Adconf Recap: How to Succeed in Affiliate Marketing

Welcome to Adconf. How to Succeed in Affiliate Marketing. Well. So far, 2020 has been an… interesting year? Bit of an understatement maybe, but we’ll go with it. 🤷  In any case, if you just tuned in (from some remote part of Antarctica), the entire world has been on lockdown since March. 

In the space of 3 months, we’ve all experienced our fair share of emotions, ranging from… disbelief (Nah, not gonna get to me) and shock (oh snap, it got to me) to excitement (Yay! Work from home! 🤩)  or dread (What! Work from home? 😳) and a bit of everything else in between.

A weekday warrior’s morning commute went from tram and bus to kitchen and couch. And, let’s face it. Sweat pants have become the new smart casual. 💦

Buuutttt, hey! It hasn’t stopped Adconf showcasing the best of 2020s affiliate marketing insights 🎉

Adconf. Taking Affiliate Marketing to the next level

Flip the coin on its head and we’ve got a lot we can learn. 

In fact, the last few months have proven that…

• Working remotely (can be) trendy, fun, and productive.
• It ALWAYS helps to have a backup plan (call it.. insurance against the unforeseen).
• Alternative revenue streams are vital in a landscape that can change so quickly.

Which brings us to the question we’re dying to ask?

Have you ever thought about AFFILIATE MARKETING? 

If you’re in the game already, then good for you and keep sharpening those skills with some great insights below. But, if you’re just starting out, Adconf can help you answer questions like…

• What is Affiliate Marketing?
• How do I get started in Affiliate marketing?
• How do I make money with Affiliate Marketing as a beginner? 
• Is Affiliate Marketing worth it?

Well. What if everything you need to know was packed into a 1.5-hour event curated by digital experts and featuring the top names in Affiliate marketing today? 

Welcome to Adconf! A How-To guide on how best to succeed in Affiliate Marketing in 2020. You can check out the full Adconf conference right here, or, you can check out the event slides, OR, better yet, scroll down for a quick (ish) round-up of the top takeaways from the day.  

 #ADCONF. How To Succeed In Affiliate Marketing

Before we dive into our speaker’s profiles and what they’re all about, here’s a memory jog. 

Our mission (now more than ever) is to keep our Advertisers on the frontline of what’s new and true in digital marketing today. So, we’ve been rolling out a series of conferences highlighting themes in Adtech with more on the way! Hint: What are you learning on July 30th? Stay tuned and find out soon enough!! 😉

Adconf took place on the 18th of June and, this time, we set our sights on all things Affiliate Marketing. What followed was an action-packed webinar (3 speakers x 20min a piece) with time for some great Q & As at the end. 

The best in the business stepped up to the podium once again to share their unique takes on what makes a rockstar Affiliate Marketer/Media Buyer. 

So, with updates out the door, let’s get down to business.

Three Affiliate Marketing experts logged into the Adcash office from different corners of the world. Here’s what they had to say.

Adconf speaker 1. Henry Whitfield from ClickDealer

How to Get the Most out of your Affiliate Network

Former sports journalist turned high impact performance marketer, Henry Whitfield is the current Head of Supply at globally recognized Affiliate Marketing Agency ClickDealer and knows a thing or two about thriving in a competitive marketplace. 

On behalf of ClickDealer, Henry takes us through the basics of…

• What is an affiliate marketer?
• What is an Affiliate Network and how do you get the most out of it?
• What should you expect from your affiliate manager?

Quick!! What’s the rundown on ClickDealer? 

Originally formed as an affiliate network, Clickdealer quickly scaled into a world-class marketing agency, providing marketers with the digital tools they need to thrive in Adtech.

Global Presence: Europe, Asia, North America.

Global Partners: 10, 000+

2018: Re-launched a game-changing tracking/networking platform.

