Choosing an Affiliate Management Software Solution can be a tedious task. But it doesn’t have to be. With the right kind of information in hand, you can find the right Affiliate Marketing Solution for your business that works for you, within your budget and expectations.
With thousands of options available in the affiliate marketing industry, it can be a little daunting to tell one from the other. It is even easier to get confused and make the wrong decision of choosing a platform that doesn’t work well for your business needs.
That’s why we’ve tried to simplify your search for the right fit by making a list of questions that you should be asking before finalizing an affiliate marketing platform.
We’ll get straight to it without any ado.
Ask the Right Questions Before Choosing an Affiliate Management Software Solution
- Is the platform user-friendly? Does it let you create custom affiliate marketing campaigns?
- Is the platform compliant with GDPR and CCPA regulations?
- Does it provide easy integration with all the major e-commerce platforms?
- Does it offer custom pricing plans suiting your campaign needs and budget?
- Does it offer an automated reporting feature?
- Does the platform help you detect and manage fraud conversions?
- Are the data and insights real-time?
- Can you incorporate different commission models in the platform and automate payouts?
- Can the platform track the customer’s journey & their LTV?
- Can you send automated event notifications to affiliates via the platform?
- Can you release payouts in any currency?
- Can you integrate data from the affiliate management software solution into your marketing stack?
Whether you are just starting an affiliate program or looking to upgrade your existing solution, these questions will help you narrow down your options.
Is the platform user-friendly? Does it let you create custom campaigns?
Even a great affiliate management software solution will be of no use if you cannot easily create, manage and optimize your affiliate campaigns using it. Therefore, a user-friendly interface makes it at the top of this list.
Make sure that the affiliate management software solution that you’re selecting is easy-to-use, with self-suggestive features. Remember, the goal is to make the most of your affiliate campaigns, not learn how to use a platform.
Is the platform compliant with GDPR and CCPA regulations?
In a world where several gigabytes of data are shared every minute of our interaction with a digital device, it is important to make sure that it doesn’t fall into the hands of troublemakers.
When picking an affiliate management software solution for your business, it is the only right thing to do – ask them about their GDPR and CCPA compliance certification. The selected software should tick the following boxes:
- Transparent: They should be upfront about the data they are collecting, and how it is collected, processed, and stored.
- Data Security: A platform will have to collect user data to function. But how ‘secure’ users’ data is with the platform, is the question. The platform should have robust data security measures (like encryption) in place to avoid data leaks.
- Data Access & Control: The platform should allow the users to have the right to control the data, including the ability to request the deletion and opt-out.
- Data Processing Agreement: The platform should have a data processing agreement with its affiliates, partners, ad networks, etc. to ensure that no involved party misuses the terms of GDPR and CCPA regulations.
Does it provide easy integration with all the major e-commerce platforms?
Imagine having to hop from one platform to the other to make sense of your overall marketing efforts. The ‘right’ affiliate management software solution will save you trouble if you ask the right question at the right time.
Smart businesses invest in platforms that easily integrate with their existing marketing and e-commerce stacks like Shopify, and unify the data generated from multiple sources and platforms. This integration helps brands to get a holistic view of their overall marketing strategy and the outcome they are generating.
The tool you choose should be able to deliver rich data and also make integration easy as a breeze (without having to call the tech guy to the job). Look for high-quality APIs to make data exchange simple and hassle-free.
Does it offer custom pricing plans suiting your campaign needs and budget?
There’s no one-size-fits-all when buying a software package. The plan that works for others might be extravagant for you. Therefore, an ideal affiliate management software solution should give its users the freedom to select the package that suits their needs.
There are multiple benefits of having custom pricing plans in an affiliate management software solution. Some of them are:
- You don’t end up paying for features you don’t even use.
- You get the freedom to scale your plan as your affiliate marketing efforts grow.
- You can downgrade the subscription plan if you don’t see the return on investment as per your expectations.
Does it offer an automated reporting feature?
You have multiple tasks and responsibilities in hand and keeping an eye on the affiliate reports is not the ONLY one. Therefore, it helps to have an affiliate marketing platform that helps you automate reports on a set frequency so that you can get a quick overview of your campaigns’ performance without having to run reports manually.
