THE ULTIMATE AFFILIATE
MARKETING CHECKLIST
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Effectively managing an affiliate program can be challenging and time-
consuming. There is a lot to know and essential activities often get overlooked.
Having a thorough checklist can help keep important items from slipping
through the cracks and prevent costly mistakes. This comprehensive checklist
breaks down the different areas you should focus on and includes individual
activities that will help set your program up for success in 2016 and beyond.
ACCOUNT AUDIT
Is all your publisher-facing information up-to-date? Review the following and update
as needed:
GENERAL NETWORK ACCOUNT INFORMATION
Program description
Logo
Automated event emails (pending application, acceptance into program, etc.)
Newsletter templates
Contact information
In addition, check the affiliate page on your website to make sure that information is up to
date as well.
CREATIVE
Make sure that your banners are seasonal and relevant with proper branding (e.g. no
old logos, expired campaigns, etc.)
- Focus could include a specific promotion, general seasonal theme or a popular
seasonal product showcase.
COMMISSION TERMS
Review publishers’ commission terms prior to peak days to ensure proper
commissions are paid.
Review publisher groups and tags so all publishers are appropriately categorized
for easy reporting, assigning of commissions and newsletter outreach during peak
shopping days.
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PUBLISHER APPROVALS
Stay on top of publisher approvals to allow for maximum exposure and engagement
during peak periods throughout the year (We recommend manually reviewing every
affiliate application so that you can spot high potential new affiliates as well as get
ahead of any fraudulent affiliates or affiliates that may not meet brand guidelines.)
PIXEL VERIFICATION/TESTING
Test all network tracking pixels prior to peak times throughout the year to ensure all
order scenarios are tracking correctly.
PROMOTIONS/SHIPPING
A Forrester Research, Inc. study found that 48% of shoppers say that promotional offers
they find on affiliate sites are more valuable to them compared to promotions they get
directly from retailers. Keep the following in mind when planning promotions and free
shipping offers:
PROMOTIONAL CALENDAR
Analyze promotional performance from last year to gather successes and trends
Understand drive times for specific products and categories
Based on prior performance and current availability, consider offering affiliate channel
exclusives, affiliate semi-exclusives or true exclusives to key partners
Get creative with promotional messaging, adding in seasonal wording where
appropriate to create a sense of urgency and relevancy.
FREE SHIPPING & SHIPPING DEADLINES
Offer free shipping when possible, preferably without an order threshold, to
accompany peak offers.
Communicate any free shipping offers, as well as shipping deadlines to publishers via
program-wide communication and individual outreach to top publishers.
PROMOTIONAL ASSETS
Disseminate all the components for your promotions to publishers including:
Upload promotions to all networks as early as possible to minimize confusion
on peak days.
Be prepared for changes to the promotional calendar. Ensure updates are made
everywhere necessary and all changes are communicated to publishers.
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NEWSLETTER COMMUNICATIONS/MASS OUTREACH
Send promotions to publishers well in advance via network newsletters, making sure
to include all necessary information: promotional copy, coupon code, duration and
any terms and conditions or exclusions.
Plan to send reminders of peak promotions closer to the actual run dates.
Create a distribution list of top publisher contacts and send promotional updates and
calendars directly to these contacts, as well as in network newsletters.
Create a monthly newsletter schedule that coincides with your sites
marketing calendar.
PROMOTIONAL AUDIT
Conduct regular audits of your company’s presence on publisher sites throughout the
year and especially on peak days to ensure the proper offers are being messaged.
Double check promotions as they appear on the network to make sure all details are
correct prior to promotion start dates.
OPTIMIZATION
Engage your top publishers to remain top-of-mind:
TOP PUBLISHERS/COUPON & LOYALTY
Examine YTD top publishers, as well as those from the previous year, to determine
key partners.
Communicate individually with these publishers, addressing any recent decreases
and/or ways to continue increasing performance.
Conduct a competitive analysis with top loyalty publishers, examining your
company’s cash back offers against that of competitors and adjust as necessary to
remain competitive.
Provide top publishers with unique deliverables throughout the year.
Consider offering a tiered performance bonus to top partners for exceeding
revenue goals.
CONTENT
Highlight relevant seasonal products, along with updated seasonal creative in
communications to content-focused sites.
Incentivize content affiliates to post specific seasonal content and promotions.
Provide content suggestions if possible.
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MONITORING
Campaign launches are only the beginning. Monitor your ongoing affiliate program
performance:
PROMOTIONAL PERFORMANCE
Audit publisher sites daily to ensure all proper promotional messaging is displayed.
are lnings and ideas with your marketing team to facilitate ongoing improvement.
PLACEMENT PERFORMANCE
Monitor publisher sites to ensure placements are running as scheduled with the
proper messaging.
PLANNING FOR NEXT YEAR
Early planning offers your program more competitive advantages when it comes to
recruiting top-tier publishers and landing marquee promotional opportunities.
Get a head start by gathering key learnings from the previous year:
Note wins and successful processes that worked for you.
Assess misses and areas of improvement for the future.
Share learnings and ideas with your marketing team to facilitate ongoing
improvements.
Affiliate marketing can be very complex with many moving parts. When setting
up and managing your affiliate program, refer to this comprehensive checklist
to help guide you through the process and offer you a clear path to success.
For more in-depth strategies for what it takes to develop an effective affiliate
marketing program, contact us today to speak with one of our affiliate
marketing experts.
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ABOUT
Acceleration Partners is an award-winning digital marketing firm
focused on online customer acquisition for growing consumer
and e-commerce companies. A leader in affiliate marketing,
organic search, and paid marketing, we work with clients to design
strategies and implement programs that deliver sustainable growth
through transparent, high-value tactics. Our focus on digital
marketing strategies that are brand-aligned has led to a client
roster that includes adidas, eBay, ModCloth, Reebok, Shutterfly,
Target, Gymboree, Tiny Prints, Warby Parker, and many other
consumer brands.
marketing@accelerationpartners.com
www.accelerationpartners.com
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