E-Commerce: Web affiliations

E-Commerce: Web affiliations

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I run my own young fashion brand website and have been approached by a couple of affiliate web operators such as Oh So You asking me join up to their sites. Is this something I should consider? How can I measure whether I am getting value out of these affiliations? Is there anything else that I could be doing to drive traffic to the site before going down these avenues?

Carl Davis, CEO of Dealgroupmedia UK Ltd:
The thing to remember with sites like Oh So You is that they are non-transactional and they are driving traffic to your website.

I like all affiliate marketing websites like this are a great way to showcase your products and attract traffic at the same time.  The affiliate is only rewarded for any sales they make, so you are in effect getting free brand advertising in a place attracting loads of eyeballs. 

Many affiliates will also invest in PPC to attract more traffic again saving you the cost. The only downside about bigger sites like Oh So You is that you are competing with many other brands/stores. 

You'll need to think about the level of incentive (CPA) you are offering the affiliate to promote your product more than a competitor.  In terms of tracking you shouldn't rely on a single sites statistics. 

Either introduce your own such as Google Analytics or think about joining an affiliate network like dgmAffiliates. An affiliate network will provide you with all the tracking you need and provide you access to hundreds more affiliate sites  to expand your reach and drive traffic. 

You could also investigate Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and get better rankings against key search terms, Pay Per Click (PPC), invest in online banner advertising or email marketing. You should also make sure you are getting the best value from repeat business by providing a hook like a newsletter.