Having worked so hard to build your affiliate program, you need to make sure that you are also placing brand protection behind you. There will be certain assets that you need to protect that you have created within your program, and you need to make sure that those are not stolen or misappropriated by other parties.
Identify what you need to protect
When introducing different aspects to your affiliate program, you need to determine whether or not they are going to need to be protected. Anything that makes your program unique and distinct from others needs to be kept safe in some way.
These could be the crucial differences that you have built the foundation of your brand on – such as your website, your content and promotions and your email campaigns. They are going to be the heart of your brand, and you do not want them to be taken by anyone else.
Understand who is promoting you
You need to make sure that you are aware of where your site is being promoted. Make sure you double-check those who sign up for your program. If they have sites that you would rather your brand did not associate with, you can sever your partnership and head your separate ways.
Brand protection is not just about protecting your assets. It can also be used to protect your reputation and how you are viewed online. Not all traffic is good, and though you want to drive interest in your brand, there might be some areas where you are happier to take a step back.
Better manage your partnership agreements
Do you know what is in your partnership agreements? If you have not reviewed them in a while, it might be time to do so again, so that you know the full extent of them.
If you are not aware of the details of your brand protection agreements, there is more of a chance that someone will be able to take advantage of this and slip something past you that you would otherwise not allow.
As the brand owner and leader of the program, you need to be strict in what can and can’t be done. Make sure you review your partnership agreements, and ensure that both you and your affiliates know where the boundaries are within your brand.
Understand your affiliates’ practices
You will have a list of ways in which your affiliates will gather traffic. During your check-ins with them, you need to ensure that you understand where their traffic is coming from. If they are using paid ads, is it delivering the results you need? If they are coming through social media, what is it that is driving them?
Have they potentially bought traffic, or looked for some other way that might not be the most ethical and best for your brand? Understanding their practices and guiding them to other solutions might be the best option if you do not want to part ways with them immediately.
This is your affiliate brand, and you have worked hard to get it to where it is today. Make sure you have adequate brand protection protocols in place now.
