Q4 planning: Is your affiliate programme ready for the peak season?

The busiest time of the year is just around the corner and what a better time for brands to attract new customers. With the Q4 shopping season starting as early as October last year, it’s clear that early planning is key to help ensure that you have a strong strategy in place for a successful season.

To help you navigate affiliate marketing for the peak season, we’ve put together a checklist to help ensure that you’re getting the most out of your Affiliate Marketing activity during Q4 2023.

What are the Q4 2023 key dates?

• Halloween: 31^st October
• Singles Day: 11^th November
• Black Friday: 24^th November
• Cyber Monday: 27^th November
• Christmas Eve: 24^th December
• Christmas Day: 25^th December
• Boxing Day: 26^th December
• New Year’s Eve: 31^st December
• New Year’s Day: 1^st January

Q4 affiliate marketing success checklist

Planning

1. Ensure clear goals and KPIs have been agreed for Q4.
2. Plan publisher activity around key calendar dates. Don’t forget to take into consideration your cut-off delivery time, big retailers tend to have their last order date as early as mid-December.
3. Do you have a set budget for Q4? Remember that November tends to be the most expensive month when securing placements (negotiation is key!)
4. Secure exposure with your top performing Affiliates. Here are a few things to consider:
   1. Who performed well in Q4 2022? They’ve proven their potential in the past, so why not invest with them again?
   2. Request Q4 media packs but also ask publishers to share bespoke packages – they will know what has previously worked for your brand.
   3. Book your placements by the end of September – you’ll get the best deals from publishers!

Review your account

1. Ensure that there are no issues with your tracking.
2. T&Cs must be clearly communicated and up to date to avoid any issues with publishers.
3. Add seasonally relevant creatives and ensure offers are up-to-date.
4. Ensure your feed is healthy and up to date – Set your feed to automatically refresh daily.
5. Review your pending publisher list regularly – They could support driving revenue organically.
6. Keep in touch with your top 10 publishers directly and regularly during Q4.

Performance monitoring

1. Check your publisher performance daily – are placements secured generating the expected results?
2. Consider booking last-minute exposure if the budget allows you to do so.
3. Keep an eye on what your competitors are doing during Q4.
4. Check that top publishers are promoting the right offers and creatives.
5. Weekly and monthly reviews are key during this period – consider comparing MoM and YoY performance.

Whether you’re a seasoned affiliate marketing manager or just starting out, we hope this checklist has been helpful.

Affiliate marketing can be a complex and ever-changing landscape, but by following these essential tips, you can set yourself up for success. Remember, the key to a successful affiliate marketing program is to build strong relationships with your affiliates and provide them with the resources they need to effectively promote your products or services. By following the tips in this checklist, you can do just that and achieve your program’s goals.

If you’d like to know more about how we can help you achieve your affiliate marketing goals and maximise on success during this peak season, just drop us a message at team@modo25.com and we’ll be more than happy to help.