Getting ready to launch an affiliate marketing campaign? Before launching check to make sure you have these crucial components aligned!
1. A competitive Offer. If you are investing in a marketing campaign, put your best foot forward! There is no need to spend marketing dollars to tell everyone that you have the same deal your competitors have. To have a more impactful and successful campaign invest some of your marketing dollars to create an irresistible campaign that both your publishers and your consumers are excited to see. Don't beg to be put on the front of your publisher's site. Design an offer that speaks for itself, something that a publisher would be crazy not to put front and center.
2. A Call To Action. Have one. There are passive calls to action, and there are aggressive calls to action. You should have a clear call to action on your offer's creative. Your graphic looks pretty? That's great, but it's not going to give you conversions. Make sure you have a clear, short call to action giving instruction to the user of what their next action should consist of. Without a call to action you may as well just be posting a pretty Monet or Picasso -- pretty but won't sell your service or product.
3. A Clear WIIFM. If you don't know what WIIFM means you need to throw away your campaign and start over again. Let me break it down for you; WIIFM is a marketing acronym with the user in mind; "What's In It For Me." Why would your demographic click on your offer and follow it through to completion? Are they getting something free? Are they getting something at a much lower price than available anywhere else? Is your offer irresistible to your demographic? Is your WIIFM easily identifiable? I recently ran a travel campaign that was offering a two day free stay for two at a resort. The creative they had was a beautiful shot of a tropical beach with turquoise water, light sand, a beautiful sky, and their very popular brand logo. This campaign had zero conversions for quite a while. After adding the simple text overlay to the creative "Complementary two night stay for two!" conversions went through the roof! This popular brand had a great WIIFM, but the messaging was missing. The best part of the offer was hidden. Make sure your campaign has an irresistible WIIFM, and clear messaging!
4. A Sensible User Experience. Great!! You have engagement and got the click! Now a user is on your site, just a few clicks away from conversion. The first step is pretty easy, make sure your landing page matches your creative they just clicked on. After reaching the landing page, if there is a credit card capture required give the consumer something that will get them more emotionally attached. Have them chose a preference or make a selection before requesting their card number. I have seen excellent offers go out that have a landing page with a credit card capture. These offers were able to get clicks, but there was no conversion. Consumers were scared away with an immediate credit card number request. Never have a credit card capture be your landing page. Whether or not there is a credit card capture, create a user experience that is simple and easy. A user experience is like a joke. If you have to explain it, it's not that good.
Once you have these four components aligned, you are ready to launch! Put in the work, be on purpose with these critical pieces, and prepare for conversions!