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The success of an affiliate marketing campaign is directly related to the performance of its publishing partners. Highly motivated affiliates produce better results for merchants which leads to greater sales revenue. So, how can you capture their attention and persuade them to go all-out in their promotional efforts? What are the secrets to motivating affiliates and maximizing your results? In this article, we share the most effective ways to harness the power of your affiliate network.
Understand Their Key Drivers
The first step to motivating affiliates is understanding what drives them. For many publishers, it’s about more than money and the commissions that they’ll earn. Of course, these are a factor but there are often other elements at play too. Some are motivated by competition and the challenge of outperforming others in their niche. The opportunity for learning and self-development can also be a strong driving factor.
In order to understand their key drivers, you’ll need to get to know them. Before you can identify what makes them tick, you’ll need to develop a relationship where they feel able to share their thoughts and feedback. Make the effort to establish rapport with your affiliates and be proactive in seeking out their ideas. Experienced affiliates will have good insights and may even be able to provide feedback on what your competitors are doing well. Once you understand what’s driving them, it’s much easier to build an effective affiliate program and develop terms that are truly motivational.
Tap Into Internal & External Motivations
People are motivated by both internal (also known as intrinsic) and external (extrinsic) factors. Internal motivations include the desire to perform well or achieve self-imposed targets. External motivations could be things such as financial incentives or rewards. Most of us are motivated by a combination of the two so it pays to tap into both.
In the affiliate marketing world, internal motivations can include:
- Self-development – for some, simply being better at something than they were before is a motivating factor so provide training, promo ideas, or constructive feedback.
- Social connections – many bloggers and influencers work from home so value being part of an affiliate community – give them the opportunity to connect with others in the network.
- Credibility – being associated with your brand may give their website extra weight and kudos that they’re craving so make badges or widgets that they can use.
When it comes to boosting external motivation, here are some ideas that are proven to work:
- Incentives – commission, performance-related bonuses, prizes etc.
- Goals – setting targets for your affiliates will drive them to perform even better.
- Resources – promotional tools and educational materials.
- Encouragement – having your team provide encouragement, praise, and recognition to affiliates also goes a long way.
Combining elements from both of these lists will maximize motivation and affiliate performance. It’ll give your program the extra edge to exceed targets, generate even more revenue, and produce a strong return on investment. By understanding what drives your affiliates and then tailoring the program to hit tick their boxes (as well as yours), you’ll have a winning formula for success.
#1 AFFILIATE MANAGEMENT AGENCY IN THE USA
Advertise Purple is the #1 affiliate management agency in the USA. We help clients across the country to super-charge their affiliate revenue and get the most out of the channel. In fact, our clients see an average of 131% growth in affiliate sales within our first six months of campaign management. This is done for any niche, whether you are in it for direct e-commerce sales or lead generation.
Through our extensive network of high-quality affiliates, we’ve driven over $22 million in revenue for clients. With over nine years of successful affiliate management experience and a team of dedicated experts, we’re revered by networks and publishers as the leading affiliate management company.
We strive to position clients as the top advertiser in their vertical. If we cannot ensure this, then we don’t take them on as a client. Through close affiliate relationships, proven strategy, and proprietary affiliate management tools, our affiliate management has proven to be the best in the business.
If you want to step up your performance marketing or need help developing your affiliate network, our team can help. Simply send us a message using the form below, call us on 866.833.0574 or email [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you!
