Affiliate Marketing Consulting
Affiliate marketing consulting can be a powerful way to breathe new life into any affiliate program. While here at AM Navigator we had stopped providing consulting services several years ago, in the past our CEO and Founder, Geno Prussakov, did consult various brands on how to make the most of affiliate marketing. As an affiliate marketing consultant, he has contributed to the online marketing success of such companies as Forbes, MetLife, Nokia, Hallmark, Skype, Medifast, and hundreds of small businesses. He has also authored four books (including three affiliate marketing bestsellers, "A Practical Guide to Affiliate Marketing" (2007), "Affiliate Program Management: An Hour a Day" (2011), and "Quick Start Guide to Affiliate Marketing" (2013)) and numerous video courses, which have cumulatively trained thousands of marketing professionals. In 2014 Impact recognized him as one of the world's top performance marketing influencers, while in 2014 and 2015 he was acknowledged by SmallBizTrends as one of North America's top 100 small business influencers.
While Geno is no longer available for consultations, there are plenty of other AM Navigator services that may work even better for you. Contact us and we will work with you on finding the best solution for your situation.
What May Work Better Than Pure “Consulting”
At AM Navigator we believe that affiliate program manager’s responsibilities fall into 5 major areas: (i) affiliate recruitment, (ii) affiliate activation, (iii) policing of inappropriate affiliate behavior and enforcing compliance with the rules, (iv) ongoing communication, and (v) continuous program optimization. All of these are embraced in our holistic affiliate program management package.
If, however, full program management is not for you, don’t get set on mere affiliate management consulting, but consider co-management of the program as an option. This would help you leverage our expertise on all (or any select) of the above-listed fronts, but may also cover additional areas of work. Besides others, these areas would include:
How It Works
There are areas of responsibilities which cannot be rigidly placed into any one of the above areas, but exist on cross-sections of these. In this regard, we are listing all majors tasks in one list which you may find below (additional clarifications can be provided on request):
Terms of Service
Assistance in auditing and/or creating your own affiliate program agreement.
Creatives and Data Feed
Support in developing a robust creative inventory and data feed, if necessary.
Identification and Recruitment of New Affiliates
Prospective affiliate partners are being identified by relevant content and target audiences, as well as/or by their already-existing affiliate marketing relationships with our client’s direct competitors, or vendors selling similar or complimentary products.
Activating Stagnant Affiliate Accounts
This is performed by interweaving methods of extrinsic motivation (hands-on help, custom creatives, landing pages, bonuses, tiered commission increases, contests, etc.) with the goal of cultivating intrinsic affiliate motivation. We are firm believers that any affiliate can become a power player.
Maintaining Stimulating Relationships with Current Affiliates
The foundation for this is Hersey and Blanchard’s contingency theory which (a) states no one universal solution but the correct approach will always depend on the unique needs of the situation, and (b) prescribes different leadership styles for different situations. In the affiliate program management context we believe to be dealing with two main situational variables: (i) affiliate maturity (which encompasses both psychological and professional maturity), and (ii) task at hand. Crafting individualized approaches both to different types of affiliates, and affiliates of different sizes, we encourage them to perform better.
Developing and Monitoring Affiliate Promotions
This area covers creation of competitive and enticing affiliate promotions, as well as monitoring and supporting them.
Ensuring and Supporting All-Encompassing Affiliate Marketing Strategy
This is one that involves all types of affiliates (content, paid search, couponers, loyalty programs, shopping malls and shopping comparison engines, video, email, and social media affiliates, etc.).
Analyzing the Program’s Performance
Analyzing the program’s performance in light of the 5 KPIs, identifying existing and potential problems, proposing solutions, and reporting for overall activity.
Maintaining Ongoing Communication Campaigns
Per AffStat Report, affiliate-preferred channels of communication are: (i) mass email (38%), (ii) blog and company site (26%), and (iii) network internal email (17%). Also, 42% of affiliates want to be contacted monthly, while 39% as often as weekly. We provide full communication support via email, regular newsletters and promo notifications, support by IM, Twitter, and phone (toll free within the U.S. and Canada).
Opportunities for Program Improvement
Identifying opportunities for program improvement, advising client on the details, and implementing them in order to enhance the affiliate program.
Keeping Affiliates Updated
Keeping affiliates up to date on new products and any program enhancements.
Policing
Policing unacceptable affiliate PPC bidding behavior, monitoring affiliate link placements, and full ensuring compliance with the program's TOS (including unauthorized use of coupons, pseudocouponing, etc).
AM Navigator will provide you with a full outsourced affiliate program management solution that will take care of all your program management needs in a comprehensive and all-encompassing way. Contact us for a quote today.
Request Your FREE Quote
We’re so confident that you’ll benefit from our services that we are happy to analyze your affiliate marketing efforts and provide you a quote on improving what you do. Just provide us with the details, and we’ll either set up an exploratory call or give you our free quote right away.