Affiliate marketing can be a powerful strategy for driving traffic and boosting sales, but managing it effectively requires the right tools. When choosing a SaaS affiliate marketing platform, three key aspects stand out: simplicity in management, efficient recruiting tools, and the features to optimise your partner's performance. Here’s a closer look at what to prioritise.

For many affiliate managers, the primary goal is to run campaigns smoothly without getting bogged down in unnecessary complexities. A partner management platform that simplifies the processes and helps avoid common pitfalls is critical in being able to achieve this.

Ease of Use: The platform should be intuitive and user-friendly, allowing you to set up and manage campaigns without a steep learning curve. Look for features like drag-and-drop interfaces, clear navigation, and comprehensive support resources.

Control: To help you focus on the most relevant partners for you the platform should offer the ability to define eligibility, for example country, and ask for information up front that will inform your decisions. Similarly, look for a platform which allows users to define requirements for cashback enquiries, so you only receive ones which are valid and have the information you need to respond.

Finding and recruiting high-quality affiliates (aka publishers) is crucial for the success of your campaigns. The right partnership marketing platform should help you identify and engage with partners who can deliver significant results.

Quality Over Quantity: For many Advertisers, the 80/20 rule applies in affiliate marketing, where 80% of sales come from 20% of partners. A good partnership management platform will help you focus on recruiting and nurturing these high-performing affiliates. Look for tools that provide detailed analytics on potential partners and focus on onboarding quality partners, not quantity.

Effective Search and Filters: Advanced search and filtering options are essential. You’ll want to identify partners based on specific criteria such as vertical, publisher type, and geographical location. And you’ll want tools that help you truly understand a publisher's reach, to ensure you can find partners who are the perfect match for your campaigns.

To make the most of your affiliate partnerships, you need tools that allow you to optimise campaigns and track performance effectively.

Reporting Tools: Comprehensive reporting tools are a must. Look for platforms that offer customisable reports and real-time data.

Flexibility: The ability to amend reports and adjust campaigns on the fly is critical. Your partnership marketing software should provide the flexibility to adjust commissions without updating tracking, to experiment with different strategies, and to respond quickly to changing market conditions.

At the very least the partnership marketing platform you choose should simplify managing your Partner programme and provide you with the tools to make growing the programme easier. The Optimise Essential Platform plan will give you all the tools you need to create a successful affiliate campaign – it gives you more control and market-leading tools for recruitment and optimisation of your Partner’s performance. For those with more complex campaigns and bespoke requirements the Enterprise Platform plan gives you the tools you need to take your campaign to the next level; providing reporting alerts, advanced commissioning and our unique market intelligence features. Want to learn more? Contact us for a demo and to get access to our Partner Platform.