Critical Tips to Maximize Your Affiliate Marketing Revenue on Black Friday and Cyber Monday
Online retailers and their affiliates may have a lot to be thankful for this holiday weekend.
The National Retail Federation reports that an unprecedented number of consumers will skip the local big box chaos and do this year’s holiday shopping season from the comfort of cyberspace. Total online holiday shopping revenues are expected to approach $96 billion, much of which will change hands this weekend as bargain hunters scour the Internet for Black Friday / Cyber Monday deals.
Which begs the question: Have you optimized your affiliate marketing strategies to take advantage of the customers headed your way? If not, consider implementing these six strategies to maximize your revenues.
Offer Black Friday / Cyber Monday Deals
Online consumers tend to shop early. In fact, eMarketer estimates that 54 percent have already made holiday purchases by the time Black Friday and Cyber Monday roll around. Accordingly, savvy marketers are starting holiday campaigns earlier each year. A danger accompanies this proactive stance: It can cause marketers to rest easy just as Black Friday / Cyber Monday buyers hit the Internet looking for the best possible deals.
Don’t rely on what you’ve already done. Dig deep, make great offers, and capture the sales. It’s also time to encourage publisher’s to spread the word about your products, so consider temporarily increasing their incentives as part of your online marketing strategy.
Time Your Offers Carefully
Do you know when men like to do their holiday shopping? According to the National Retail Federation, guys are more likely to part with their cash on Thanksgiving night than fight crowded aisles and long lines on Black Friday morning. How about Cyber Monday buyers? eMarketer found that most of their purchases were made outside of office hours, primarily before 9:00 a.m. and after 5:00 p.m. The moral? It pays to keep the clock in mind as you craft this year’s affiliate strategy.
Emphasize Value
Everyone loves a great price, but not at the cost of quality. Emphasize the value of your products beyond price and capitalize on your brand. Consider using your policies to differentiate yourself. Do you offer free shipping? Hassle-free returns? These services all add value; be sure consumers
know about them.
Bring Them the Best
If you’re a publisher, readers expect you to make finding the best products across a wide range of product categories easy. Don’t just focus on low prices. Think about what defines value for your readers and highlight products that meet those standards. You’ll build readers’ trust as well as your bottom line.
Be Platform Agnostic
Most online shoppers may still be using desktops and laptops for online, but smartphones and mobile devices are quickly gaining ground. As you craft your online presence, make sure that your sites look great and function well regardless of which tool customers use to find you. If you don’t, rest assured your competitors will.
These strategies are simple, but they work. With the year’s biggest shopping weekend just around the corner, can you afford not to give at least a few of them a try?
