Affiliate Program Migration Guide

Strategic decisions often prompt businesses to evaluate the performance and potential of their existing affiliate program. Deciding to migrate an established program should not be taken lightly. However, another network can revitalize the program, open doors to new partnerships, and maximize its success. If you find yourself faced with the decision to move, here are some important considerations and steps to follow.

Upgraded Features and Functions: Programs often outgrow the capabilities offered by their first service provider and need room to grow. While the existing affiliate platform may have served as a suitable starting point to test your program’s viability, achieving your program growth goals necessitates a more robust solution.

• Step 1: First, ensure your program is utilizing all of the tools available. Then, review the performance and growth of the program so far. Is the platform meeting your needs now? Will it meet your program needs if the program meets growth goals in the next year or two? Are there limits on how much you can grow?

Refined Affiliate Tools: Moving to a new platform can streamline affiliate management processes, making it easier to manage, support, and acquire new partnerships. This includes efficient communication tools, performance monitoring, attribution methods, partner marketplaces, and payment systems.

• Step 2: Review how your current program communicates with partners, handles payments, and tracks partner performance to identify areas for improvement.  Also, consider your program management style and determine what might need to change to become or remain competitive with other programs. What’s missing or could be improved? Does the network you are currently using provide you with the features you want?

Increased Reach and Exposure: Moving to a new platform might allow the program to tap into a larger affiliate base or gain exposure to a new audience. This expanded reach can lead to increased conversions and revenue potential.

• Step 3: Review your current affiliate partner base, and complete an analysis to determine which partner types (or who specifically) you may be missing from your program. Then, look at your competitor’s online affiliate presence. Do they have partners you want to work with that aren’t in your program today? Do you need to expand your program to new geographic locations? Or, into new languages to reach the audience growth you desire? Ask yourself what else might be affecting the publisher base of your program and determine your needs for growth.

Improved Commission Structures: If the current program struggles to attract and retain affiliates due to its commission structure, migrating to a new platform can offer the opportunity to revamp the commission model. A more attractive commission structure can incentivize existing affiliates and attract new ones, ultimately driving better results.

• Step 4: Consider how you are paying commissions today. Do you need to adjust for attribution payouts moving away from only first or last-click attribution? Do you need to revamp your rates based on the action type or partner type to incentivize and boost performance? Are you managing bonus payouts or worse- regular payouts manually, costing you valuable time and increasing the risk of user error? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, it may be time to consider a migration to a service provider that better fits your needs.

Enhanced Tracking and Reporting: Accurate tracking and comprehensive reporting are critical for analyzing affiliate performance and optimizing the program. If the current platform lacks robust tracking capabilities or provides inadequate reporting, it might be time to switch. A new platform may provide more reliable and detailed data, enabling better decision-making and program transparency.

• Step 5: Know where your source of truth (SOT) is and what information you need to correlate between the platform and your SOT. Can you sync your reporting systems with a new platform’s requirements? Is your development team ready now or five months from now to make changes? Are there tracking details you need to update before or when you move to a new platform? Do you need additional or improved compliance features from a new platform? Have your questions ready when you begin speaking with alternative service providers to ensure a seamless migration to the new platform.