When was the last time you updated your affiliate marketing strategy?

Copyright: fuzzbones

If you’re not integrating multi-channel marketing trends that leverage consumer purchasing behaviors, you’re missing out – and so is your bottom line.

Let’s take a look at three affiliate marketing strategies that are gaining popularity and the techniques that affiliates and affiliate managers are using to increase sales by taking their marketing efforts multi-channel.

1. Affiliate link embedded coupon codes

Let’s face it, having to recite or type an affiliate link is not only inconvenient and messy, the usage of affiliate links may be conditionally allowed, frowned upon, or prohibited in certain mediums. Link shorteners and cloakers offer ways to clean up cumbersome affiliate links, but at the end of the day, they still redirect to affiliate links.

However, most merchants use shopping carts that allow for custom coupon codes to be created, that can be tied directly to individual affiliates. These coupon codes can be passed to the affiliate tracking platform enabling the merchant to credit the usage of a unique code to the specific affiliate.

In a nutshell, this enables an affiliate to simply use their exclusive coupon code wherever they would normally use an affiliate link. Affiliates need only say “Use Discount Code XXXX when you shop at AnySite.com and you’ll get a 10% discount on me”, opening up the doors to previously obstructed marketing channels. (Don’t forget to include proper disclosures.)

2. Pay Per Call programs

What is Pay Per Call? Just what it sounds like: merchants pay affiliates for sending them qualified leads/sales via phone calls.

Merchants that sell high-ticket products or services; have customers who don’t like putting their credit card online, or dislike the maddening process of filling out long forms and consultative companies needing to generate new leads, are likely to use pay per call programs.

Many merchants have recognized this opportunity to expand their distribution into more online and offline channels, and are supplying authorized affiliates with unique phone numbers to use in their marketing efforts.

These affiliates promote their assigned phone number in print, mobile, TV, radio, on blogs, or newsletters. When a customer calls in on the designated number, it is logged by the merchant’s tracking platform before connected to the merchant. The affiliate receives a commission when the transaction (lead, sale, or hybrid structure) is finalized.

3. In-store redemption printable coupons

Many retailers have the ability to credit an affiliate for their in-store sales using printable coupons, depending on the tracking platform(s) they are utilizing.

Affiliate managers are implementing this strategy by creating printable coupons containing QR codes and barcodes for some of their affiliates – enabling them to bridge the gap between online marketing and offline purchasing.

By using and understanding these strategies, affiliates are implementing an assortment of marketing techniques into new channels, allowing them to increase their site’s brand awareness, stickiness, readership engagement and affiliate sales.

Give these techniques a try and let me know how it works out for you.

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Missy Ward

Co-Founder & President at Affiliate Summit, Inc.

Missy Ward has been in affiliate marketing since 1999. She is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Affiliate Summit, FeedFront Magazine, GeekCast.fm, Founder of AffiliateMarketersGiveBack.com and manages many of her own affiliate sites.

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