Persuasion and Negotiation in the Affiliate Marketplace

Shaughn O’NeillStrategic Account Manager / Publisher Development Manager

AffiliateManager.com@soneill06

Summary

● Success Stories

● Tactics We Use

● Takeaways○ Affiliates○ Merchants○ Agencies

Success Stories

Pursue Non-Traditional Affiliate Arrangements● Players: Menfluential Media and

Sunglass Warehouse● Publisher accustomed to doing paid

placement marketing● Convinced publisher and client of a

hybrid approach--20% less up front and double our average commission

● Ran the numbers to determine what it would take to get them to break even

● Deal was signed and placement (banner, blogpost, and email blasts) went live

Convince Reluctant Affiliate Base to Test● Essential oils client● Due to product mix

(cannabis-based oils), traction for client was slower than average

● Found pet blogger/product reviewer

○ Affiliate outreach focused on products related to pets

● Affiliate saw benefits, posted review, and became lifelong customer

Craft Traditional Deal Site Placement● Slickdeals placement-Sunglass

Warehouse● Negotiated with client and affiliate to

find right deal (% off category)● Free test turned into a huge success

○ One-day sponsored (paid) placement saw second sales bump

● Testing off-season was even more successful

Be competitive with Amazon● Afrotechmods.com (and

associated YouTube site)--site for maker community

● Joined Arrow.com program through AffMgr Biz Dev Manager

● Base commission rate is lower than other brands and Amazon

● We offered to match Amazon in exchange for placement; Affiliate accepted and tested link on homepage (displacing AdSense)

Tactics

Persistence

● Determine soft no’s from hard no’s● Work around or through roadblocks● Keep trying until you get an answer!

Being Data-Driven

● Placement trackers

● Historical expectations

● Break-even or ROAS models

● Year-over-Year or Month-over-Month

goals

Flexibility● Hybrid payment model● CPA vs. CPM vs. CPC● Trial request--asking for a time frame

The Right Fit for the Right Brand

● Demographic focus● Deal-centricity● B2B versus B2C

Using spend/budget responsibly

● Controlling marketing spend for rev-share clients

● Obtaining a budget when we don’t control marketing spend

Takeaways

Takeaways for Affiliates● Merchants can be open to testing alternative models of revenue generation in

the affiliate channel:○ Awareness for popularity of flat-fee placements is high○ Be open to suggesting mixed/hybrid models

● Utilize the in-network placement marketplaces.● Find savvy in-house program managers and agency partners.

Takeaways for Merchants● Just like for affiliates, awareness that CPA is not the only way to do affiliate

anymore is crucial.● Bloggers and content site owners are finding they are doing better via other

means and are less open to CPA-only trials.● Maintaining a healthy affiliate program (high conversion rate and commission

rate, resulting in a high EPC) will help keep you competitive.

Takeaways for Agencies● Due to our unique position in the marketplace, we are (or should be) very

responsive to what we’re hearing from affiliates and merchants.○ Connecting the right client to the right affiliate(s) is why we’re hired to do what we do.

● Convincing both parties of a win-win deal is as crucial now as ever.● Knowing where you can push is the biggest part.

Thank You!