Ensuring a successful Q4 starts now.
Being the most important and most profitable quarter all year, it is important to spend lots of thoughtful time planning your Q4 strategy. Your strategy should be organized, streamlined, and most importantly, communicated to your affiliate partners. Because Q4 is such a prolific time, competition is at an all time high, each brand vying for their affiliates’ attention. Help your program stand out by educating your affiliates about your program and giving them glimpses of what’s to come!
Take a look at some important information to share with your affiliates:
Dates
Flag big holidays that you are planning your strategy around. Are you promoting for Giving Tuesday? What about Halloween? Share with your affiliates so that they too can plan ahead and be aware of your big promotional days.
Products
Brands often have specific product lines, categories, or collections that they push during the holidays. Sharing these, including timelines, will only help your affiliate partners know how to best promote you during this busy season. As a program manager, your goal should be to support and advise how to best promote your brand. So, educate your affiliates on your brand as well as what products or categories they should be promoting. Your tips and suggestions could aid them in driving even more sales.
Incentives
Providing a little extra bonus or commission incentive during Q4 can motivate your affiliates to promote your brand. Offering them a flat bonus for reaching a specific sales threshold or an extra percentage during Q4 will keep them excited to feature your brand, and it will make your program always stay at the top of their mind.
No one knows your affiliate program and your strategy better than you. Working together starts with education and brainstorming so that you can align strategies. Communicating with your affiliates will help you better work together to meet Q4 goals.