2019: Launched Smartlink technology (that seamlessly redirects traffic to the right offers)

Key Points From Presentation 1

Our opening speaker took the conversation back to basics and reinforced the core steps that all affiliate marketers can build on from. Starting with… 

What is an Affiliate Network? 

In the simplest possible terms? An Affiliate Network is the vital go-between for an affiliate to find and work with specific products or services that they would like to market on the web. 

They are the point of entry for advertisers to find traffic from publishers and their websites, and likewise, they let publishers track down and locate those advertisers and brands that embody their values, both on and offsite. 

Moving along… You may have an idea of what an Affiliate Network is and what you might be able to do with it, but the million-dollar question is… why do you care?  Collaboration is key and the below benefits come into play when you partner up. Including…

• Access to trending products and services (some of which are exclusive to you).
• Cutting edge technology and near-instant “Ad to platform” integrations.
• A dedicated affiliate manager to advise and help you on your way.

Keep in mind the last point. 

When you sign up with a network, you get your own Affiliate Manager. Think of them as the Robin to your Adtech Batman. Someone to ride shotgun with you down the affiliate superspeedway, giving you the right coordinates for every twist and turn. Which brings us to our next question. 

What should your Affiliate Manager be doing for you? 

Your Affiliate Manager should be giving you the industry insights you need to make a lasting profit from your Ad campaigns. To do this efficiently, they would need to… 

• Supply advertisers with strong technical support for tracking integration.
• Share the latest trends and industry insights for effective campaign creation.
• Pinpoint new opportunities, upcoming verticals, and market niches. 
• Act as a buffer to resolve conflict and support you during tricky campaigns.

Good luck with choosing the right network for you. 

Remember to set goals and targets and always stay connected.  

Watch Henry in action when you catch the full Adconf conference right here

And now, without delay, it’s time for round two.

Making his way to the stage is Affiliate Aficionado (and homegrown Adcash representative), the one and only…

Adconf speaker 2. Jim Desroches from Adcash

How to Succeed in Affiliate Marketing

With a long time background in dynamic sales and marketing, Jim Desroches is our go-to Head of Performance Advertising. This puts him on the frontline of all Adcash affiliate marketing operations, along with a crack team of industry experts.

Here’s a quickfire, lightning-fast, speeding bullet recap of who we are…

What’s the rundown on Adcash? 

Plain and simple? We’re a globally recognized online advertising platform that delivers effective ad content to every corner of the earth, with the help of a 100,000 + network of high-quality websites.

Clients: Media buyers, affiliates, publishers, and ad networks. 

Unique users per day: 200 million (and counting).

Geos: Worldwide, with a presence in 196 countries.

Top Ad Formats: Interstitial, Push Notifications, Pop Unders, Native, and Display Ads.

Remember, if your eyes are starting to glaze over and a video recap is more your thing, you can click on the full recording 

Key Points From Presentation 2

When you know the questions you’re asking, the answers seem to appear naturally. It’s all about going back to the source. Jim takes us to the root of the question on every Affiliate Marketer’s mind. That being… 

How do I run a profitable campaign and maximize my ROI?

Here are some easy to learn techniques and tactics to maximize your ad’s visibility and, in turn, profitability. 

The Initial Test Campaign. 

A surefire way to gauge what works and what doesn’t. How do you set up your campaign and how do you optimize it? You’ll need to start with some targeting and best practice steps, like…

• Not to buy useless or ineffectual Ad impressions.
• Always specify your browser/device and the operating system you want to target.
• Always take the time to A/B test your supply targeting.
• Constantly make sure you are targeting the right keywords on the right site. 

Remember, creatives count

Picking the right creatives can be the difference between a campaign tidal wave or a forgettable drop in the endless ocean of advertising, so it’s important to make strong choices. 

Our top two converting ad formats are the Pop-Under and the Interstitial. They seem to be less disruptive to a website’s flow and result in consistently higher clickthrough rates. You can also choose between Native, Display, and Push Notification, but, like anything in life, a bit of research goes a long way. 

