Lessons Learned: Featured Programs

Superbowl Sunday commercials are the most-watched, most anticipated, and most expensive advertisements of the year. In return, many of the sponsors receive a huge brand lift, which may depend on their previous recognition and how appealing their advertisement is to consumers.  The goal of any advertisement, whether on TV or online, is to gain new customers and create brand awareness.

There are four key elements that make an effective Super Bowl commercial: attention-grabbing, entertaining, brand promotion, and brand recall

Andrew Davis – TalentZoo.com

Featured Programs in ShareASale are somewhat similar, although definitely not in price, as the goal is to generate attention, promote the program and recruit new partners. Just as the effectiveness of Superbowl ads depend on the creativity, relevance, and information, Featured Programs will rely on similar methods in order to achieve the best results.

I have included a few tips on how to create the most appealing Featured Program in order to engage and activate Affiliates in your program:

• Use an image that is appealing, product or lifestyle oriented – not just the company logo

• Create Attention – To some surprise, this does not need to be done through animation, blinding colors or flash banners that might create a headache instead; use a subtle approach.   

• Do not try to hide – ensure the Affiliate knows exactly what program the ad is for, intrigue might not be the best route

• Brief description of the company and products for Affiliates to gain a better understanding

• Basics of the program; commission, cookie duration, average order size are all good pieces of information but don’t make them the focus of the ad!  Remember, it is an ad designed to be clicked for more information… you don’t need every single piece of information on where to start.

• Competitive Advantage – add program highlights such as a regularly updated product datafeed, monthly newsletters, coupons/deals, compelling banners/text links, etc. 

• Incentives and bonuses to activate and motivate Affiliates in your program

  • TIP: Use the Advanced Commission Rules to create join incentives – double commission for the first 30 days or first sale bonus!

• A call to action for Affiliates to participate immediately and join the program.  This is the single greatest difference maker between featured ads that do well, and those that do not!

• Additional information – demographics, seasonal best sellers, top products, selling opportunities

• Utilize numbers and stats instead of more text for an attention-grabbing placement

A call to action for Affiliates to participate immediately and join the program. This is the single greatest difference maker between featured ads that do well, and those that do not!

Open

ShareASale offers a number of Featured Programs that are designed to target a large number of Affiliates (Featured Program of the Week) or a select group (Affiliate Invitations). Depending on the placement, the strategy may differ as for some you may be targeting a larger audience while others may be more category, or niche, specific. 

To view a listing of the ShareASale Featured Programs, view the “Program Boost” page under the Tools tab, or follow the link HERE.

As is the case with investing, you do not want to put all of your eggs in one basket. Spread your advertising dollars around by choosing a variety of suitable media for your audience and budget.

AllBusiness.com

While Featured Programs can be very effective, be sure to create a marketing plan that includes an advertising budget for both placements and Affiliate incentives. Recruiting new Affiliates through Featured Programs is important, but it is equally as imperative to motivate your current base and keep them active in the program!

• TIP: Use Affiliate Tags to segment and organize Affiliates to provide incentives, offer creatives, send newsletters, assign a commission, etc.