Post on 15-May-2015
description
90+ Tips, Tricks,Tools, and Techniques for
Effective Affiliate Recruitment
Geno PrussakovCEO & President, AM Navigator LLCwww.amnavigator.com Founder & Chair, Affiliate Management
Dayswww.amdays.com
(+1) 888-588-8866geno@amnavigator.com
@ePrussakov .
The 5 Pillars
≈80% of time
2 Kinds of Affiliate Recruitment
Active PassiveYou reach out to them They find you
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Recruitment Through Their Eyes
Source: 2013 Affiliate Summit AffStat Report
Active:
Direct contact: 42.4%
Conferences: 8.9%
Print publications: 4.4%
Recruitment Through Their Eyes
Source: AffiliateBenchmarks 2013 Global Affiliate Questionnaire
Active:
Network emails: 36.3%
Blogs: 29.6%
Online ads: 17.8%
Aff. manager emails: 13.9%
ActiveAffiliate
Recruitment
Active Recruitment
“S” Ways to Find Affiliates:
o Software/toolso Social media o Search engineso Summits & symposiumso Symbiotic recruitmento Structure-based recruitmento Snail mailo Specific publicationso Satisfied customers
Software / Tools
Free Paid
Free & Inexpensive Tools
1. Internet Success Spider (free)2. SEO Quake (free)3. Backlink Watch (free)4. Citation Labs (~$20 per 500-1000)5. BuzzStream ($29/mo - $249/mo)6. Raven SEO Tools ($99-$249/mo)7. iBusinessPromoter ($250-$500)
Paid Tools
8. AffiliateRecruitment.com
9. Linkdex
10. Syntryx
Linkdex (screenshot #1)Dashboard (shows relative number of links and domain backlinks; yields new mid to long-tail prospects)
Linkdex (screenshot #2)Publisher Discovery (interrogating affiliate network- or program-specific tracking domain(s), showing affiliate sites linking in)
Recruitment Email Subject line Introduce
yourself/company Explain why you’re emailing Personalize Include concrete data on
your affiliate program (don’t do the math for them!)
Underscore competitive advantages (tools, co-branding, policies)
Primary & secondary CTA
Social Media
The media that they use
11. Blogs (the ones they read)
12. Forums (ABestWeb, PerformanceIN, 5StarAffiliatePrograms, AssociatePrograms)
13. Groups (on LinkedIn, Facebook, etc)
Play by the rules!
14. Search Engines
Or reaching out to websites that
rank high for relevant keywords.
15. Summits, Conferences2014 Affiliate Marketing Conferences (worldwide)
01/12-01/14 – Affiliate Summit West (Las Vegas, NV, USA) 01/15 – ClickBank Exchange (Las Vegas, NV, USA) 01/29-01/30 – LinkShare Symposium West (San Francisco, CA, USA) 02/06-02/09 – London Affiliate Conference (London, UK) 02/21 – LinkShare Symposium Japan (Tokyo, Japan) 02/25-02/26 – Affiliate TactixX (Munich, Germany) 03/19-03/20 – Affiliate Management Days (San Francisco, CA, USA) 03/25-03/26 – LeadsCon Las Vegas (Las Vegas, NV, USA) 04/01 – CPA Day (Kiev, Ukraine) 04/03 – LinkShare Symposium UK (London, UK) 04/16 – CPA Life (St. Petersburg, Russia) 05/13-05/14 – Affiliate Management Days (London, UK) 05/15 – Affiliate Konference (Prague, Czech Republic) 05/22 – Affiliate Dag 2014 (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) 05/29-05/31 – Afiliados Brasil (São Paulo, Brazil) 06/24-06/25 – Performance Marketing Insights Europe (Berlin, Germany) 06/24-06/27 – Amsterdam Affiliate Conference (Amsterdam, Netherlands) 06/25-06/26 – LinkShare Symposium East (New York, NY, USA) TBA – Affiliate Marketing Master Class (Athens, Greece) 08/03-08/05 – AvantExpo 2014 (Park City, UT, USA) 08/14-08/15 – LeadsCon East (New York, NY, USA) 08/10-08/12 – Affiliate Summit East (New York, NY, USA) TBA – LinkShare Symposium Australia (Sydney, Australia) 09/09-09/11 – Commission Junction University (Santa Barbara, CA, USA) 10/03-10/04 – Russian Affiliate Congress & Expo (Moscow, Russia) 10/19-10/21 – ShareASale ThinkTank 2014 (Charlotte, NC, USA) 10/28-10/29 – Performance Marketing Insights: London (London, UK) TBA – Russian Affiliate Days (Moscow, Russia) TBA – Barcelona Affiliate Conference (Barcelona, Spain) TBA – China International Affiliate Conference (Tianjin, China) TBA – LeadConf (Moscow, Russia) TBA – LinkShare Symposium Canada (Toronto, Canada)
15. Summits, Conferences
Consider also niche- and audience-specific conferences
16. Symbiotic Recruitment
Symbiosis – a cooperative relationship (as between two persons or groups).
Source: Webster’s Dictionary
Promote your affiliate program on a cross-program basis.
Form short- or long-term cross-program recruitment relationships with affiliate programs run by merchants that sell related products or services.
Structure-Based Recruitment
17. Network-based 18. External tools
Newsletter inclusion Directory listing Internal recruitment opps
Forums Other platforms
19. Snail MailExperiment with postcards! (they do catch attention)
Especially, when they come with a gift card, or contain a "private" offer.
