{"id":769,"date":"2020-10-13T20:21:43","date_gmt":"2020-10-13T20:21:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/salarydistribution.com\/2020\/10\/13\/10-things-to-do-now-to-get-your-affiliate-program-holiday-ready\/"},"modified":"2020-10-13T20:21:43","modified_gmt":"2020-10-13T20:21:43","slug":"10-things-to-do-now-to-get-your-affiliate-program-holiday-ready","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/salarydistribution.com\/affiliate-marketing\/2020\/10\/13\/10-things-to-do-now-to-get-your-affiliate-program-holiday-ready\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Things to Do Now to Get Your Affiliate Program Holiday Ready!"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\"pepperjam_leadership_maura\"While it may feel like\u202f<\/span>ho<\/span>liday ti<\/span>me is still weeks or months away, the reality is that we have officially entered Q4, which is often the most critical time of year for retailers and consumer brands. But rather than overwhelming yourself with the thought of affiliate program holiday prep as a daunting task, think about it in 10 simple steps that you can easily check off your weekly to-do list. And always keep in mind that holiday preparation can never start too early!<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Determine affiliate program KPIs\/goals<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Though affiliate and performance marketing are pay-for-performance, it doesn\u2019t mean that they should be left without goals or KPIs. Whether it be driving over a certain revenue threshold, optimally converting traffic at a specific rate or ensuring a certain percentage of orders are the result of net-new customer activity, every affiliate program should strive to achieve or exceed a target. These are program KPIs, or key performance indicators, that quickly tell us the health of the affiliate program performance and should be aligned to overarching business objectives or goals. Brands’ and retailers’ business objectives may shift come Q4 or holiday \u2013 perhaps the focus becomes about brand growth or simply maintaining status quo and managing cost. Either way, the brand goal and thus the affiliate program KPIs, act as the dependency for all other Q4 or holiday related plans.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

2. <\/span>Set a budget<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Most brands will have already set a holiday affiliate program budget as part of their annual or quarterly planning initiatives. However, that doesn\u2019t mean that all brands have accomplished this task. If you fall into the latter bucket, work to forecast the investment needed for your affiliate program to achieve the goal or KPIs that you established for your program. For example, if your program is not poised to achieve significant growth, consider an investment that follows last year\u2019s affiliate channel performance and accounts for any year-to-date growth. However, if you are planning for growth, you will want to factor in the tactics that will help supplement\u00a0<\/span>growth and<\/span>\u00a0may require additional investment. This could be increased commission rates in exchange for increased cash back or points on p<\/span>artn<\/span>er sites, paid or fixed placement fees for premium or additional exposure on\u00a0<\/span>p<\/span>artn<\/span>er sites and mobile applications or steeper promotions to yield greater consumer demand and purchase activity. No matter your business strategy or objective, at minimum, having a set budget will enable you to remain organized about where and how you spend your dollars in the affiliate channel.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Plan your promotional strategy<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to believe, but there are far more brands and retailers that do not know their promotional plans for holiday, than do. This isn\u2019t easy because the promotional offering and cadence isn\u2019t always in the control of the affiliate manager or individual running the affiliate program. However, what often gets missed is an opportunity to use the strength of promotion itself as a bargaining chip with p<\/span>artn<\/span>ers to offset paid placement costs or cashback increases. Additionally, the promotion type and strategy may dictate program optimization tactics used throughout holiday. For example, if a promotional calendar is known to have product(s) with true best of web pricing, your affiliate program tactic should be to ensure proper exposure on deal sites for that product assortment during that time period, rather than planning for increased cashback.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Audit your affiliate program<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

This is an easy one. Run through your affiliate program with a\u00a0<\/span>fine-tooth<\/span>\u00a0comb to audit and subsequently clean up anything that is old, expired, irrelevant or stale. This applies to all program assets: ensure your program description properly represents and describes your brand and includes relevant program information. Review\u00a0<\/span>all<\/span>\u00a0the commission structures and the p<\/span>artn<\/span>ers assigned to them to ensure they are receiving the proper commission rate.\u00a0<\/span>Look<\/span>\u00a0at the program creative to ensure that there isn\u2019t language or imagery that is outdated or off-brand. Also, ensure your p<\/span>artn<\/span>ers are set up properly in groups to allow for ease in reporting and newsletter deployment based on audience. In general, think of this step as a \u201cfall cleaning\u201d!<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Finalize and book Q4 placements<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Some brands book holiday affiliate placements as early as the spring. Others, well, not so much. Not to fear, it does not mean that you can\u2019t secure some premium exposure opportunities. Inquire with\u00a0<\/span>partners<\/span>\u202fabout what holiday placement or exposure opportunities are still available for purchase and secure what you can now. If you know your goals,\u00a0<\/span>budget,<\/span>\u00a0and promotional plans, you should be able\u00a0<\/span>to determine what time periods would be optimal for your affiliate program to have additional\u202fexposure to consumer audiences.\u202f\u202f<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

