If you are an affiliate manager, you will be familiar with how exciting but chaotic Black Friday can be. It is the busiest day in the e-commerce calendar and can have a dramatic impact on your total annual sales for the year. As we edge closer towards the highly anticipated date, there are a number of steps you can take ahead of time. This can ensure you are not only sufficiently prepared but are leveraging the influx of shoppers in any way you can. If this sounds like a position you would like to be in, continue reading to find out everything you need to know.
Plan ahead
As is the case with any major milestone or holiday in the affiliate marketing world, you must plan ahead if and when you can. If you are expecting to launch a time-sensitive offer or promotion, for example, it may benefit you to put plans in place during the final weeks of August or as September approaches, at the very latest. By doing so, you can boost your chances of being considered for an advertising budget ahead of time. If you are looking to leverage Black Friday to attract and retain new customers, on the other hand, you must also leverage the pre-critical trading period as early as possible.
Research consumer behaviour and trends
As well as planning ahead, you must also research consumer behaviour and trends by taking a look at previous years’ statistics and putting plans in place to improve your performance in any way you can. This may transpire in the form of website traffic, transactions, profits, or engagement. It can allow you to gain a better understanding of your performance on a wider scale as well as how you have historically performed against your competitors in the field. The statistics it may benefit you to research include year-on-year performance analysis, competitive assessment, partnership evaluation, and a number of external social, economic, and political factors.
Perfect your landing page
If you are an affiliate manager, you should have, ideally, considered how visitors interpret your landing page when they visit your website. In the affiliate marketing world, a high-quality landing page is crucial to streamlining the online shopping experience from start to finish and boosting your reputation within your chosen industry, sector, or niche. By taking the time to perfect your landing page, you can actively increase the likelihood of customers not only spending a considerable amount of time shopping for goods and services on your website but also placing an order. If you don’t know where to begin, try using bold fonts if and when you can, advertise any discounts or offers as early as possible, write persuasive copy, and practice transparency when communicating product details and payment methods.
Focus on the highest performing channels
In order to ensure your platform to visible to your intended target audience, you must promote your landing page on your highest performing channels at the earliest convenience. If you are looking to boost your profits, for example, try informing your customers of any Black Friday deals you intend to offer a number of weeks in advance, send personalised messages or emails to high-value customers, boost your social media posts on a regular basis, identify new leads by analysing past data, write impactful copy, capitalise on short-form and long-form video content, and even curate relevant press releases to share with your online audience.
Identify popular offers and promotions
If you are new to affiliate marketing or have yet to leverage the Black Friday rush of previous years, it can be difficult to know where to begin. By identifying popular offers and promotions ahead of time, however, you can increase your chances of success and find a strategy that is likely to work for you and your brand. It is worth remembering, however, that the vast majority of offers and promotions are often only live for a brief period of time and, as a result, require constant monitoring. By doing so, you can keep a keen eye on your affiliates and maximise your profits. If you are looking to boost your sales revenue even further, consider designing an additional landing page dedicated to product gift guides or product descriptions. With a growing number of customers struggling to wade through a seemingly never-ending cascade of goods and services online, this can streamline the entire process from start to finish and guarantee a stress-free shopping experience.
If you are an affiliate manager, you must take advantage of the upcoming holiday season and leverage the Black Friday rush in any way you can. This includes planning ahead, researching consumer behaviour and trends, perfecting your landing page, focusing on the highest performing channels, and identifying popular offers and promotions ahead of time.