Specific Publications (Ads)
20. Revenue Performance
21. FeedFront
22. Conference programs/guides
23. Electronic Retailer
24. Internet Retailer
25. Visibility
26. Website Magazine
27. Target Marketing
28. Satisfied Customers
Invite them to become affiliates on:
Order confirmation page Newsletters Social media
PassiveAffiliate
Recruitment
Recruitment Through Their Eyes
Source: 2013 Affiliate Summit AffStat Report
Passive:
Merchant site: 51.3%
Search engines: 38.6%
Directories: 38%
Word of mouth: 20.3%
Support efforts: 14.6%
Recruitment Through Their Eyes
Source: AffiliateBenchmarks 2013 Global Affiliate Questionnaire
Passive:
Support pages: 47%
Network sites: 44.7%
Search engines: 33.1%
Forums & directories: 17.6%
Word of mouth: 17.5%
Passive Recruitment
Ways to Get Found by Affiliates:
o Program description (with visible link)o Program FAQ and/or support site/blogo Affiliate directorieso Social mediao Second-tier affiliateso “Subscribe to affiliate news” linko Press releases
Merchant description + link Commission structure Info on cookie life Availability of data feed Information on competitive advantages (e.g.:
anti-parasite policy, phone tracking, conversion rates, EPC)
Underscore tools (widgets, deep linking, co-branding opps, custom creatives/LPs)
Any restrictions and/or special terms that affiliates should know about
29. Program Description
Avoid Clichés!
Cliché – a trite expression, often a figure of speech whose effectiveness has been worn out through overuse and excessive familiarity.
Source: http://grammar.about.com/od/c/g/clicheterm.htmTop 10:
1. “instantly”2. “ultimate”3. “easy”4. “unparalleled”5. “perfect match”6. earn/get/make “$X in X days/months”7. “highest payouts”8. “impressive conversion rate(s)”9. “best affiliate program”10. “number one” merchant/offer/program
Minimum
• Program Details (with sign-up link/form)• Program Agreement• Blog
Ideally1. Program Details2. Program Agreement3. FAQ Section4. Tips & Ideas5. Creatives6. Blog7. Contact Us.
30. Affiliate Program Support Site
30. Affiliate Program Support Site
Affiliate Directories
Nearly 1/5th of affiliates use them
Directories to Submit Your Program To:
31. AffiliatesDirectory.com32. AffiliateFirst.com33. AffiliatePrograms.com34. AffiliateRanker.com35. AffiliateScout.com36. AffiliateSeeking.com37. AllAffiliatePrograms.com38. AssociatePrograms.com39. JamAffiliates.com40. Top-Affiliate.com
41. Social Media (forums)
42. Social Media (networks)
Social Media
Whatever the media, design conversions
This is the key to succeeding with social
(not only for affiliate recruitment purposes)
One-time bounty Recurring payouts
43. Second-Tier Affiliates
44. Affiliate News Subscription
45. Press Releases
• Branding benefits
• SEO benefits•
Visibility/exposure• Spread of news
Other Methods ofAffiliate
Recruitment
Other Methods
Delve In & Dissect:
o Reach out to influencerso Analyze similar siteso Explore related verticalso Target seasonal (holiday-oriented) affiliateso Study competitors’ backlinkso Monitor keywords and niches
Influencer OutreachTools to Employ
46. BlogDash (bloggers)47. BloggerLinkUp (bloggers)48. Business 2 Blogger (bloggers)49. BuzzStream (all sorts of content websites)50. eCairn.com (bloggers and communities)51. FindPeopleOnPlus.com (Google+ influencers)52. Followerwonk (Twitter influencers)53. Google Blog Search (bloggers)54. GroupHigh.com (bloggers)55. Klout (an array of social media)56. Kred (social media | check out Communities)57. Listorious (Twitter)58. Outreachr (all sorts of content websites)59. Pitch It To Me (bloggers)60. Simply Measured (analytics tool for Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Google+)61. SocialBro (Twitter)62. Sulia (Facebook and Twitter)63. Topsy (Twitter | check their Experts section)64. Twellow (Twitter)65. Twitter Search (Twitter influencers)
66. Similar Websites
• Similar sites• Site topics (more
key influencers!)• Key phrases &
categories• "Similar search"
(SEO & SEM rivals)
• "HeatMap"
67. Related Verticals
Travel Websites Fashion SitesConsider also sites catering to: Pilots Anglers Golfers Cyclists Snow sports fans Gamblers Women
68. Seasonal Affiliates
January-September: 13,000 UVs/moOctober: 95,000 UVsNovember: 2,000,000 UVs
Competitors’ Backlinks
Tools to Consider
69. Google (link:www.competor.com)70. Open Site Explorer (by SEOmoz)71. Majestic SEO72. Raven Backlink Explorer73. Link Diagnosis74. Ahrefs75. Advanced Link Manager76. Bing Webmaster Tools Link Explorer77. Backlink Watch78. MonitorBacklinks.com
Ongoing Monitoring
Free Online Tools
79. Google Alerts80. Marketing Grader81. Pipes (aka Social Media Firehose by Yahoo)82. Omgili83. TweetBeep84. BuzzMonitor85. Collecta.com86. BackType87. BoardReader88. WhosTalkin.com89. SocialMention90. BlogPulse
3 Points in Conclusion
“…the chief distinction of a diplomat is that he can say no in such a way that it sounds like a yes.”
– Lester B. Pearson
#1. Do Not Burn Bridges!
We are sorry, but the website(s) and/or promotional
methods listed on your affiliate profile do(es) not
meet our approval criteria. We have therefore
declined your application.
If, however, you feel that we have overlooked your
potential, we would like to hear from you. Just email
us a brief explanation of how you were planning on
marketing our product/service, and we will gladly
reconsider your application.
#2. Remember to Follow Up Effectiveness:
Initial email: max. 4% sign up Follow-ups: ≈12% more join
Frequency:
1. A week from original email
2. 1 more week down the road
3. 2-3 months
4. Half a year
5. A year
#3…persistence is key!
Thank you! Questions?