Do you feel like you’re not getting the most out of your affiliate partners? Before starting your search for new ones to work with, think about this; when was the last time you went beyond basic work practices and actually motivated your affiliates? You might come to a rather interesting answer.
It is a much easier and a more cost-effective strategy to retain your existing affiliates instead of recruiting new ones.
With the following techniques, you can effectively motivate your affiliates to do more.
Time-Specific Commission Bumps
The best practice would be to give high commissions. If you’re short on cash, consider having limited-time commission bumps at specific weeks or months of a year. A popular time is during holidays but you certainly don’t have to wait till the end of the year to implement this strategy.
A good time for an increase in commissions is whenever your expected sales go up. This is a smart way to capitalize on the heightened activity. Communicate this short-term commission bump to your affiliates beforehand to utilize their efforts most effectively.
Offer Product Samples
Some merchants start out strong by sending over free samples regularly to their affiliates once they sign up. As time goes on, this practice gradually dies out. Consider it an effort to enlighten your affiliates about your business and send out goody baskets if you haven’t in a while.
Send two or more of each sample; one for the affiliate and one particularly meant as a give-away. According to Forbes, Word-Of-Mouth Marketing (WOMM) is one of the most effective marketing techniques today. By offering product samples to affiliates, you can increase word-of-mouth of your brand and find other great business partners.
An Affiliate Newsletter
It’s always good to highlight the top-performing affiliates so that they feel more a part of your brand and get motivated to perform even better. One easy way you can do this is to have a newsletter that’s solely dedicated to your affiliate network.
Hold a brief interview with your affiliates to find out who they are as well as their tricks of the trade.
Fill the newsletter with relevant things like content ideas, upcoming products and of course, an affiliate partner’s success. If you don’t have many affiliates, don’t worry. You can even circulate the newsletter on a quarterly basis.
LeadDyno is a leading affiliate marketing network that provides merchants and affiliates with unique and effective affiliate marketing tools and tracking solutions.
Get in touch with us today to find out more.
