Three ways advertisers can push their end-of-year affiliate marketing campaigns

2021 is drawing to a close, and as ever, the fourth quarter is where the greatest sales impetus is to be expected – now more than ever, as besides Christmas shopping, Singles Day on 11^th November is increasingly becoming a factor, alongside Black Friday (26^th November) and Cyber Monday (29^th November). These two events are both used by shoppers looking for bargains – and indeed for yuletide gifts. Yet regardless of whether advertisers participate in the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, taken together, all these events make the final quarter the best time of year to drive sales.

This year, things will of course be slightly different. Many sectors are facing headwinds, with consumer electronics struggling with shortages of smartphones, tablets, and games consoles; toys, fashion items, and kitchen equipment are also in short supply. Overall, computer chips and other components for electronic devices are hard to come by, too, meaning that there is often no guarantee of orders being delivered punctually for Christmas. So anyone looking to buy consumer articles of any kind – and especially a specific gift – should be looking to make purchases earlier than in previous years.

That’s why this year’s shopping season is getting started earlier than usual – and for advertisers, this represents a unique opportunity to reach consumers.

The right affiliate marketing strategy for Q4 2021

The final quarter of the year is where advertising campaigns reach their crescendo as more and more advertisers attempts to reach target segments with increasing levels of presence across all channels. This means that advertisers need a strategy with which they can cut through the noise against competitors and get to the right consumer at the right moment.

In what follows, we’ll take you through exactly what advertisers need to be doing to get the maximum out of their affiliate marketing campaigns.

1. Perfect planning: upping sales using affiliate marketing

The right preparation for the end-of-year rally starts with timely planning. Ideally, you can do this on the basis of figures from previous years; looking at these will allow you to select the best offers for the right customer segments, too. After all, not every product in your shop is equally suited to reaching a broad range of buyers and really boosting sales, so make sure to check which items are real top-sellers.

Another thing to check before you start to turn up the dial is whether product descriptions and advertising materials are actually still appropriate to what your offering. In affiliate marketing, it is particularly important for landing pages and other campaign elements to be bang up to date. Otherwise, there is a risk that potential buyers clicking through from affiliates will not find what they expected.

2. Perfect pitch: no standard-issue offers in Cyber Week

Once you’ve taken care of the basis, the key thing is to stand out from the multitude of offers. Consumers are looking for the biggest discounts and the best options for getting bargains – especially on products which, throughout the rest of the year, are rarely discounted to the same extent (or perhaps not at all!). So if you can make a genuinely attractive special offer here, you will have good chances of stealing the show from the competition and getting that sales boost.

For publishers, custom discounts and tailored offers are important, so affiliate marketing is a great environment in which to differentiate sales measures and adapt them to context. This makes campaigns more attractive for publishers and so increases your chances of your affiliate programme getting picked up.

3. Perfect promotion: making campaigns visible

Our Advertiser Portal offers publishers a valuable all-year-round source of information about attractive commission rates on current advertiser campaigns. Especially in the fourth quarter, we enhance the options available in the portal, allowing advertisers to book additional packages which ensure prominent placement so that publishers take note. Some of our promotional packages also allow advertisers to communicate various special offers, giving them more frequent exposure in the portal environment. All our packages ensure that publishers see advertiser campaigns more often – and book them more often, too.

Through until the end of December, we provide publishers with more frequent updates about advertiser campaigns, with special seasonal newsletters announcing top offers and last-minute deals. In addition to the weekly mailings throughout Q4, during the Cyber Week leading up to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, newsletters with special offers are sent daily.

Oh, and here’s another benefit: our liaison team speaks personally to publishers and presents selected campaigns to them.

Grasp the opportunity and take action!

As the end-of-year rush heats up, our offers are ideal tools for helping you perfect and execute your affiliate marketing strategy. What is more, they are available for immediate use. Whether you’ve already worked with us and want to book additional packages or this year is the first time you’re looking to harness affiliate marketing to get a sales boost, our advertiser team is on hand to talk to you about your individual needs. Just send an e-mail to advertiser@yieldkit.com or give us a call on +49 (0)40 41 630 397 to find out how we can help you make the most of the all-important fourth quarter.