Affiliate management can be a tricky area to look after. Whether it is ensuring that your campaigns are having the right reach or ensuring that your affiliates have everything they need to reach their audience, there is a lot that can affect results and performance here. It can often be worth considering in-house vs outsourced affiliate management depending on your needs as a business overall.
Would you fair better if you kept things in-house? Or would it be better to outsource it to an agency? Keep reading to find out some of the advantages of both paths.
In-house affiliate management
One option available to you is to keep things in-house. This means that you will be handling all aspects of the affiliate program internally.
No one will know your brand quite like you, so this can be great if this is going to be a really strong part of your program. You will have no doubt spent a lot of time developing your brand to ensure that it is very distinct and different compared to your closest competitors. If you were to work with an affiliate agency, you would have to first teach them about your brand, and then hope that they have the resources and understanding to also be able to onboard new affiliates to the level you expect.
When considering in-house vs outsourced affiliate management, a point also has to be given to in-house management when you consider communication and response time. If there is an issue that needs to be addressed, you do not have to wait for replies and a team based elsewhere to get back to you. Whatever the issue might be, it can be addressed quickly and the changes you need to see will be put in place.
Of course, it is important to note that in-house affiliate management is not always the cheapest of options. On top of this, you have to remember that any affiliate manager might not be working on these tasks full-time. Depending on the structure of the company, they might need to fulfil several roles. This means that they could not be devoting their full concentration to your affiliate program – they might not have the time to do so.
Outsourced affiliate management
With one half of the in-house vs outsourced argument out the way, it is time to look at the other half. When outsourcing, you are contacting a professional management agency that will handle the operations and running of your affiliate program.
One of the biggest reasons why you might choose to opt for outsourced affiliate management is the team and expertise that comes with it. When you try to manage your program on your own, you will be relying on your own knowledge and understanding of the industry. Heading to an affiliate agency means that you will have an entire team of experts to work with. Even if your direct contact within the agency cannot handle an issue that you might raise, there is a good chance that there will be someone on the team who can help you out.
Another reason to head to an affiliate management agency is that they will have the tools, resources, and strategies to be able to successfully grow your program. From driving sales and targets to strategic partner discovery, whatever your goals might be with your program, they will be able to provide a roadmap to help you grow your affiliate program to a good size.
If you do decide to opt for an outsourced solution, make sure that there is a good level of communication in place. You might be happy to sit back and let them handle some of the finer details of your program, but you also need to make sure that they will respond to you quickly if you have a concern or need.
Which is best for you?
So, in-house vs outsourced affiliate management. Which is best for you? It mostly comes down to your needs as a company and brand. If you want to retain control over as many parts of the business as possible and create a product that is aligned with your company values as close as possible, you should think about keeping things in-house.
However, if you are willing to give control to another company, one with the expertise and connections in the industry to truly drive success in your brand, outsourcing might be right for you. This is the ideal option for those who want to take their affiliate program to the next level.
There are many sides to the in-house vs outsourced affiliate management debate, and you need to consider what would be best for your company. If you want to outsource your affiliate management needs, Affiverse is here to help! Get in touch with our agency today to help launch, scale, and grow your affiliate marketing programs successfully.
