Digital marketing is a comparatively new discipline as things go, but it is a discipline and one that does not reward shortcuts.

PPC might give non-organic rapid results, but to make a successful long term and profitable strategy, requires a team to work at it consistently. More so with organic SEO, which demands a patient and long term effort to make it work. Both of these key parts of the digital marketing mix require managing with some skill.

But a bigger user of time is a proper affiliate marketing campaign, which is all about the concept of managing. And here it is more vital than ever.

Affiliates need managing, especially if you are creating your own network of affiliates. If you’re using one of the accepted managers, then fair enough, you can sit back and wait to reap the rewards, but if you’re trying to build your own particular network (and one which is far more profitable), then prepared to put some legwork into the project.

Each affiliate is different and each one requires a different approach which allows you to create a strong and mutually beneficial relationship.

And the more you try and understand the needs of your individual affiliates, the more rewarding it will be. Appreciating their needs and ambitions, will go a long way to fulfilling your own.

Like most business relationships, good affiliate management is a two way street.

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You have a choice of course. You can sign up for one of the well established networks and let them do all the legwork and paperwork, and wait for the leads to start coming in. But there is often a better choice which means you get to take control of your own affiliate offering and negotiate your own deals, and controls. That’s when affiliate marketing management becomes essential.

Using an established network can boost your profile, ensure your offering gets accepted by a large number of affiliates and keep the administration to a minimum.

But, let’s be frank, it’s not a solution for everyone. And certainly not the best solution if you have products, or services that are niche, low volume, or complicated to explain.

If you’re in this situation, then devising your own affiliate programme is a good idea, as you’ll be able to control the messaging to a greater extent, pick your partners and also, hopefully, get a better return on investment.

The downside is of course that it takes time and effort. You have to do a lot of research to identify the right affiliates and then have the patience – and the negotiating skills – to work out the right sort of deal; one that benefits both parties.

But that deal can often be easier if you are targeting a particular affiliate with an arrangement that suits their business model.

In the end, common sense plays a great part in what you’re trying to achieve.

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Affiliates are the old sales agents of long ago – way before the ecommerce revolution – who would adopt a company’s products and sell them as their own in return for a slice of the sales price; anything from 15% to 20%.

Nowadays affiliates are paid in a number of ways, including CPC, CPL and CPA. CPC is Cost per Click the amount of money is costs to generate a user towards a given site. Cost per Lead is the reward provided for every user that, usually, fills out a response on the given website and therefore becomes a lead. Cost per Acquisition is the cost of the user actually buying something from the website.

You can see how it stacks up. But the important thing of course is the affiliate with whom the deal is done.

Affiliates come in all shapes and sizes, but the most successful ones are those that have invested in their own sites and spent money on PPC and SEO strategies and created valuable platforms that attract traffic that can be used elsewhere.

But it follows that the more powerful affiliate, the more effective he will be, and certain networks of affiliates are very choosy as to who they work with. The best will only provide products that are top sellers with high through put at good prices.

Thus, at this price, it’s more a question of who you know, than the actual theory behind affiliate marketing.

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Really good affiliates – ones that can move traffic and sell items with alacrity – are few and far between, and they are not well disposed to wasting their valuable website real estate on products, or services that don’t, to put in crudely, shift.

So companies who march in with the attitude that the affiliate network should love this because it’s our product and it’s guaranteed to sell, will get a rude awakening.

Affiliates like large numbers. They like volume products that will sell at a great price. And the lower the unit price, the greater volume of sales will be needed. So unless you have one, or the other, think really long and hard as to the merits of an affiliate campaign for your particular product, or service.

You’ll also get affiliates to take a product on of course, but unless they are in the top echelon of performers, don’t expect startling sales figures.

In other words, don’t spend all your time worrying about the consumer, but forget, that to entice an affiliate, you need an equally convincing message. And that has to be a detailed sales strategy, and performance perimeters. They also have to be believable of course.

Not all products are right for the affiliate networks, so do your research first and ensure that the package you’re offering, is one that will not only work for you, but also work with your affiliate partners.

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But before anyone goes dashing off to get affiliates running their ads, a lot of thought should be given as to exactly what’s on offer.

Bear in mind that not every online product or service is ideal for an affiliate campaign.

There’s two watch words when it comes to getting affiliates on board: volume and money.

Affiliates, naturally, like products and services which sell in volume. Offer them a completely specialised product which sells one or two units a month, and they’ll decline your offer. But offer them a product which has healthy volumes, plus a certain profile, and then you’re past first base.

Second base is just exactly what you’re prepared to pay for affiliates help, and this can be divided into two usual ways of reimbursing an affiliate: CPL and CPA.

CPL stands for cost per lead and CPA stands for cost per acquisition. The former pays out for every lead that comes the way of the website and tracking codes allow the website to keep track of which affiliate is pushing traffic through. Likewise with CPA, although acquisition stands for every deal that is completed, rather than every lead.

Either way, the affiliate is going to want a decent return for their money and the higher the CPL, or the CPA (with promises of volume), then the sweeter the deal for them.

Get in touch now with Cayenne Red and we show you how to grow your affiliate channel.

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Companies have always been faced with a simple choice when it comes to their own products; they can employ their own sales force, or they can employ sales agents. These are effectively self employed sales agents who work on a commission basis for products sold. And this is very close to the modern, online affiliate system.

And there are still some of the old considerations to be thought through before you sell by proxy. Sales agents are hired guns and will obviously put their heart and soul into a product that they know will sell and also fetch them a reasonable commission to make a good return. Companies find this sometimes hard to accept and will often wonder why sales agents are not more ‘entrepreneurial’ when it comes selling their products. But agents don’t have the blood, sweat and tears invested in products, as heavily as the companies themselves.

But on the flipside, running your own employed, dedicated sales force requires commitment both in terms of money and time.

Online affiliate marketeers play the numbers game. They want to deal with products and services that make them money, and not waste their time on something that just won’t sell. Real estate on a successful affiliate website can be a lucrative space, so the owner of that website is not there to do many favours. What they want to see is traffic and lots of it.

So when you thing affiliate marketing, think sales agents, and you get the picture.

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