KonMari Your CJ Account: Advertiser Edition

Did a spritely Japanese woman recently re-teach you how to fold all of your clothes? Well, the wisdom of Marie Kondo extends far beyond your closet. We recently made the case in an earlier article that publishers can benefit from KonMari-ing their CJ account and, of course, advertisers have a lot to gain from "tidying up" as well.

For those that are unfamiliar, the KonMari Method calls for a "category-by-category" approach to decluttering and organizing, a process through which you consider if each item you own "sparks joy". The tidying craze was introduced by Japanese organizing guru, Marie Kondo, in her international best-selling book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, (published in the US in 2014). Recently, there's been a massive resurgence of tidying fueled by the Netflix series, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo (2019).

In the spirit of “tidying up”, let's take a tour through the CJ advertiser interface, shall we? We'll go through each navigation tab and hover our cursor over each section long enough to ask ourselves:

Does this spark joy?

Is this info correct and up to date?

Why is my New Publisher Email from 2008?!??

Account Tab

Account > Network Profile > Program Settings

There are So. Many. Things. you should keep up to date under this tab, we can’t stress it enough. And they're all connected to one another!

• Keywords help publishers discover your program. You have up to 400 characters to use here, so don't hold back. Consider leveraging your brand's search terms. Also, make sure to include anything noteworthy about your business or brand story—are you a female, BIPOC, or Black-owned? Publishers recruit, too!
• Publisher Accept/Decline > Edit Rules allows you to set up rules that automatically manage your publisher applications. There are four criteria you can use to set rules: country, publisher category, network rank, and US State. Make sure to set these rules in a way that makes sense for your program—we find that a lot of advertisers forget to review/update these rules as their program evolves. Rules that are too strict can prevent you from finding great new opportunities (i.e. most content publishers will have a lower network ranking since they're generally smaller/new to network). Keep in mind that publishers can now easily identify advertisers that auto-approve applications, so set your rules accordingly to get in early with publishers looking for new partners.
• Update your Program Description to reflect your current program, especially if you've changed your default program terms since writing it. Your description is the first thing publishers will see when evaluating your program, and this is your chance to differentiate your program from your competitors. Make sure to elaborate on all the fantastic things your program offers.

Account > Network Profile > Branded Sign Up Settings

If you updated your Program Description, then you'll definitely want to update the Introductory Message on your Branded Sign Up page to reflect any changes made (if applicable). This message displays after the standard CJ greeting on your Branded Sign Up page and will have public-facing details to entice publishers to join your program. Think of it as a mini version of your Program Description.

Account > Users

The Users page allows you to review all users assigned to your account and their level of access. Users can also update their communications preferences.

Edit User (pencil icon) > Publisher Communication

At least one user on the account must be opted in to show their email address to Joined Publishers--make sure the person listed is still the right contact. You can also opt in to share your contact info with publishers that are Not Joined. This allows publishers to email you before joining your program, which is a great way to kick-start relationships. If not, you risk missing out on excellent partnership opportunities. If you don’t wish to share your personal email, then use an email alias (for example: cjpartners@advertiser.com)

Account > Program Terms

Program Terms are your number one tool for directing your affiliate program towards your goals. Unfortunately, advertisers often keep their Program Terms static even though their program’s priorities and policies change. Take some time to audit your Program Terms. Here are some things to consider:

• Are publishers on the correct terms?
• Looking to grow? Then ask yourself if your program terms “spark joy” for your partners. Talk to publishers about what they can offer for increased commission. Consider moving publishers to different terms based on their strengths.
• Do your program terms reflect your current policies?
• Don’t leave the Promotional Methods area of your program terms empty. Make sure to list any publisher models that you don’t allow.
• Be clear and concise. If you don’t allow something, say so. Don’t leave areas blank or open for interpretation.
• What are your policies about sharing links on social media? Inquiring Influencers and content publishers want to know!

