The success of affiliate marketing goes hand in hand with the quality of your affiliates. To drive growth for your SaaS business, it's essential to understand what your ideal affiliate looks like. Here are some considerations and characteristics you should prioritize when identifying your perfect affiliates.
ā
Ensure Audience Relevance and Engagement
Typically, audience size isnāt everything in a SaaS affiliate program. Affiliates with broad but generic audiences may improve brand visibility but canāt convert as effectively as those with a more niche-specific audience.Ā
Similarly, audience engagement is a significant factor. An affiliate with a smaller yet highly engaged following can be more beneficial to your affiliate program than one with a broad but disengaged audience. Therefore, prioritize finding affiliates whose audience is both highly engaged and relevant to your business.
Evaluate Authenticity and InfluenceĀ
Affiliates who genuinely use and care about your product will likely share honest opinions with their audience. This is highly valuable in building trust and increasing conversions. Look for influential affiliates in their space and whose audience trusts their recommendations.
ā
Understand the Different Types of Affiliates: Professional vs. Amateur
Itās essential to distinguish between āprofessionalā and āamateurā affiliates. Professional affiliates are experienced, know how to build audiences, and have honed specific skills to drive traffic to their affiliate merchants. On the other hand, amateur affiliates may be experts in their niche and have a highly respected voice within their community but may lack specific affiliate marketing experience.
You might be tempted to focus solely on professional affiliates. However, remember that every big affiliate started small. You may miss hidden gems when you disregard amateur affiliates so easily.
Recognize the Power of Your Customers
Your existing customers are often the ideal affiliates. When they endorse your product, their word carries weight because they know exactly what your product can do. Even if your customers aren't professional affiliates with an established audience, their advocacy holds inherent trust and authority. This will generate high-quality traction for your brand.
Leverage Your Ideal Affiliate ProfileĀ
After identifying your ideal affiliate profile, the next step is to scout for potential affiliates that fit your program. You could explore various sources like popular blogs, and social media influencers, or even delve into your customer base (as mentioned above). The aim here is to curate a list of potential affiliates for your program.
Once your list is prepared, it's time for engagement. Reach out to these potential affiliates with a personalized proposal. Articulate clearly why you believe they are an excellent fit for your affiliate program and explain the benefits they could reap from this partnership.Ā
ā
Consider Filtering The Affiliates
To hand-pick your affiliates, consider implementing an application process. Ask the prospects to provide relevant information, such as their follower count, niche, active (social) channels, etc.Ā
Filtering your affiliates ensures that each affiliate meets all the requirements. However, be aware that this may cause you to overlook potentially high-performing affiliates with untapped potential.
Complete Understanding of Your Product
The path to a successful SaaS affiliate program starts with a deep understanding of your product or service. This profound understanding serves two purposes: to define the ideal affiliate profiles and to craft on-target promotional assets for your affiliates.
Generally, the more clearly you articulate your product value, the easier for people to see themselves connected with your brand. Consider providing some basic product information when conducting a recruitment campaign, namely its purposes, best features, target audience, and the unique value it has.
Establish the Success Metrics
Another strategy to find your best affiliate is benchmarking some Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Establishing measurable success metrics is more than just numbers; it's about creating a roadmap for your affiliate program.
The KPIs empower you to track progress, evaluate affiliate performance, and identify areas for improvement. With this data, you can fine-tune your strategies effectively and ensure you invite people who match your ideal affiliate profile. Keep in mind that the KPIs can vary greatly depending on the goals of your affiliate program. This may include metrics such as traffic, conversion rates, or brand awareness.Ā
ā
Defining your ideal affiliate profile involves considering multiple factors, from the type of affiliate to their audience size, relevance, and engagement. Balancing these considerations will help you find your best affiliates and build an affiliate program that drives growth for your SaaS business.
If you want to learn the basics of affiliate marketing, check our Comprehensive Guide to Affiliate Marketing for Businesses.
