If You’ve Got Big Growth Goals, a Diversified Affiliate Partner Portfolio is a Must-Have

In a perfect affiliate-marketing-world, all it would take is one targeted piece of content and one well-placed affiliate link to convert a total stranger into a paying customer. 

If only it were that easy. 

But what may not be obvious is that achieving significant growth takes a rock solid strategy and a diversified partner portfolio. 

Over the last few years, a big trend in affiliate marketing has been a focus on full funnel opportunities–and for good reason. Not only will a diverse portfolio help you maximize results at every stage of the customer journey, but it will also help you reach a broader audience and broaden your revenue streams. 

In other words, relying on content publishers alone isn’t going to cut it. 

There Are Still Benefits to Partnering with Content Publishers, Right? 

Absolutely! Think of content affiliates as brand ambassadors. Positioned right at the top of your sales funnel, their purpose is to promote your brand to their well-established audience through high-quality, relevant content that appears in outlets like mass media, blogs, or social media channels. 

This content also works to establish trust with your potential customer and can be extremely influential in their decision to ultimately make a purchase. Considering that this content often represents the first contact your target has with your brand, success at this stage of the customer journey is measured by an increase in brand awareness and engagement, not necessarily sales. 

Why Do I Need More than Content Publishers in My Affiliate Partner Portfolio?

Content publishers reach your customers at the “awareness” stage of the acquisition funnel, which can be several steps away from a purchase decision. To get them from “awareness” to “action,” customers first need to make their way through the “exploration” stage.

Building brand awareness and customer engagement is great–and a critical part of the customer journey–but that isn’t always enough to pay the bills. To achieve your growth goals–with the revenue to match–you need different types of affiliates on board to keep people moving through your sales funnel. 

What Types of Affiliates Can Help Close the Deal During the “Exploration” Stage?

Now that you’ve effectively piqued the interest of your potential customer, it’s time to convert that engagement into actual sales. 

To get the job done, look to these types of affiliates: 

• Deal Affiliates: A hybrid of a coupon and content affiliate, deal affiliates can generate valuable traffic to your brand’s website through curated content featuring deeply discounted products or other incentives to make a purchase. 
• Coupon Affiliates: Brands look to coupon sites to feature hard-to-resist deals or promotions that drive traffic to their website and increase on-site conversions.
• Cashback + Loyalty Affiliates: Loyalty sites offer its members cash back or points back–or sometimes a combination of both–for their purchases. Some loyalty sites even donate a percentage of a purchase to a charitable cause of the customer’s choice. 
• Affinity Group Rewards Affiliates: Also known as benefits affiliates, affinity group rewards affiliates operate through a closed network (i.e. behind a registration wall) to deliver exclusive promotions to a niche audience. 
• Conversion Optimization Affiliates: Conversion Optimization affiliates retarget customers on-site, as well as those who have abandoned their carts, to keep them engaged and incentivize them to convert.

How Do I Figure Out the Right Mix of Affiliates in My Portfolio?

Every brand is different. In affiliate marketing there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all strategy. Not all partners are created equal either. What it comes down to is understanding your objectives, your business strategies for achieving them (more sales, increased brand awareness, high quality leads), your budget, and the right partners who can get you to where you want to be. 

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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 stephanie@partnercentric.com