PartnerCentric: The Force Multiplier Your In-House Team Needs

If you’re responsible for the health and vitality of a beloved brand, I know how critical it is that every component of your marketing mix delivers your products, services, and messages in a way that truly represents the value it holds for your customers.

When that goes wrong, there’s much at risk.

If you have a program in place, you probably already know that managing a successful affiliate marketing program – like all performance-based marketing – is complex. There are a lot of moving parts (vetting publishers, negotiating terms, and tracking data to name a few) and a lot of room for error, fraud, and bad actors, too.?

Initially, an in-house team may be enough to oversee your program, but as your program grows so does the need to call in reinforcements. And that’s a good problem to have. Bringing in the outside expertise of an agency doesn’t mean you’re relinquishing control of your program but rather, amplifying your efforts to ensure your brand stays safe, compliant, and representative of all the things that your customers expect from it. In turn, this supports your in-house team so they can be even more successful.?

Here are my five reasons why an affiliate marketing partner will perform like a force multiplier for your brand:?

#1: Affiliate marketing is in not a set-it-and-forget-it practice

At first glance, affiliate marketing may just look like a numbers game, but don’t be fooled: High traffic doesn’t always equal big profits. The reality is, a lucrative affiliate program is built by recruiting and nurturing the right partners who will reach the right audiences and drive the right traffic in a way that reinforces the power of your brand, and in turn, drives new customers and revenue.?

What do I mean by “right?” This is not a subjective consideration.?

“Right” means not only showing up where your competition does, but stretching to include possibilities you haven’t included before in your program.?

“Right” means translating data into an analysis that your in-house team can use, because it’s delivered in your data set, not someone else’s.

“Right” means constant optimization that delivers on a rock-solid strategy, one that is developed by asking all the right questions your team may not know to ask. After all, it’s hard to know what you don’t know. Experience and attention, work week over week, month over month, is what yields stellar results and return, which your brand needs in order to grow.?

#2: In digital marketing, the only constant is change

Here’s the thing. Tactics, tools, and strategies that worked last week won’t necessarily work again next month. Seriously. Technology and algorithm updates happen all the time, too. And don’t forget about competition. One thing you can always count on? Your competitors are not sitting still. A huge part of an affiliate marketing agency’s job is to navigate all that change and capitalize on the latest trends and best practices so your brand stays ahead of the curve.?

#3: Who you know matters

The truth is, there is no such thing as over-vetting a potential publisher and to do that, you really need a team that has the right connections. Plain and simple, an agency’s breadth of relationships is at the center of success in any affiliate marketing program. It’s a claim all agencies make, so it will be a critical element in your decision-making process.

The leverage your agency partner has with publishers will uncover new opportunities, but it also reinforces your brand position with the publishers you’re already working with. Your brand’s strength is connected to where it shows up, but also how it shows up. That’s differentiation for you!?

#4: No one has an unlimited budget

No two brands are alike, and neither are any two budgets. From securing the best possible rates (the ones only agencies have access to) to negotiating commission structures, the right agency will be able to stretch your marketing dollars and maximize your return while staying true to your growth strategy. Outsourced marketing agencies handle a large volume of work for a wide range of clients.?

The right agency has nailed the efficiency quotient, so that the smartest, most experienced team members are engaged with your brand’s program every day. If they’ve nurtured these relationships, perfected the workflows and streamlined the processes, they’ll be poised to roll out quality programs with ease–and in record time. This means a much faster return on your investment and more efficiency for your team so they can focus on what matters.?

#5: Your brand is only as strong as its reputation

Without a doubt, your brand’s reputation is one of your most valuable assets. Brand integrity is the gateway to converting new leads into customers and existing customers into advocates who will shape and grow your business. Holding tight to your brand integrity is integrally connected to how studiously you are monitoring content, compliance, and potential fraud across the channel. As the steward of your brand, the right affiliate marketing agency needs to stand by you in that role.

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About Stephanie Harris

Stephanie Harris was PartnerCentric's?first employee when she was hired by the founders early in 2006 at a time when the company was just taking shape.

Today she?is the owner & CEO of PartnerCentric, the largest woman-owned performance marketing agency in the US. A veteran of the space, Stephanie got her start as an award-winning affiliate program manager, personally managing at one time some of the largest programs in the PartnerCentric portfolio today. She believes that in order to lead in the affiliate space today you have to know how to do every role in order to propel client success and employee satisfaction forward with vision, talent and drive.

Reach out to Stephanie at [email protected]