Tip: We always recommend to not cross-sell your ad formats in the same campaign. This can cause confusion and a decrease in traffic. Rather set up similar, but different campaigns and A/B test which formats generate the best impressions. 

When it comes time to bid on traffic. A good formula to keep in mind is…

Manual Bidding = Faster Results + Guaranteed Traffic.

And, 

Automatic Bidding (CPA Target) = Dynamic & Fair Pricing + Longer Testing period (but worth the wait as the technology will do all the hard work for you. The auto bidding feature removes the work by blacklisting and whitelisting traffic sources, taking away the need for manual optimization) 

The Optimization Process

When optimizing your data, go back to basics and analyze the below.

Picking up from the last step, what do you do when you discover…

🦢🦢 The Goose With The Golden Egg. 🦢🦢 (couldn’t find a goose emoji so had to go with swans)

You’ve put in the work and discovered the perfect campaign formula. Congratulations!! 🎉🎉

Now is the time to bring what you already know into action. 

How do you go about doing this? To start with, you’re gonna want to…

Isolate the best performing Ad placements (the Golden Egg) according to…

• The highest number of conversions.
• The best conversion rates.
• The most positive returns on investment (that you uncovered in the testing phase).

Now, it’s time to scale up into the campaign itself. How?

• • Start by putting aside a spending allowance on what’s working. This will give you…
  • Maximized conversions and…
  • Maximized profit margins as well.

Adconf Tip: Remember to outbid your competition to get first preference on the best traffic*

Now, it’s time to make the most of your findings with the ultimate campaign. Dedicate your efforts to the niche/vertical you’re targeting and from there…

• Pick the Best Ad Placements. A reminder though, that we’ve seen some powerful results in Interstitial and Pop-Under placements recently. Try out one, or the other, or heck, try out both. Just make sure they are used to effect in different campaigns so as not to dilute potential traffic. 
• Next, you’re going to want to stick to a site-based landing page design. Simply put, this means that, when constructing your landing page, make sure the creatives are similar to the site the traffic will be moving to. Additionally, use keywords in line with the Geo you’re targeting  
• Keep a dedicated budget with daily caps. This will ensure your entire advertising allowance doesn’t get used up in one day (or for that matter, one hour) depending on how aggressively you’re campaigning. We recommend the manual bidding option for faster results and guaranteed traffic. Although not as intuitive as the automatic, it will get you out of the gate faster. 

Lastly, with your awesome campaign created and some strong results racking up, it’s time to repeat the magic formula and hatch more golden eggs! 

Continue to monitor your campaign results by focusing on metrics like…

• The daily/weekly campaign performance.
• The conversion rates and where they’re coming from.
• The user value and how to keep it consistent.

Adconf Tip: Keep your bids updated in order to always generate top tier traffic, aligned to the vertical/niche you are targeting. 

And lastly, be sure to test new creatives and/or landing pages to keep the traction, mix things up, and ensure the continued interest of strong traffic sources.

Final thoughts?

There’s a lot you can do to ensure dynamic, eye-catching campaigns that stand out from the competition. It’s a balance of keeping successful strategies in place while trying new tactics. 

Below are the top five strategies to remember when creating a new campaign. 

That’s it from Adcash. Feel inspired yet? Then jump for joy and jump for Jim with the full recording right here.

Oh, wait!!! One last thing!!

If you’re ready to make money with Media Buying and haven’t registered on the Adcash platform yet, we’d like to add something to your first successful campaign.

Get…

$/€60 added to your first $/€200 deposit. 

$/€150 added your first $/€500 deposit.

$/€350 added to your first $/€1000 deposit.

And now, our closing speaker talks about profitability beating uncertainty. Make way for…

Adconf speaker 3. Alex Omelyanovich from Adplexity

Spymaster extraordinaire, Alex has been in the digital marketing game for well over a decade, and as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of one of the world’s leading affiliate intelligence tools, we imagine he doesn’t get much rest. Here are some tips and strategies to up your Affiliate game once and for all. 

