Getting excellent affiliate software is important for eCommerce businesses that operate an affiliate program. Since there are so many affiliate marketing software choices available today, we’ve developed this buyer’s guide to going over everything eCommerce owners should be aware of when shopping for affiliate software.
This guide will assist you in determining how to select the best affiliate software for your eCommerce company.
What exactly is an Affiliate Program?
An affiliate program is a type of performance-based marketing in which a merchant pays affiliates commissions for each product or service that a customer purchases after clicking on the affiliate’s link. The merchant (e-retailer), the affiliate tracking software, the affiliate, and the buyer are the four main participants in this market.
Affiliate services differ. Some pay a percentage of the sale, others a flat fee, and others scale up depending on the number of sales made via the affiliate’s links and banners. Many affiliate services are sold directly by eCommerce companies through affiliate software.
Using Affiliate Software to Run Affiliate Programs
Affiliate managers run affiliate services with the help of affiliate software. Multiple affiliate services can be operated using a single affiliate software account, depending on the software. Affiliate managers primarily use the software to track individual affiliate revenue figures and commissions, oversee the automated generation of invoices, and control the affiliate programs that are in place.
Look for the Following Features in Affiliate Marketing Software
Affiliate software systems are available with a variety of features and functionalities. The following are some features to look for when selecting affiliate software:
Setup is easy.
A successful affiliate marketing software package should have an easy setup process at first. There should be no need to download any additional tools or plugins to work for the software. A good program should have everything built into it and require no software expertise to get started. In reality, the application should have a built-in function that offers guidance on how to get started and the fundamentals of using the software, allowing the user to begin using the program right away. Overall, a web developer or software should not be needed for the software to run.
Unlimited Affiliate Programs in a Single Installation
Since retailers often have a wide range of goods or services to advertise, having an affiliate marketing software package that enables users to add several affiliate programs is advantageous. This is possible with a software program that allows users to create multiple affiliate programs for a website and select which affiliate programs should be included.
Mobile Device Compatibility
Affiliate programs accessible via mobile devices are appealing to many affiliate marketers because they enable them to sign up for affiliate programs directly from their mobile devices. Furthermore, affiliates can easily review their control panel and commission reports and manage all aspects of their affiliate program using the mobile option.
Food affiliate software that is securely hosted does not need a dedicated server to function properly. To ensure security and dependability, it should ideally be hosted on the affiliate software’s server. Furthermore, hosting the program on the software maker’s server removes the need for backup, software updates, enhancements, and security-related task management.
Easy Integration
An affiliate marketing software program should simplify a merchant website to any payment gateway or shopping cart.
Full Management Control
A good affiliate marketing software can provide different types of users with industry resources to ensure complete management control. An affiliate marketing software program should hopefully be able to fulfill whatever function the consumer has in mind. Whether for business, web hosting, shopping, or multi-tier purposes, the software can have full management control over anything from running multiple affiliate programs to obtaining sufficient support tech, integration with other software systems, email marketing newsletters, and back-office management.
And without cookies, effective tracking is possible.
Tracking cookies are usually issued by affiliate marketing software programs for a fixed period to track and reward purchases made by affiliate referral links. However, they cannot guarantee credit for a transaction if a customer clicks on an affiliate link and then clears the cookies. A good affiliate marketing software program tracks which affiliate consumer sends a sale using various methods. When a user tries to erase cookies from their browser, a flash cookie comes in handy. This is in addition to the normal cookie. If these two methods fail, another method of tracking the affiliate user, such as their IP address, should be usable. This means that the software ensures that affiliates receive credit for sales generated by their affiliate links.
Marketing on Several Levels
Using multiple levels to establish a successful affiliate program is one approach. A successful affiliate marketing software platform can provide several marketing levels in which affiliates attract other affiliates, generating additional revenue for the merchant.
Several Artists
Affiliates must have access to various creatives to successfully market a product or service, rather than just being provided with affiliate links. There should be a variety of ways to promote, especially with this form of marketing technique. As a result, an affiliate marketing software package should allow users to create banner ads, flash banners, replication, lightboxes, and page peels.
Improved SEO
The affiliate marketing software should also be capable of increasing Google rankings. One way to do this is to use a hashtag URL for an affiliate link, which provides tracking information for each affiliate user. To boost search engine rankings, use the hash symbol in affiliate URLs, according to SEO experts.
SEO-friendly affiliate Links
Affiliates should be able to increase their sales by using SEO-friendly links provided by affiliate marketing software. The software should make it simple for affiliates to build links that will appear in search engine rankings.
There are no long-term contracts.
Long-term contracts have been known to trigger issues, resulting in unhappy customers who have no choice but to continue using a service until their contract expires. Contracts for an affiliate marketing program should not be scheduled to expire for several months to a year. Rather, it should be a pay-as-you-go service that can be canceled and renewed at any time without having to go through a complicated process.
Conversion Rate Increase
Set up a program with an affiliate IT service provider to help boost conversion rates by driving additional traffic to a merchant’s website from all affiliates. Most affiliates are known as trusted influencers and, as a result, have higher conversion potential.
Rebranding Opportunities
A rebranding option in an affiliate marketing program will help both consumers and affiliates. Essentially, this choice allows you to rebrand and resell the product as your own while charging your customers regularly. Clients should also be able to use an unbranded user guide.
Use of One’s Own Domain
The affiliate marketing software should also allow you to use a custom domain. Affiliates who already own their own domains should be able to point their domains to their affiliate programs through a simple setup method. Affiliate marketing software should be able to assist affiliates who have yet to purchase a domain in buying a domain without requiring them to visit another website.
The ability to translate into any language
Affiliate marketers may come from any country in the world. Merchants that use affiliate marketing software with language translations will recruit affiliates from other countries to sell their goods and services on their behalf. This form of software allows you to translate it into any language, making it applicable and available anywhere in the world. The software should have a simple language translation mechanism, such as requiring only modifying a file to activate language translation.
Trial Period for Free
A free trial period is a fantastic way for prospective users to learn how to use the affiliate marketing platform to get a sense of how successful the software is. Account cancellation is typically performed before the term ends so that the customer is not paid. Cancellation should not be a difficult procedure that requires users to pay setup and termination fees.
Phone and Ticket Assistance
Users of affiliate marketing software systems often find technical issues that they are unable to address on their own. Having quick access to support will aid in resolving problems and avoiding downtimes and delays in implementations. An affiliate marketing software provider should provide 24-hour support through various methods such as a ticket system and phone appointments.
Feature of Open Source Code
You can install additional features and integrate with third-party applications and software using an affiliate marketing software program’s open-source code option. An API is usually provided by a program that uses open-source code to allow for seamless integration.
Discounts are available.
Discounts are attractive to retailers who require an affiliate marketing software program to advertise their goods and services. Choose a service that offers discounts from the software provider’s suppliers to software consumers.
Tools for Affiliate Marketing
An affiliate marketing software package should provide all of the resources needed to make the advertisement process easier for affiliates. Templates for blogs, email, WordPress, eCommerce, landing pages, Joomla, Facebook, and flash sites should all be accessible.
Free Resources for Business Development
Aside from the core resources required in affiliate marketing to make selling a product or service easier, consumers must also have access to timely resources generated to assist them in growing their company. Marketing and affiliate managers may have services in the form of videos and posts and podcasts, premium affiliate e-books, an affiliate manager resource center, and planned webinars and online events.
Now that you know what to look for in affiliate software, find the right affiliate software for your business and start can traffic, leads, and sales. Scaleo offers a 14 days free trial – gets your today.
