ s before considering research , a massive part of affiliate managers ’ roles
Q1 2022 • ISSUE 89 • 53