Converting Inactive Affiliates into Active Ones

[ahzuberi]

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What I would like to discuss is the best known strategy that an affiliate manager can adopt in order to make their affiliates active. Of course the 80 / 20 rule exists that 80% of revenue is generated from 20% of your affiliates. And at usual time this has become a 95 / 5 rule in the affiliate marketing industry. Hence the state of paradise being a 100 / 100 rule that would results a 100% results from all your affiliates. I have researched and come to the conclusion that:

1. Filter your affiliates don’t let just anyone join as it invites spammers and inactive affiliates. Of course you can also filter them out afterwards if initially choose not do so.

2. Send them a postal letter for that all time personal touch with a welcome note some goody or a single $1 currency to convince them that you are not running a scam.

3. Educate them as per your industry as to me the best strategy is to have affiliates of the same industry sharing the same interests that can actually help “Push” your product / service forward while creating a “Pull” with their personal abilities.

4. Meet their technical requirements such as customized links banners and support

5. Pay them as soon as they reach their threshold

6. Make one on one customer relationships

7. Send periodical newsletters educating and informing them about changes and updates

8. And finally announce affiliate of the month, campaigns, e-coupons for motivating your affiliates and distinguishing between inactive normal and super affiliates.

Please comment and add to this topic

[gamingrevenues]

Some good points there Hassaan, which we implement into our affiliate program.

[Hero]

Of course you can also filter them out afterwards if initially choose not do so.

That is not good advice - culling affiliates is always the wrong way to optimise performance for any program.

In order to convert inactive affiliates you need to understand the reasons why they are inactive. The only way to get this knowledge is to establish a relationship with them and communicate frequently.
You also need to define what an inactive affiliate is - if they generate impressions and clicks but not sales, are they considered inactive or active?

[gamingrevenues]

Your absolutely right Hero. As I said we implement some of the points that Hassaan mentioned, which are beneficial to both ourselves, and our affiliates, but I agree entirely with your points about culling. An understanding of why they are inactive is the best way forward, with good personal contact, and a willingness to help them to advance.

[SMARTBecca]

Hi guys - somre really helpful stuff there and points that are spot on. I think regular communication is the key to ensure you have less 'inactive affiliates'.

[jd77]

Dropping affiliates is a cataclysmic thing for idiotic merchants to do without at the very least an email conversation first.

I have often signed up to a number of programs with the intention of not promoting for a couple of months for a number of reasons.

Firstly - you often have to sign up to a merchant to discover just how poor/ineffective their datafeeds are and then you maybe have to amend a website or put a bit of effort in to sorting out their datafeed.

If as a merchant you are considering dropping somebody at least give them the opportunity of an email - a glut of sales may be just a day away.

[SMARTBecca]

I have often signed up to a number of programs with the intention of not promoting for a couple of months for a number of reasons.

Have you ever told the merchants what you need in order to run the program? I think it is most important the merchants are responsible to keep up communication with affiliates and ensure they are supplied with everything to run the program but if you need something and you dont tell them then how will they know?

[nerius]

Why don't the networks filter out stats from inactive affiliates i.e. only start recording stats once impressions, clicks etc are made - then the merchants wouldnt be so worried about their performance stats and 'cull' affiliates? Am I talking bollocks here? Please tell me if so...

[Hero]

well, it all comes down to defining what an inactive affiliate is. If it's someone who doesn't have any activity, then they have no stats, therefore they do not affect any KPIs whatsoever, apart from something like ratio of sales to total number of affiliates, which isn't an important KPI eitherway.

If we're talking about affiliates who do have activity but no conversions - is that their fault or the merchant's inability to convert that activity? The truth is somewhere between, but the resolution is to work with those affiliates and improve their performance, not cut it down completely.

At the end of the day, culling non-converting affiliates doesn't make the program perform better in terms of revenue, it just makes the visible stats look better. But the whole point of optimisation is to grow the program in revenue, not simply improve the stats.

[nerius]

You just nailed it I think - I should have said that.... :tup