How to Use Zapier for Affiliate Marketing Automation

Affiliate programs have quickly become the future of marketing. Why? Because, user-generated content (UGC) and influencer marketing have been proven to offer much stronger returns than traditional online marketing. 

In the modern marketing landscape, partnering with up-and-coming content creators is one of the most impactful ways to harness the power of social media. Creating an affiliate program can give your business a fresh channel for new growth. But many affiliate programs also require a good amount of manual work to keep up with affiliate partner needs.

Your schedule is likely already full with the day-to-day tasks of running your business. So though affiliate programs can be highly beneficial, the job of maintaining one can be particularly time-consuming. Fortunately, there are tools like Zapier that make it a lot easier to launch and run a successful affiliate program. If you’re looking for a plug-and-play integration app that will help you save time and run your business more smoothly, Zapier is the app integration you need for your affiliate program.

Why should you use Zapier for affiliate marketing automation?

Zapier is an online integration tool that automates specific tasks that you would otherwise spend valuable time completing by hand. If your affiliate program software offers a Zapier integration, then you can easily connect your partner program and start saving time on daily operations. 

While affiliate programs can add great value to your brand and boost your marketing strategy, they also often burn through time and essential manpower. Starting an affiliate program requires multiple steps, including:

• Recruiting potential brand partners
• Onboarding new affiliates
• Keeping affiliates engaged
• Providing marketing materials for affiliates
• Communicating with affiliate partners
• Monitoring affiliate activities 
• Tracking campaign performance 
• Paying affiliates and incentivizing top performers
• Adjusting and optimizing your marketing strategy

‌Clearly, maintaining an affiliate program isn't easy, but the benefits can be well worth it for your business. If you want to build an affiliate program that makes money without eating up all of your time, choosing the right automated affiliate marketing software is essential.

This is where Zapier automation for affiliate marketing comes in. With its powerful integration capabilities, Zapier helps business owners:

• Connect your program to the tools you already use
• Cut down on small, repetitive tasks
• Keep your team in the loop 
• Centralize and track program performance
• Provide up-to-the-minute communications
• Grow your referral program quickly without hours of legwork
  

If you want to master the skill of efficient affiliate management, then you don’t want to miss learning all the tricks to using Zapier to scale your program as efficiently as possible.

How does Zapier work?

Zapier is a tool that connects the different apps you already use, allowing them to work together automatically. Basically, the app knows: “if this happens, then do that.” The “this” is called a trigger, and the “that” is called an action.

• The trigger is the event that starts the process. For example, a new customer signs up on your website.
  
  
• The action is what Zapier does next in another app. For example, adding that customer to your email list, sending them a welcome message, or updating your CRM.
  

You can chain these steps together to create automated workflows, known as “Zaps.” A Zap might start with a single trigger (a purchase is made) and then fire off multiple actions (record the order in Google Sheets, send a receipt email, and notify your sales team). Once a Zap is set up, Zapier runs it in the background without you needing to log in or take any action yourself.

Essentially, Zapier saves you from repetitive tasks by connecting your favorite apps, so they can share information and take action automatically. When you pair it with an affiliate marketing software like LeadDyno, you can set up your affiliate program to connect to thousands of other apps that can help streamline your business.

How can Zapier optimize my affiliate program?

Once you launch your affiliate program, Zapier can assist you no matter where you are in the process of building your team. 

Zapier works by connecting “triggers” (events in your program) with “actions” (the tasks Zapier completes in your other tools). In other words, when something happens in your affiliate program, Zapier takes care of the follow-up automatically.

When you integrate Zapier with your existing affiliate marketing software, it can save you time with the following actions:

1. Trigger New Tasks

With Zapier, you can start connecting with new leads and affiliates right away. Here’s how the integration makes it easier to cultivate partnerships with influencers and content creators through the following triggers:

• New Lead Created - A successful campaign might bring in a throng of fresh leads. When a new lead signs up, Zapier can instantly add them to your CRM, drop them into an email campaign, or notify your sales team. Start nurturing potential customers right away by using the New Lead trigger on Zapier.
  

• New Affiliate Created - As soon as you’ve approved a new affiliate partnership, Zapier helps you kick off the onboarding process immediately. The moment you approve a new affiliate, Zapier can send a welcome email, add them to your database, and trigger onboarding steps so they can begin promoting right away. 
  

• New Purchase Created - Automatically organize every sale and take the opportunity to promote your brand further. Zapier can log the transaction in your tracking sheet, sync data with your e-commerce platform, and even send post-purchase messages to customers.
  

2. Automate Important Actions

Beyond reacting to triggers, Zapier can also carry out important tasks in your affiliate management software. These actions can help you keep records current and make sure your program runs smoothly:

• Creating Leads - When you find new prospects and partners, Zapier can add them to your system automatically.
  
  
• Create Affiliates – Once you accept an affiliate into your program, Zapier can create their profile and complete onboarding steps.
  
  
• Update Affiliates – When you need to update affiliate information like commission rates, contact details, or affiliate status, Zapier can do it for you automatically.
  
  
• Update Affiliate Sales on Other Platforms – Send affiliate sales to tools like QuickBooks, Google Sheets, or your reporting dashboards.
  
  
• Update LeadDyno Affiliate Sales – If sales happen outside your affiliate marketing software, Zapier can still record them inside your affiliate software. This keeps your affiliate data accurate, which importantly, keeps your commissions accurate.
  

3. Simplifying Searches

Managing affiliates often means sifting through lots of data. Zapier’s search features make it easier to find and update records quickly. When integrated with affiliate management software, you can quickly:

• Find leads by email
• Find affiliates in your system
• Create leads by email
• Create affiliates instantly

This allows you to avoid accidentally making duplicate leads or affiliates, automatically keeping your records accurate and organized. Plus, you don’t have to waste time digging through spreadsheets to find that one name ever again.

{{blog-cta}}

Getting Started With Zapier and LeadDyno

The key to a strong, successful affiliate program is in building strong partnerships with your affiliate partners. This can lead to greater online engagement, higher conversion rates, and increased growth for your brand. The easiest way to set your program up for success is by putting another pair into action for affiliate automation — LeadDyno and Zapier.

If you're looking to make the most of your marketing efforts, an affiliate marketing automation software like LeadDyno is a smart, affordable way to grow your brand reach with affiliate marketers. By pairing LeadDyno’s capabilities with Zapier’s versatility, you’ll quickly find out how easy it is to manage a major affiliate network without using up all your precious productivity time.  

If you’re looking to start taking advantage of a Zapier affiliate program, LeadDyno offers a seamless integration with Zapier. Sign up for a 30-day free trial today to see for yourself how easy it is to launch your affiliate program, connect with talented affiliates, and keep track of lucrative brand partnerships.

‍