6. Schedule p<\/span><\/strong>artn<\/span><\/strong>er commission changes<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Another opportunity for your brand to gain additional consumer exposure beyond fixed<\/span>–<\/span>fee placements is to simply ask p<\/span>artn<\/span>ers for enhanced placement in exchange for increased commission rates. Some will oblige\u2026and for other p<\/span>artne<\/span>rs, increased commission rates may simply be a contingency of the paid placement package you\u2019ve secured. Either way, schedule the commission changes now, so that you don\u2019t have to remember to initiate the changes on the actual dates during holiday.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

7. <\/span>Create and share gift guides with p<\/span><\/strong>artn<\/span><\/strong>ers<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

While p<\/span>artn<\/span>ers\u00a0<\/span>definitely know<\/span>\u00a0their audiences, they often work with hundreds if not thousands of brands, making it challenging to determine what products or collections from each brand will resonate best with their consumers. Take some of the leg work out of it by making simple product suggestion lists or gift guides by consumer type\u00a0<\/span>to<\/span>\u00a0help guide p<\/span>artn<\/span>ers in positioning your products to their consumers. Gift guides can be organized by product price point,\u00a0<\/span>persona,<\/span>\u00a0or interests. Simply collect the info, make it available in your program description\u00a0<\/span>and<\/span>\u00a0send a newsletter with the information.<\/span><\/p>\n

8. Determine and share your last shipping dates with p<\/span><\/strong>artn<\/span><\/strong>ers<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

December is still two months away, but come crunch time, you do not want to be scrambling to educate p<\/span>artn<\/span>ers about the last ship dates consumers must order by to receive orders in time for the holidays. Work to determine what your last shipping cut off dates are for: standard shipping, 2-day shipping and overnight shipping. Provide this information to p<\/span>artn<\/span>ers in your program\u202fdescription and newsletters so that they can properly advertise to consumers about the urgency and timelines for holiday shipments.<\/span><\/p>\n

9. Mark strategic holiday dates\/periods on your calendar and strategize<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

You might be thinking, I know Black Friday is November 2<\/span>7<\/span>th<\/span>\u202fand Christmas is December 25<\/span>th<\/span>. Understood. But there are other key dates and shopping periods that have emerged over the years that you should account for as well:<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

November 11<\/span>th<\/span>, 20<\/span>20<\/span>\u00a0\u2013 Veteran\u2019s Day & Single\u2019s Day<\/span>
<\/span>November 2<\/span>6<\/span>th<\/span>, 20<\/span>20<\/span>\u00a0\u2013 Thanksgiving<\/span>
<\/span>November\u202f 2<\/span>7<\/span>th<\/span>\u202f\u202f<\/span>, 20<\/span>20<\/span>\u00a0\u2013 Black Friday<\/span>
<\/span>November\u00a0<\/span>30<\/span>th<\/span>, 20<\/span>20<\/span>\u00a0\u2013 Cyber Monday<\/span>
<\/span>December\u00a0<\/span>1<\/span>0<\/span>th<\/span>\u202f\u2013 December 1<\/span>8<\/span>th<\/span>, 20<\/span>20<\/span>\u00a0\u2013 Hanukkah<\/span>
<\/span>December 1<\/span>4<\/span>th<\/span>, 20<\/span>20<\/span>\u00a0\u2013 Green Monday<\/span>
<\/span>December 14<\/span>th<\/span>, 20<\/span>20<\/span>\u00a0\u2013 Free Shipping Day<\/span>
<\/span>December 24<\/span>th<\/span>, 20<\/span>20<\/span>\u00a0\u2013 Christmas Eve<\/span>
<\/span>December 25<\/span>th<\/span>, 20<\/span>20<\/span>\u00a0\u2013 Christmas Day<\/span>
<\/span>December 26<\/span>th<\/span>, 20<\/span>20<\/span>\u00a0\u2013 Boxing Day<\/span>
<\/span>December 31st, 20<\/span>20<\/span>\u00a0\u2013New Year\u2019s Eve<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

10. Ensure you have primary and secondary publisher contact info for emergencies<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Many p<\/span>artn<\/span>ers have specific points of contact depending on your brand vertical, affiliate provider or other criteria. In advance of the holiday season, ensure you have not only your key p<\/span>artn<\/span>ers\u2019 contact info (phone and email), but also a secondary point of contact for each. In the event of an emergency or issue, you don\u2019t want to be left contacting an individual that may be out of the office or busy.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you can put these 10 simple steps to work now and check them off your list, your affiliate program will be well-positioned for planned success during\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>20<\/span>20<\/span>\u00a0holiday<\/span>\u00a0shopping season<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Happy holidays!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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