I strongly advise every company to have an affiliate info page on their website. This simple page makes it incredibly easy for potential partners to find your program and signup for it.
Continued active recruitment of new affiliate partners is integral to any programs success no matter its maturity. The downside is that recruitment outreach is time-consuming.
An onsite affiliate page is the perfect example of passive recruitment. The technique of making your program searchable so those looking to join can smoothly do so.
Both active and passive recruitment should be key tasks for any affiliate manager to master.
What To Include In Your Affiliate Page
Alongside your network profile, an affiliate page should give an overview of your program. It should also encourage your target affiliates to join.
The quicker an affiliate finds and joins your program the better. When they are inspired to promote you, you want to ride that momentum for as long as possible.
Have clear CTA’s throughout the page. That way, dependent on how much content they want to consume the affiliate always has a button to get to the affiliate sign up page nearby.
To give you a better overview of what to include on your affiliate page. I have broken down what to include with real-world examples.
The Overview
An overview of your affiliate program should be clear and concise.
Potential affiliates want to quickly understand whether it will be worth their time to promote you. So, some core points you might like to include could be:
- Payment Speeds
- Commission
- Network
- Cookie Windows
- Incentives
- AOV’s
- Conversion Rates
Put yourself in the shoes of the affiliate. Try and answer ‘why’ they should be joining your affiliate program.
Any additional info you want to share like awards or industry recognition will only enhance the opportunity of recruitment.
Lesser known brands might want to include some company profile to add more weight. If your brand awareness in your niche is low, potential earnings will be lower for partners. So, re-enforce what additional gains there are to be had by joining.
But, most importantly, keep it to the point.
Have design support? The Simba example shows how you can make it visually appealing with a few layout tweaks.
Example: Simba
Target Affiliate Types
Not all affiliate programs have an open door policy to partners. I have worked on programs for example that only wanted content and nothing else.
Before launching your affiliate program, you will have created a clear target of the types of partners you want. Subsequently, there might be certain ones you don’t.
Instapages has highlighted the different partners they are more interested in working with. This could distract those that don’t fall under these three headings from applying.
Remember, any time spent filtering out unwanted publishers at this stage will cut down on vetting time in the network.
Example: InstaPages
Flexible Commission Models
If your program offers different earning models this is something to shout about. Especially if it sets you apart from your competitors.
Affiliates are often tired of seeing the same last-click wins CPA model on nearly every affiliate program they join.
Offering flexible or incentivised payment models could be a breath of fresh air.
It also allows you to silo your partners right at the start. This will make it easier to see how your marketing budget is being spent. Also, it gives a clear indication of which model is most interesting to potential affiliates.
Example: GetResponse
Personal Contact
A lot of new partners have no experience in affiliate marketing. Especially if you are targeting bloggers or influencers.
Including your personal contact on your page is opening up a line of communication. It builds trust and shows them who to contact should they have any problems promoting you.
In addition, the partner now knows exactly who to contact to discuss opportunities. I know my life would be easier if I had a constant stream of exposure ideas filling my inbox.
Example: LookFantastic
Applicable Countries
When launching or running your affiliate program, the majority of the time you are focused on a single market.
Some affiliate programs might not cater to all markets and you should be clear on this.
There are various reasons you might not be catering to a particular market for your program, for example:
- Don’t deliver there
- Tax complications for partners
- Lack of internal resource
- Network charges for more markets
Whatever the reason, an affiliate page is a good place to add some context to your program. Let potential partners know if you don’t operate in their market so they aren’t wasting their time joining.
Example: Glossier
Products
To give new partners the best chance of being successful, tell them what to focus their time on.
If the majority of your company revenue comes from a small batch of core products categories. Then spotlight them.
Partners want to be joining a program and earning a commission as swiftly as possible. By educating them on what is performing well you are increasing their chances of success.
When affiliates are engaged, they are more likely to promote you over your competitors.
Keep it that way.
Example: Virgin
FAQ’s
Affiliates will have questions and concerns. Alleviate these by having a FAQ’s section towards the bottom of the page.
No affiliate manager wants to waste valuable time answering mundane questions that could be covered in FAQ’s.
The types of questions and answers you might like to include can cover different areas. For example:
- Likelihood of approval
- Payment methods
- How often payments are paid
- Costs for joining the program
- How to grab important links and creative
- Terms and conditions
Example: Apple
Media Pack
If you have lots of information and don’t want to list it all out on your affiliate page then attach a media pack.
IWOOT include a lot of detailed info that would cover a lot of questions an affiliate might have.
From products to promote to an overview of how affiliate works, it is comprehensive and a great asset.
Housing all this information in a downloadable media pack also allows you to remove friction on your affiliate page. The IWOOT page now covers the basics with clear CTA’s to join the program.
Example: IWOOT
Conclusion
The affiliate page on your website can be a vital way to engage and encourage partners to join your program.
If you don’t have one, start building it now.
Is there any affiliate sign up pages that really stand out to you? Drop us a note in the comments section below.
