This presentation is from Affiliate Summit East 2013 (August 18-20, 2013) in Philadelphia, PA). Session Description: Three highly successful affiliate managers with diverse management styles will share their strategies to get the most out of the day. Learn tips to set your accounts apart from the competition.

1. 10 Tips to Make the Most
of Your Affiliate
Management Day
Karen McMahon, The Affiliate Whisperer
Kim Salvino, Chateau 20
Amy Ely, Under Armour

2. Agenda
• Introduction
• Section #1: Mastering The Fundamentals
o Must-do daily activities to keep your program running
strong and prevent future challenges
• Section #2: Embracing Time Management
o Ideas to prevent burn out and stay ahead of your to-do list
• Section #3: Ensure Long Term Success
o Make time for relationship building and forward thinking
• Final Thoughts

3. Section #1: Mastering The
Fundamentals

4. Tip #1:
Verify The Basics
• Real time site & cart testing – identify issues quickly!
o Visit the site via direct URL type in
o Check on multiple browsers – IE, Chrome, Firefox
o Does homepage load properly?
o Add an item to the cart
Section #1: Mastering The Fundamentals

5. Tip #2:
Review Stats Twice a Day
• Check to make sure your known performers are
seeing steady clicks/sales
• Make note of new sales or sudden surges
o Anomalies can indicate brand bidding, unethical
activity, OR successful tactics from growing partners
o Use tools to help (Brand Verity, The Search Monitor, etc.)
Section #1: Mastering The Fundamentals

6. Tip #3:
Stay Informed
• Know what’s going on in the industry
o Forums, blogs, podcasts, social media and publications
• Affiliate Summit, ABestWeb, PMA, etc.
o Hot topics that can make a big business impact
• Internet tax
• Google algorithm updates
• 1st party cookies and mobile tracking
• First click, last click and multi-attribution models
Section #1: Mastering The Fundamentals

7. Section #2: Embracing
Time Management

8. Tip #4:
Schedule Time Wisely
• Block off times of the day for application
approvals, responding to questions, planning
• Lost focus = lost productivity
• Set priorities! Don’t let your inbox dictate your day
Section #2: Embracing Time Management

9. Tip #5:
Keep Yourself Organized
• Create and prioritize an ongoing task list
• Develop a calendar of promotions and deadlines
• Maintain these important tracking documents:
o Creative requests and link testing
o Vanity coupon codes and exclusive deals
o A checklist to verify all banner/text is loaded in relevant
affiliate networks for each campaign
Section #2: Embracing Time Management

10. Tip #6:
Time Saving Resources
• Manage affiliate relationships more efficiently
o Maintain detailed records
o Keep notes of ongoing conversations and successes
• Identify new and existing resource opportunities
o Does your network offer support services?
o Does your company have call center resources that can
assist with operational activities?
o Paid/unpaid/course credit interns – check with your
company’s Legal/HR to see what options exist
Section #2: Embracing Time Management

11. Tip #7:
Evaluate Your Routine
• Review your daily activities – which ones are helping
achieve your goals?
o What are 2-3 key things that directly influence your
success? Are you prioritizing them?
• Analyze performance – should you request less
creative, less often?
• Evaluate performance and growth of affiliates
where you’re giving extra attention – should you
shift focus?
Section #2: Embracing Time Management

12. Section #3: Ensure Long
Term Success

13. Tip #8:
Build in Recruitment Time
• Use one day per week to create and maintain a
master recruitment list
o Check engines for top performing keyword searches
o Check sites linking to your competitors
o Check analytics for new sites linking in
• Each day, reach out to 5 new potential partners
and follow up with 5 that have yet to respond
o Document your efforts & keep your list updated
Section #3: Ensure Long Term Success

14. Tip #9:
Make Time For Affiliates!
• Set Goals
• Dedicate part of the day for affiliate calls
• Take time to review affiliate sites
• Schedule one day a week for affiliate meetings
• Make time to deliver on your promises
Section #3: Ensure Long Term Success

15. Tip #10:
Take Time to Strategize
• Run key reports
o Commission detail reports
o Publisher performance reports
• Look at trends
• Decide on new offers to release to affiliates
• Consider timing of promotions
Section #3: Ensure Long Term Success

16. Final Thoughts…
Rome Wasn’t Built In A Day
Final Thoughts
It takes time!
Master the basics and refine your process regularly

17. Contact Us
Find Us On Twitter
Karen McMahon @Aff_Whisperer
Kim Salvino @kim_salvino
Amy Ely @aely