Who's Keen to Build a Relationship?
You want a relationship with the advertiser; how can you tell if they want one, too?
Easy: Look for companies that are willing to put their affiliate manager's:
- Names
- Email addresses
- Phone numbers
...onto their affiliate info page in the networks.
If there's a person with contact info there, they want a relationship.
The Three Types of Affiliate Managers
- In-house
- Outsourced
- Platform-Managed
In-House
These brands manage their own affiliate program via the platform.
They're easy to spot because their email address is a part of the company's domain.
Most times, they're good to deal with.
Most I've encountered are enthusiastic, fair, and reasonable and eager to help you make them make more sales (and look good).
In most cases, the person is a decision-maker or one-step away from the decision maker.
|
| Example In-House Contact Info |
| Advertiser: |
WidgetCo |
| Manager: |
Jose Oquendo |
| Email: |
jose@WidgetCo.com |
| Phone: |
310-555-1234 |
|
Outsourced
When you see an outsourced advertiser in your niche, it's a "bingo!" Get in contact with the manager.
In my experience, third party affiliate managers are as good and sometimes better than direct advertiser relationships!
You'll likely find they tend to be more candid, particularly about budgets and goals.
This is because Sally's firm, even if she's not the head honcho / honchess of the firm, probably manages MANY affiliate relationships.
One call to Sally can net you dozens of prospects. And now you have a relationship with someone whose very job is to increase the sales of their advertisers.
|
| Example Outsourced Contact Info |
| Advertiser: |
WidgetCo |
| Manager: |
Sally Robertson |
| Email: |
sally@MgmtAssoc.com |
| Phone: |
310-555-1234 |
|
Platform Managed
When an advertiser's affiliate program is managed by the affiliate platform itself, it's seldom great news.
Most strike me as indifferent: You're just a number; it's just a job; you're adding more work to their job.
When a platform is managing an advertiser's affiliate program, it can be hard to break through the noise and get to a decision maker.
And, since you want to deal with a boss not a minion, you may be better off moving on, especially if the EPC isn't stellar or the brand isn't critical to your big picture plans.
|
Example Platform-Managed
Contact Info |
| Advertiser: |
WidgetCo |
| Affiliate Manager: |
Mason James |
| Email: |
widgetco@cj.com |
| Phone: |
none |
|
|