Earlier this month Forrester released its “Search And Email Marketing Tactics To Attract International Online Shoppers” report. While being highly focused on paid search and email marketing as the tools to go global, they couldn’t omit the benefits of running internationally-friendly affiliate programs too.
The reports says:
Affiliate Marketing Often Rounds Out The List In English-Speaking Markets
While paid search and email remain highly popular international online marketing tactics, others such as affiliate marketing should not be overlooked. Indeed, affiliate marketing services provider LinkShare cites a number of clients focusing on the English-speaking markets of the US, the UK, and Australia and increasingly on other big online shopping markets like Germany.
Retailers indicate that the low cost of entry and cost-per-acquisition model of affiliate marketing are key selling points given their reluctance to overspend in international markets where revenues might be limited.
Back in 2007 I wrote that “unlike it is with other channels of distribution, the affiliate marketing one hardly has any advertising and marketing expenses, yet often showing the best ROI” (A Practical Guide to Affiliate Marketing, p. 18). This still remains to be case regardless of whether you’re using it for international or domestic sales.