From setting up a new program to messaging cohesion and optimizing partnerships, conducting regular affiliate audits ensure that your program is successful. Hope this checklist can help you effectively manage your affiliate program.

Account Audit

Is all your publisher-facing information up-to-date? Review the following information for reference.

General Network Account Information

• Program description (bio)
• Logo
• Automated event emails (pending applications, acceptance into program, etc.)
• Newsletter templates
• Contact information
• Affiliate page on your websites

Creative

• Logo
• Banners (seasonal and relevant)
• Video
• Textlink
• Product Feed

Banner Size:

• 300X250, 728X90, 60X600, 120X90, 125X125, 468X60
• 300X600, 325X50 (mobile), 335X280

Commission Terms

• Publisher groups and tags for easy reporting and newsletter outreach
• Dynamic commission if necessary
• PPC rules (brand safety)

Publisher Approvals

• Avoid auto-approval because of quality over quantity

Pixel Implementation

Promotions/Shipping

Promotional Calendar

• Understand drive times for specific products and categories
• Based on prior performance and current availability, consider offering affiliate channel exclusives, affiliate semi-exclusives or true exclusives to key partners.
• Get creative with promotional messaging, adding in seasonal wording where appropriate to create a sense of urgency and relevancy.

Free Shipping & Shipping Deadlines

• Customers love free shipping.

Promotional Assets

• coupon code
• sweepstakes
• gift card
• flash sale
• holiday sale

Newsletter Communication/Mass Outreach

• promotional coupon, coupon code, duration, and any terms and conditions
• plan to send reminders of peak promotions closer to the actual run dates
• creat a list of top publisher contacts and send promotional updates and calendars directly to these contacts, as well as in-network newsletters.
• creat a monthly newsletter schedule that coincides with your sites marketing calendar

Optimization

Top Publishers/ Coupons & Loyalty

• communicate individually with these publishers, addressing any recent decrease and /or ways to continue increasing performance.
• offer a tiered performance bonus to top partners for exceeding revenue goals.

Content Affiliates

• Highlight relevant seasonal products, along with updated seasonal creative in communications to content-focused sites.
• Incentivize content affiliates to post specific seasonal content and promotions.
• Provide content suggestions  (keywords or best sellers) if possible.

Influencer Marketing

• Mega, Macro, Micro or Nano influencers

Technology Affiliates

• Retargeting can be helpful to optimize conversion rates.

Placement Buying

• Ask for media kits and get the best fit for your budget during the holiday season.

Monitoring

Brand Safety & Fraud Traffic

• Audit publisher sites to ensure they are not cheating and violating the program terms.

Placement Performance

• Monitor publisher sites to ensure placements are running as scheduled with the proper messaging.

Budget  & KPI

• Metrics: Clicks, Sales, ROAS, AOV, CR, New/Existing customer

Multi-Channel Marketing

• Compare the data among different marketing channels

Affiliate marketing is relationship-based, the relationship among advertisers, affiliates and affiliate networks.  For a successful affiliate program, we can’t emphasize too much the importance of affiliate recruitment and management.

Here is a simple guide for you to recruit great affiliate partners.
Continue reading How to Recruit Quality Affiliates →