I've had my struggles with this channel, as a source of traffic that is brand accretive. There are many great affiliates out there, but also so many that will damage your brand. It's not a set-it-and-forget-it channel, but I've seen far too many brand owners treat it as such.
I've been working in affiliate marketing since 2007, back when the Google Affiliate Network (GAN) was still in existence. I've since worked with just about every major network: Commission Junction (now CJ Affiliate), Linkshare (now Rakuten), Pepperjam, Impact Radius (now Impact). I've worked with several affiliate agencies like AvantLink and PartnerCentric.
What was true several years ago is still true today: building relationships with brand accretive affiliates can be a strong driver of traffic and sales. What has changed is how affiliates have become intertwined with the new channel of Influencer Marketing. Great influencers can be part of the affiliate network, which blurs the lines between which channel gets the credit for the sale, in which case attribution is important at a more granular level.
I guess what I'm saying is, some affiliates truly suck, but it doesn't have to be that way if you build strong relationships with the good guys of the affiliate world, and are able to understand who is driving the most brand accretive traffic to your site.
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