This is a guest post by Ran Nir, Affiliate Manager of Photo Paper Direct

Two months ago we decided, despite the gloomy economic outlook (it has improved a bit! since then), that the Affiliate channel was a good fit for our products, pricing and customer base. As a UK based online retailer with big ambitions, we know that in order to achieve maximum market penetration and to reach as many customers as possible, a multi channel sales strategy is vital and it must include Affiliate marketing. Since going live two months ago we’ve had our fair share of successes and stumbling blocks, some because we were a bit ‘green’ and some because we had the wrong Affiliates. I’d like to think that since then and together with our Affiliate partners, we have improved our act which leads me to write my personal view of 10 ways in which both Merchants and Affiliates can work closer together for better results.

What could we as Merchants do better?

1. Put on our Affiliate hats and think about ‘what’s in it for me?’ – It’s very important to always ask yourself what’s in it for your Affiliates and why would they sign up with you, sometimes even at the expense of a similar Merchant. If you have low conversion rates or take your sweet time to approve sales and your commission structure isn’t competitive then don’t expect the programme to succeed. As Merchants, it is our job to first conduct extensive research and with our Affiliate hats on, make sure the ‘what’s in it for me’ is answered by high sales and attractive payouts.
2. Communicate more frequently and communicate everything – Many Merchants, especially those who have been selling online for years have extremely useful information, which, when communicated to their Affiliates can really turn the programme around. Data such as historical and seasonal trends, for example, can help Affiliates invest resources on products which are more likely to convert. As a Merchant, our responsibility is to communicate as much relevant information and as often as possible.
3. Offer product feeds, custom landing pages and other goodies – The days of running an Affiliate programme with only a set of banners are probably nearing their end. As Merchants we have to cater for as many Affiliates as possible, meaning that having the ability to create up-to-date product feeds, promotional codes, product bundles and Affiliate custom landing pages are a must to cover as many Affiliates as possible.
4. Incentives, incentives and more incentives -  Targeting and rewarding Affiliates on a regular basis should hopefully increase sales but also inspire confidence in the offer or product. As Merchants, we should set targets and incentives on an ongoing basis to get the most out the channel, because leaving the Affiliate channel with no real aim or goal is a receipt for failure.
5. Manage the programme – Having in house or external resources to manage the programme is crucial. As Merchants, we need to offer direct and open communication  with the Affiliates in the shape of a dedicated resource, phone number and even on the very basic level  like having dedicated Affiliates@ email address which gets priority over other company emails will go a long way.

What could you as an Affiliate do better:

1. Ask and you shall receive – Making an Affiliate programme work requires work from both sides and although us Merchants think we offer enough tools, creative and product information, Affiliates should demand more from Merchants.  As an Affiliate if ,for example, you are sending a newsletter featuring the Merchant to hundreds of thousands of people, why not ask for help with creatives or increased commission for that week?
2. Take risks and funnel back your feedback – If you continue to offer the same products, from the same Merchants your options to increase revenue will depend on increasing traffic to your site or increased conversion rates on the Merchant’s site. On the other hand, by taking small risks and trying new products or offers from new Merchants you might just discover another gem. If the new programme doesn’t meet your expectations don’t be too quick to judge, try and contact the Merchant and funnel back your feedback.
3. Use all your marketing channels to promote the programme – If you take the plunge with the new programme, don’t walk into it half-halfhearted. Put your entire resources behind it. As an Affiliate, look to promote the new Merchant on your blog, place it on the homepage for a few days and use all your marketing vehicles such as the newsletter, paid search (in accordance with the Merchant’s policy) and SEO to really give the programme a chance.
4. Don’t promise anything WE can’t deliver on – Driving traffic to the Merchant site is one thing, while driving converting traffic is another. As an Affiliate, make sure you are not promising offers or products which the Merchant does not have e.g don’t promote a 10% promotional code if the Merchant only has 5% promotional code, don’t promote expired offers and make sure even the smallest details such as delivery cost match.
5. Stay current and update your creatives frequently – Following on from not showing expired offers, make sure creative and other promotional aids are up to date. If ,for example, the Merchant has special creatives for Christmas, update your site in time to make the Merchant’s offer as relevant as possible.

What would you like to see Affiliates / Merchants do better?

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Guest post by Ran, marketing manager of Photo Paper Direct. For more information on Photo Paper’s Direct Affiliate Programme head to our affiliate page.

Greetings “Ask Kirsty” fans.  I can think of no better way to round off the working week than with a bit of affiliate question asking type fun. Unusually, this week’s asker is an affiliate manager.  Dave Bunyan is the affiliate manager over at Haiths, who sell all things bird care and bird food related, and wanted the low down on what turns affiliates on (work wise!).

Hi Kirsty,

I run the newly setup Haith’s programme, which has just launched on Webgains. I came across your blog (which I have to say is pretty damn good!) I’m relativly new to affiliate marketing but have been in ecommerce for a while now.

I was hoping for a bit of advice. What do affiliates look for in a merchant? How can we help affiliates convert?

I have a basic understanding, but hope to fully understand what makes a good programme.

Kind Regards,

Dave

Well, flattery will get you everywhere!

I reckon you’ve already taken those first steps to being a decent merchant just by being prepared to be open to communication and suggestions from affililiates.  From my own point of view, an accessible affiliate manager who I can work with on a programme is a BIG help in getting those conversions.

I think getting yourself out and onto the A4U Forum would be an excellent first step.  There are surprisingly few merchants participating regularly on there, and as thousands of affiliates are members it does mean you’ll pop into their heads a bit more readily when they’re thinking about new areas to explore or which new merchant to do a bit of work on next.  You don’t even really need to be on there selling your wares all the time.  Just jump in for a chat and make yourself approachable.  You’d be surprised how much that helps!

Also, get yourself along to some networking events like A4U Expo.  Not only will you learn a lot, but you’ll meet a lot of affiliates face to face, giving you a good opportunity to get feedback and make great contacts (and have a really good time too).

The other things are pretty obvious, regular newsletters, banners updated, good and useful product feed that is easy for affiliates to manipulate.  Oh, and making sure your tracking technology doesn’t break every time your technical team makes an adjustment to your order confirmation page, lol.

Take A Look At What Others Are Doing…

If you want a programme to measure yourself against, I’d go and take a look at what Prezzybox are doing.  Their programme is run by the lovely Zak Edwards, who has won A4U Awards for his innovation 2 years running.  BuyaGift & Dead Good Undies also have really good proactive affiliate management.

I’d also recommend giving a wee go at promoting some affiliate offers yourself.  It will give you great insight into what affiliates need and the issues and frustrations they face (although we do lose a lot of affiliate managers to the “dark side” every year as a result of this, lol).

I hope this helps you in your quest to become a good affiliate manager.  I’ve just popped down the absolute basics, I’m sure other affiliates and managers will want to pop their thoughts down in the comments to help you out!

A Programme Plug For Our Askee Being Game Enough To Let Me Publish His Question!

Haiths is on Webgains and offers a commission rate of 10% to 12% – their affiliate info page is here and it seems like a good niche programme to me.  David’s contact details are on that page if you want to give him a shout.  He’s keen and ready to go!