Attention Merchants! Want to launch your affiliate programme quickly and effectively? Then read this…!
Richard Wright, Senior Programme Executive, R.O.EYE
In the four years that R.O.EYE have been managing affiliate campaigns we have had the pleasure of launching upwards of 30 of our merchant’s programmes to the affiliate community. In our experience we have seen some very slick and effortless programme launches as well as some which have had more than the odd spanner thrown in the works.
So what makes the difference? What are the factors involved? What can be done to ensure a stellar programme launch and avoid a spluttering start?
Well we think we have some answers. Below we’ve put together some bullet point tips and wisdom that will help you identify areas of focus to make sure your affiliate programme gets off the ground and delivering your objectives when you need it to:-
- Put your technical team in touch with your affiliate agency or network.
Problems with implementing tracking is possibly the greatest obstacle to a programme launch and direct lines of communication will help ensure this goes smoothly and timely.
- Make campaign materials available as early as possible.
It is likely you agreed a launch date with the affiliate agency at the planning stage, and whether this can be achieved depends a lot on when the necessary materials such as; product info, USPs, creatives etc can be made available.
- Set and work to realistic and agreed timeframes.
We recommend you assess your internal resources and ability to deliver the required materials and then agree timescales for all parties to work towards. This will facilitate effective time management for all and ensure that momentum is not lost during the launch phase.
- Consult your affiliate agency on the design of creatives and landing pages at an early stage.
Creatives that have been designed for a branding or media campaign may not be suitable for an affiliate campaign, if for example there is no strong call to action. Landing pages which are not ‘affiliate friendly’ and contain leakage points such as telephone numbers can affect affiliate take-up and inhibit the programme.
- Keep your affiliate agency informed of your other marketing channels’ activity.
There may be some great opportunities if synergies exist to tie the programme launch in with your existing marketing activities. On the other hand there may be potential conflicting messages that can be avoided if spotted early on.
In summary, many of the most common set-backs and issues that delay the launch of affiliate programmes can be avoided. While there are potentially hundreds of variables involved when setting up an affiliate programme depending on many factors, there are some fundamental points which can be applied in most circumstances and it is these we have focused on in this blog.
Share This