Having automated reports can help you in more than one way:
- You can focus your efforts on strategy instead of generating manual reports. Results? Increased efficiency. Better time management.
- Reduced risk of human errors, so that you can make accurate, data-backed decisions based on insights that are error-free.
- Automated reports improve transparency between affiliates and businesses by offering real-time updates on campaign performance and commission payouts.
Does the platform help you detect and manage fraud conversions?
It bums you up when an affiliate charges a commission for fraudulent conversion. It is a significant challenge in the affiliate industry. Thanks to AI that we’re now better positioned to detect frauds expeditiously. Many affiliate management software solutions offer fraud detection features to protect the interests of business owners.
Ask the seller if the platform has an AI-powered fraud detection feature. Also, ask them to brief you about the type of fraud their platform can detect.
Are the data and insights real-time?
Data is the currency of the future, and the future is here. To make decisions that are not based on assumptions, but on concrete data, it is paramount to get data instantly as an event/action is completed. While most affiliate marketing platforms offer rich data and insights, it is also important to check if your platform is offering ‘real-time’ data without any lags. Also note, if the affiliate dashboard offers a unified collection of data and insights to help you get an overview of your campaigns.
In the affiliate world, even a minute’s delay can cost you dollars. So make sure you don’t get left behind in your marketing efforts and identify which marketing channel is working the best for your business. Ask your affiliate management software seller: Is your data reporting in real-time?
Can you incorporate different commission models in the platform and automate payouts?
As I said above, there’s no one size fits all in affiliate marketing; there’s no single commission/payout model that can fit all the affiliates in a campaign.
To group affiliates into different tiers, some platforms also offer commission models and payout tiers to differentiate top affiliates from others. For example, Trackier’s Performance Marketing Software allows you to create payout tiers and commission structures for each affiliate and release payout based on the same.
Can the platform track the customer’s journey & their LTV?
Conversion and revenue are just the tip of the iceberg in affiliate marketing. The journey that a user followed to reach a conversion is as important as the conversion itself – which products did the user remove from the cart? Which page did he dwell on the most? What’s the Lifetime Value of each user?
It is essential to track their journey to optimize your future marketing efforts. But, how will you get that journey mapped for your business?
That’s where an affiliate management software solution comes in. The ‘right’ performance marketing software will let you track many parameters that are as important as conversions. Find out if you’re choosing the affiliate management software solution that has this critical ability.
Can you send automated event notifications to affiliates via the platform?
It is a hassle to send custom notifications for every single affiliate. Wouldn’t it be better if they can be automated? Some platforms offer a feature to send out automated event notifications/goal completion notifications to affiliates.
It alerts affiliates timely on their goal completion or target shortfall so that they can optimize their campaigns accordingly.
Can you release payouts in any currency?
When running an affiliate campaign on a global level, it would be an added advantage to have the feature to pay in global currencies. It helps increase your campaign’s accessibility to affiliates who are more comfortable in local currencies.
Multiple currency options can also simplify reporting for affiliates, making it easier to track and analyze performance data in the currency of their choice.
Can you integrate data from the affiliate management software solution into your marketing stack?
Easy integration might not be on the top of your mind while choosing an affiliate management software solution, but it makes your life easier in so many ways. From effective reporting, and streamlined workflow to increased efficiency, easy integration offers multi-faceted benefits to both affiliates and merchants.
So these are the checklist of questions that you should ask the seller before choosing an affiliate management software solution. Additionally, some must-have features are indispensable in affiliate management software.
Top Features to Keep in Mind
- Budget
- Customization
- Scalability
- Data Safety
In a Nutshell
Choosing the right affiliate management software is no cakewalk. But with the right kind of guidance and information in hand, you can get matched with an affiliate marketing platform that’s not just a tool but your partner in growth.
Did we tell you about Trackier’s Performance Marketing Platform? It checks all the boxes for being the right platform to help you create successful affiliate campaigns. From automating reports and payouts, all the way to fraud detection, Trackier takes care of your affiliate campaigns so that you can do what you’re best at – running the business.
Want to know how Trackier can help you take your affiliate campaigns to the next level? Book a Free Trial now. For more information, feel free to contact us.
