Communicate With Your Publishers (Your Sales Will Thank You)

Valentine's Day has always been a special holiday for me, not only because I get to spend it with my significant other, but also because it marks the one day of the year my best friends and I send each other gifts (just in case our men forget – which, of course, they never do).

Every year, I contact my favorite chocolate shop and have them send a perfectly wrapped box of coconut chocolates to each friend. Even though Valentine's Day is a very hectic time for this chocolate shop, they always make me feel as if I am their most important customer. They always respond to my emails within one business day and never hesitate to call me if they have any questions. This kind of communication and customer service is what makes my experience with them so pleasant and keeps me coming back year after year.

As an advertiser, effective communication with publishers can lead to better program performance. The CJ Account Manager provides two great ways for you to effectively communicate with your publishers via the Mail tab: Email Campaigns and the Messages Tab. These affiliate marketing tools offer you the ability to communicate with publishers joined to your program and those who can potentially join. Let's begin with Email Campaigns. They allow Commission Junction advertisers to inform their joined publishers of anything going on with their affiliate marketing program, but they also allow advertisers to proactively get in touch with non-joined, prospective publishers in the CJ Network.

• Push Promotions: Do you have a recent or upcoming program change? Target your joined publishers to give them a heads up. For example, advertisers may have special promotions for Valentine's Day and an email campaign is an effective and direct way to alert their publishers. Additionally, if new links are created, or a commission payout is increasing, an email campaign about these updates may spark further (or renewed) interest in the program.

• Recruit Non-joined Publishers: When an advertiser wants to get their name out there and get in touch with prospective publishers, an affiliate email campaign to non-joined publishers is a good recruitment tool. An email campaign to non-joined publishers should be enticing, yet informative. The campaign should get the publishers excited based on what your program can offer them. Don't shy away from explaining your commission rates, your affiliate marketing program, how you can work with publishers and what your company is about. The ability to select a target category and/or country facilitates customization of the campaign.

But remember, communication in affiliate marketing is a two way street: it is not always the advertiser reaching out to the publisher. The second form of communication that is very important within the advertiser account is the Messages tab. It is good practice for advertisers to actively manage their Messages inbox, as this is where Commission Junction's Support encourages publishers to inquire about advertiser programs or any issues they are facing. Maintaining a good relationship and continuously connecting with your publishers is very important as publishers are more willing to actively promote a responsive and engaged advertiser program.

Just as I am always so pleased with the excellent service I receive at my favorite chocolate shop, I now email in orders for birthdays and special events too (hey, that's means more online sales for them... hint, hint all you advertisers reading this). Good thing chocolate never goes out of style!

To learn more about managing your mail settings and communicating with publishers in the CJ Network, make sure you are logged in to your advertiser account and visit these topics inside Support Center:

Commission Junction Support Center Topic IDs: 506, 1110, and 1111.