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Are you planning affiliate promotions for the coming holiday season? It’s a busy time of year for shoppers which means there’s plenty of revenue up for grabs. But how can you stand out from the noise? And what can you do to maximize your chances of success? In this article, we run through four simple steps that can help you get the best results from your efforts.
Give Affiliates Plenty of Time to Prepare
Emailing affiliates on the day your promotion starts doesn’t give them any time to prepare (yet this is what many merchants end up doing). Most high-quality publishers will have their content planned weeks or months in advance, so may not be able to adjust them at short notice. This can mean that your holiday promotions are only picked up by the lower-performing affiliates or squeezed in as an after-thought.
You don’t need to notify them of all the details if you haven’t got them nailed down yet. But a simple heads up that you’ll be running a promotional offer on certain dates can be enough to secure slots in their content calendar. It’ll also give them more time to think about how they can promote your offer so you’ll benefit from more creative and impactful executions.
Think Outside the Holiday Box
When it comes to holiday promotions, most companies plan for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year. The last quarter of the year is the busiest for most online retailers so this makes absolute sense. But you could be missing a trick if you limit yourself to just these three peak-times (and leaving cash on the table in the meantime).
Think about other festivals or key dates that you could run promotional campaigns around. These could be public holidays or awareness days that are specific to your industry. Tapping into themes such as vegan week or national yoga day can be an easy way to generate more sales. Not only will you be able to piggy-back on media attention but there will be less competition than at other times of the year. If you sell internationally, then research the biggest holidays in your target countries so that you can tap into those opportunities too.
Get Input From Your Best-Performing Affiliate Publishers
If you really want to run a successful holiday campaign, then it’s worth getting input from your publishers. They are a goldmine of unique and creative ideas which can be developed into larger promotional concepts. Involving them also shows that you value their feedback which can go a long way to developing meaningful business relationships. This will make them more likely to put extra effort into promoting your brand and getting even better results.
Consider running an online focus group, holding one-to-one Skype calls, or even a simple survey. Ask them for input on your existing ideas but leave space for them to suggest their own too. This will enable you to develop even more successful affiliate campaigns that generate higher returns. Be sure to thank them for their suggestions and update them on your plans so they can see that their feedback is appreciated and being taken seriously.
Track Your Results & Evaluate Them Throughout
Tracking your results is easy with a user-friendly dashboard like Advertise Purple’s. It’ll show you detailed KPIs (including sales revenue and impressions) so that you always know exactly how a campaign is performing. The numbers will tell you what worked and what didn’t, but it’s helpful to do your own analysis too. This is where you’ll identify how to improve for future campaigns so that you get the best possible return on your investment.
You don’t have to wait until afterward to evaluate either, sometimes our best ideas happen during the campaign. If you hit a snag and think ‘if only I’d done X earlier’ then write it down before you forget. You can then incorporate this into the ‘ideas for next year’ section of your evaluation. You might even be able to incorporate what you’ve learned into other holiday campaigns planned for this year.
Following these four steps will maximize the results of your holiday promotions with affiliates. By giving them plenty of time to prepare and asking for their input, they’ll feel invested in your success and get you even better results. Thinking outside the holiday box can allow you to tap into less competitive opportunities and generate even more revenue. Tracking and evaluating your results will help identify areas for improvement in the future so that your campaigns continue to grow.
LOOKING FOR HELP WITH AFFILIATE MANAGEMENT?
At Advertise Purple, our dedicated team of affiliate managers can help you to extend your reach and generate high-quality leads. They can even help you plan your holiday campaigns! We also have a network of best-in-class publishers who create engaging content that’s aligned with your strategic objectives. Contact us today by calling 424-272-7400, filling out the form below or emailing [email protected].
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