The affiliate channel has long been a haven for highly accountable marketing, but even amidst all the tracking capabilities and mountains of data, it’s no stranger to its fair share of unfounded myths and misconceptions.
One of the most prevalent? Assumptions about partners who specialize in paid search campaigns, commonly known as TM+. We know that advertisers have seen success from these complementary search partners with strategic partnerships that are a win-win for both parties, so what’s holding some advertisers back?
To put it all on the table, we’ve laid out some of the most common objections we’ve heard to TM+ partners and our arguments against them below:
Myth 1#: They Raise In-House Search Costs
Theory: “If we allow a publisher to bid on our TM+ terms, they will compete with our internal search team’s efforts and increase costs.”
Fact: Setting up a campaign strategically with bid caps, ranking rules, and an approved keyword list will ensure your in-house campaign costs are not negatively impacted. With these important guard rails in place, a paid search partner will not outbid you, appear above you, or show up on keywords you don’t want them to, giving you full control.
Myth #2: They Don’t Provide Incremental Value
Theory: “Partners who show up in paid search results are simply diverting traffic we would have gotten anyway, and now we have to pay commission for it.”
Fact: Shoppers like third-party validation, and these partners can provide it via landing pages that are optimized for conversion. In addition, these affiliates typically offer a variety of free placements in exchange for search privileges, broadening your brand’s exposure to new shoppers who hadn’t even been searching for you in the first place.
Myth #3: They’re Unnecessary
Theory: “Our internal search team can do everything a complementary search partner can, so we don’t need their help.”
Fact: A unique benefit of employing the help of a complementary search partner is that they can help keep the search landscape clear of competitors who attempt to show up on your keyword terms and steal your customers. Since your in-house search team can only show up in one spot for a given keyword, pushing competitors out of the space is something you can’t do alone.
Still unsure? Don't take our word for it! Check out these case studies from Life Extension, eharmony, and Fanatics.
Find Complementary Search Partners Today
It’s never too late to start building strategic partnerships that complement your existing search efforts! Head to the Recruit Partners tool in the CJ platform and filter by Promotional Model > Trademark Bidding to discover opportunities in the network.
Here are just some of the many paid search publishers eager to partner with advertisers:
- Ziff Davis Shopping
- Savings.com
- SurfMyAds
- Wickfire
- Meredith Deals
- GSG North America
- NextGen Shopping
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Want to learn more about CJ's vast network of partnership opportunities? Request a free consultation today!
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