Quick!! What’s the rundown on Adplexity? 

Knowledge is power and, with cutting edge intelligence tools covering all aspects of desktop and mobile, Adplexity provides the information you need to analyze, compare, and perfect your campaign strategy once and for all. 

Established: 2008

Clients: Affiliates, advertisers, media buyers, CPA networks, research & development teams.

Geos: Solutions provided to over 82 countries (with more on the way).

Services: 6 downloadable tools to uncover market trends and other related data. 

Tools: Mobile, desktop, native, push, social (Facebook, Snapchat, etc.) 

But, before we get into the ins and outs of presentation 3, let’s talk…  Discounts!

Now you can get some super incentives with Adplexity. Use the above codes and get great discounts on the tools most relevant to your campaign. Head over to Adplexity and start getting the intelligence you need to succeed in Affiliate Marketing. 

Key Points From Presentation 3

Speaking of Ad intelligence…

How can I use Ad Intelligence Tools to my Advantage?

We’re glad you asked. 🙃  As always, one size never fits all, and there are different strategies for different people. But, all the top intelligence tools help affiliate marketers to…

• Research and compare new Geos, Ad formats, and traffic sources. 
• Copy and capitalize on the most effective banners and landing pages.
• Provide insights into how other affiliates promote their offers
• Conduct valuable research as to what your competitors are doing.
• Research new trends and developments in the market today. 
• Keep you updated on all the latest affiliate marketing tactics.

Having the right tools is half the battle won already. Using them effectively can free up your time to focus on your next successful campaign play. 

Some of the tools that should be on every affiliate marketers’ radar include…

• A strong campaign tracking tool.
• An Ad intelligence tool (able to accurately analyze what competitors are doing)
• A landing page and hosting tool (that provides best practice tips and strategies)

This being Ad Intelligence 101, why should you invest in an intelligence tool in the first place?

Research what’s on the market today and take into account… 

• The Accuracy of the tool.
• The overall size of the tools available database.
• The overall quality of the data displayed and presented.
• The overall user experience and interface design.

Landing Pages are the door to unique traffic. So the more optimized and eye-catching they are, the higher the chances of conversions, clicks, actions, etc. Speed plays a major role in getting eyes to your page. Delayed loading time is a recipe for disaster. So, to ensure a well-optimized and super fast landing page, keep in mind the below steps…

• Always make sure there are no broken images, URLs, or layout issues.
• Tweak the size of the image for better optimization and faster loading time.
• Check for any bugs or inconsistencies in the backend code.
• Make sure that all outgoing links point to the correct URL.

And lastly, A good landing page is the star player in your campaign strategy. It’s the end of the marketing line and the place where conversions are created. So, make yours count with these top tips. 

• Insert your landing page content dynamically using the Adplexity click tracker data.
• Add the right tracking pixels for Facebook, Google Analytics, and Tag Manager.
• Insert entry and exit pop messages into your landing page.
• Add back button redirect links wherever possible. 
• Insert the auto-redirect time out (which redirects traffic to your offer in seconds)
• Collect and monitor your push databases.

And that’s all there is to it. With a final grounding in landing pages, we’ve reached the end of Adconf. How to Succeed in Affiliate Marketing.  Thanks to everyone who took part and for more awesome tips and insights, visit our Blog

Be sure to check out our next digital conference. Adconf. Tips to boost your website earnings. This webinar will focus on our Adconf publishers and web hosts, where you’ll get the full breakdown on how best to monetize ads on your website. Airing this July 30th. Visit the Adcash home page for further updates and…See you there!

Questions/concerns/queries? 

We love hearing from you and we’re always happy to help. Drop us a message right here, or send an email to [email protected] and one of our Affiliate experts will be in touch. 

Bye for now.

Words by Geoff Kukard