Preguntas frecuentes
How often should I email my affiliates?
Send weekly affiliate program updates with new promotional opportunities and performance metrics. Add promotional material distribution as needed (2-3 times monthly). Send monthly performance newsletters highlighting top performers and best practices. For seasonal promotions or urgent opportunities, send additional emails. Monitor your affiliate unsubscribe rate and adjust frequency accordingly. Active, engaged affiliates expect regular communication and might lose motivation if ignored. Top performers should get more frequent personalized communication than inactive affiliates.
What should my affiliate onboarding email sequence include?
Welcome email should outline the program benefits, commission structure, and next steps. Send an email explaining how to track performance and access their affiliate dashboard. Provide a guide to available promotional materials and how to use them. Send best practices email with examples of high-performing affiliates' approaches. Share links to your affiliate portal, tracking setup, and payment processing. Follow up with a personal email from leadership welcoming them to the program. Over 1-2 weeks, send 4-5 onboarding emails ensuring new affiliates have everything they need to succeed.
How do I motivate underperforming affiliates?
First, understand why they're underperforming. Send an email asking if they need additional materials or have questions about the program. Share case studies of successful affiliates promoting similar products. Offer additional training or strategy consultation. Send them better-performing promotional assets (email swipes with higher historical performance). Suggest timing their promotions during seasonal peaks. Offer temporary commission increases or bonuses for the next 30 days. Some affiliates just need the right materials and motivation to activate. If they remain inactive for 60+ days, consider moving them to a "dormant" segment with less frequent communication.
Should I segment my affiliate program by tier or performance?
Use dynamic segments based on performance for ongoing management. Create segments for: top tier (highest commission earners), active tier (regular promotions, decent commissions), growing tier (new affiliates or increasing performance), and dormant tier (inactive for 30+ days). Send different emails to each segment. Top tier gets priority access to new opportunities and exclusive bonuses. Dormant tier gets re-engagement offers. Growing tier gets coaching and support. This segmentation ensures you're investing energy in high-value relationships while salvaging potentially productive ones.
How do I provide promotional materials via email effectively?
Instead of attaching files, send a series of emails or a single email with links to a resource center where affiliates can download materials. Include pre-written email swipes with different angles (urgency, benefit, social proof) that affiliates can use directly. Provide banner ad variations in multiple sizes. Create social media post templates they can customize. Write product descriptions affiliates can copy. Include everything formatted for easy use. Explain how to best deploy each asset. Update materials monthly and email new assets with a "New promotional material available" announcement.
Should I pay commissions on affiliate referrals or actual sales?
For most programs, commissions on actual sales work best. This ensures affiliates are driving genuine customers, not just clicks. Most affiliate platforms track first-click or last-click attribution. Be transparent with affiliates about your attribution model. For high-touch B2B sales, you might commission on qualified leads instead. For SaaS, commission on free trial signups or actual subscriptions. Clearer commission structures encourage affiliates to promote more aggressively. Communicate your structure clearly in onboarding and update emails if it changes.