ReveNews
“Sow and you shall reap” - 101 for Affiliate Merchants
Happy Thanksgiving! With the holiday shopping season in full swing, it puzzles me to see that there are many affiliate merchants that stumbled at the finishing line. I think those merchants are missing out on a huge opportunity by not planning well in advance.
According to Michael Coley of Amazing-Bargains.com, he mentioned that he is getting five times more e-newsletters from merchants within the last week or so and it is way “too late” to take advantage of those. I have to agree with Mr. Coley as I have seen a huge surge in email within the last two weeks. One of the best email (or worst, depending on how you see it) I received was an x% off banner from a merchant promoting Black Friday on Thanksgiving. Most affiliates will take off during Thanksgiving to be with their family, so please don’t expect much if that campaign tanks as nobody is promoting it.
Besides timing, it is critical to deliver the right message. There are merchants that will send out multiple e-newsletters saying that they are going to have a big sale for Thanksgiving or Christmas, please look out for the next newsletter. If it takes 30 seconds for an affiliate to open and scan over an email, why not help affiliate be efficient so that they can be more effective at promoting the merchant by cutting out the non-essential communications. Yes, there is always a suspense factor but it is really necessary? Oh, it’s always a good idea to check your content as I have seen quite a few “Correction emails”.
What can affiliate merchants do better help affiliates?
-Plan accordingly. You should have your plans for Valentine’s day done before Christmas.
-Timing is everything. Knowing when to call or email affiliates.
-Build a relationship. Don’t expect affiliates to drop everything to promote your company unless you have a heck of a deal.
-Keep it short and sweet. Don’t write a biography about the promotion.
-Don’t spam. Don’t bombard affiliates with the same promotion or unnecessary e-newsletters.
-Check it twice. Make sure that you have the right content and avoid “correction emails”.
Hi Eric,
Nice to see you blogging here! Very timely piece and so true.
Mike