Affiliate marketing is one the most desired digital skills among marketing professionals.
The desire to master it makes complete sense. After all, it is marketing through affiliate programs (read: getting independent marketers to compete in promoting you and paying them only when the desired performance occurs) that yields one of the highest returns on investment in digital marketing. You can’t go wrong with paying on performance.
But how do you develop these much-desired affiliate program management skills? You’re not the only one who is wondering… Earlier this week, I received the following question:
Could you please share a few resources that can help me develop my skills as an affiliate program manager?
Gladly!
Having been at the forefront of affiliate marketing education for more than a decade, I will happily walk you through various resources that will equip you with solid affiliate program management skills.
There are (at least) five ways in which brands/advertisers and marketers can develop their affiliate marketing knowledge (from basics and best practices to the more advanced strategies). These five are: (i) Books, (ii) Video Courses, (iii) Conference Presentations, (iv) Articles, and (v) Audio Material.
Yes, there clearly have been others in the industry who contributed to one (or several) of these five expressions of knowledge, but due to the fact that I myself created a vast number of various resources, below I am referencing my own work only (and most of these are either free and very affordable). Consider the following twenty-five resources:
I. Books
- “A Practical Guide to Affiliate Marketing: Quick Reference for Affiliate Managers & Merchants” (2007) – paperback | e-book
- “Affiliate Program Management: An Hour a Day” (2011) – paperback | e-book | translated into Chinese and Russian
II. Video Course
- “Affiliate Marketing: Advertising” – on LinkedIn Learning
III. Conference Presentations
I’ve delivered nearly a hundred of these over the years, but here are a few you may find of most relevance:
- “Affiliate Management: Challenges & Contingency Theory” – video | slide deck
- “20 Affiliate Program Management Mistakes to Avoid” – video | slide deck
- “Advanced Affiliate Program Management & Analysis” – video | slide deck
- “Affiliate Program Conversion Optimization Tips” – video | slide deck
- “22 Effective Ways to Recruit Quality Affiliates” – video | slide deck
- “5 Foundational Pillars of Affiliate Program Success” – video | slide deck
- “Amazon vs. Walmart: Affiliate Marketing Lessons to Learn” – video | slide deck
- “55 Must-Haves in Every Affiliate Manager’s Toolbox” – video | slide deck
- “Leveraging Affiliate Marketing’s Cross-Channel Nature” – video
- “Affiliate Activation: 20 Ways to Get Them Cranking” – video | slide deck
- “10+ Ways to Make Your Affiliate Program Stand Out” – video | slide deck
- “7 Building Blocks of Affiliate Program’s Success” – video | slide deck
IV. Articles
- Nearly 1,500 of them on this very blog, but start from the ones dedicated to Affiliate Program Management here
- SmallBizTrends posts on/from AM Days conference
- My print articles (available online) in Visibility and FeedFront
V. Audio Material
- “Top Myths & Misconceptions About Affiliate Marketing” – download here
- “Tips & Tricks for Running Successful Holiday Promotions” – download here
- “How to Maximize Your Returns During the Holiday Shopping Season” – download here
- Rise of the Entrepreneur podcast – episode #73
- Affiliate Buzz podcast – episode #238
- “Affiliate Marketing Techniques to Rock 2018 & Beyond” – watch/listen here
I hope you’ll find the above of help and, as always, do not hesitate to suggest your own resources using the “Comments” functionality below.