As agencies become bigger and more global, it’s important to expand their marketing outside of the UK to international. Affiliate marketing is growing, and is a powerful channel to reach new audiences, drive brand awareness and increase sales. If a brand is working well in the UK, and has international reach and stores, then they may want to expand to programmes internationally, however we need to consider the best approach to doing this through the affiliate channel as it’s important to consider strategy, the types of customer and cultural understanding.
In this blog we will look at the key considerations and best practices to successfully launch an international affiliate programme and manage it well. There are few things that are hugely important to consider when approaching international programmes:
Table of Contents
Understanding the market
Before going into a new market, it’s important to research and analyse how this would affect the programme.
- Consumer behaviour – how do people shop online? Are their purchasing habits influenced by voucher codes, influencers, comparison sites etc in that region
- Affiliate networks – which network works best in that territory? Some countries prefer local networks, and some work better in one territory than another.
- Legal frameworks – data privacy laws like GDPR in Europe or LGPD in Brazil. This can have an impact on how we can track and report revenue and sales through the affiliate channel.
As there are many aspects to consider, it’s important to create a tailored approach to each region, as what may work in the EMEA region may not resonate in LATAM for example.
Choose the right affiliate partners
The types of publishers to work with should reflect local nuances:
- Influencers vs cashback vs content publishers – some regions rely heavily on influencer marketing, seen a lot in LATAM. However, some regions have a strong culture of coupon and deal sites, for example UK and DE.
- Niche relevance – look for affiliates that align with the product that you’re promoting and that have credibility within their marketing
Establish strong onboarding and training processes to help international partners understand your brand and performance expectations and understand which partners work best in that region for the programme to perform at it’s best.
Localise content and creatives
It’s important to not just translate the creative and content that you have – you should localise it to make it more relevant to that audience through:
- Adapting language and tone – use native speakers to ensure content makes sense, phrases and idioms are accurate and are also culturally relevant
- Currency and pricing – display prices in local curries and consider regional promotions and payment methods
- Visuals – align all assets with local design trends and make it contextually relevant
Maintain strong communication and support
Sometimes international affiliates can feel disconnected if you don’t remain proactive:
- Offer multilingual support and account management if you can
- Schedule regular check-ins across time zones
- Share performance insights and marketing calendars to keep publishers aligned with your global goals
Strong partnerships and communications are key to successful affiliate long term partnerships so these are important to consider.
Optimise for tracking and attribution
Tracking and attribution can be tricky, so adding an international programme adds to the complexity.
- Ensure the affiliate network supports multi-currency tracking and accurate geo-based attribution.
- Remain compliant with cookie laws, consent requirements etc
Reliable tracking is hugely important to the programme. It builds trust with publishers and also gives you the correct data to optimise campaigns effectively.
Adapt the commission structure
What works in one market might not work as well in another, so you need to evaluate a few different options in terms of the commission structure on the programme:
- Typical commission rates by region
- Payment model, whether it’s on a CPA basis, CPC or a rev-share etc
- Incentives for top performers and seasonal boosts
To conclude, running international affiliate programmes is a huge opportunity and so we should ensure to create a nuanced strategy, a localised execution and work with the right partners for the region to make sure the programme is successful and works in the best way. For more information on this story, or for support with your Affiliate Marketing, get in touch with one of Awin’s Agency Partners and a certified Webgains Agency. Send us an email to team@modo25.com