Account > Order Inquiry Manager

Occasionally, loyalty publishers receive requests from their customers regarding rewards they did not receive for orders made via CJ advertiser links. Using the Order Inquiry Manager, loyalty publishers can enter inquiries regarding orders for which rewards were not received. Make sure you're responding to inquiries in a timely manner. If you don’t respond, the customer doesn’t get their cashback which can reflect poorly on your brand with both the customer and publisher. Read more about Order Inquiries in the Support Center.

Account > Deep Links

Our deep linking tools allow publishers to quickly and easily create affiliate links to pages within your website such as product or category pages without logging into their CJ account. Needless to say, these tools are a favorite among content publishers. If you don't have deep linking enabled, you are definitely missing out on promotion from publishers.

In order to allow deep linking, you'll need to Register a Site. This is as easy as typing in your site URL, but there are a few considerations. Our Support Center article about deep linking can give you the full rundown.

• Deep Link Automation makes it possible for publishers to automatically create affiliate links with a single line of Javascript placed on their website. Allowing the use of this tool helps publishers to scale link creation, inevitably leading to more links and more sales.
• The Deep Link Generator is a browser add-on that allows publishers to generate a deep link in seconds, without logging into the CJ interface each time. Make sure to check the box to allow for all publisher groups. If you'd rather check the box to limit the tool to selected publisher groups, make sure to select groups from the drop-down menu. You'd be surprised how many advertisers forget that final step!

Publishers Tab

Publishers > Manage by Status. Looking at the publishers you've interacted with by Status is a great way to keep tabs on pending opportunities and look for new ones:

• Filter Status by Pending Offers. Filter further by date offered to look at the oldest offers and follow up with publishers that you're still interested in. If the publisher has their contact info listed, go that route. Has an offer been pending for a long time? You can also choose to retract the offer and push it again to send a new notification.
• Filter Status by Declined Applications. Look into your list of declined publishers and sort by Network Earnings to re-evaluate opportunities and look for gainers or publishers that may have blossomed since you first declined them. There may also be quality publishers that were caught by outdated auto decline settings.

Publishers > Recruit Partners (New!)

Our revamped partner discovery tool, Recruit Partners, can help you find publishers that meet your business needs by tapping into rich data sets and smart matching capabilities. Use the keyword search functionality to return relevant matches based on a publisher's promotional properties and network profile information. Filtering options allow you to drill down into specifics like Promotional Model, Property Type, Publisher Location, Global Reach, Network Performance, and more.

Links Tab

Links > Manage

We promise that cleaning up your links will leave you feeling glorious. Here are some things to consider:

• Update ad copy on active links.
• Clean out and update old creative.
• Double-check the landing pages for both active and archived links. If a publisher has an outdated or archived link on their site, you want to make sure that the link will take users to a relevant page–i.e. your home page or a specific landing page. You can download a full list to review.
• If you have a lot of links to upload all at once, you can save time and effort by using the bulk uploading functionality.
• Make sure that promotional links are marked appropriately. This will ensure that they're easily available to coupon and promotional publishers that are pulling data via feed. To make this change, click Edit (pencil icon) and check the box for Promotional.
• Make sure you notify your publishers of any updates to Links they are using! Also, notify your publishers when you add new links.

Links > Feeds

A product feed (also known as a product catalog) is a file listing your products and their attributes, such as category, SKU, price, etc. Publishers use the feed to research and promote the types of products you sell. The cleaner the product feed data, the better. Make sure the feed is updated so all the products you offer are listed. CJ accepts the widely-used Google Shopping Feed format. For full documentation, visit our Developer Portal.

Mail Tab

Mail > Email Campaigns

How long has it been since you sent an email campaign to your publishers? Make sure you’re sending messaging about your upcoming promotions.

Mail > New Publisher Email

Once upon a time, there was an advertiser that became upset when a publisher shared a restricted promo code in a blog post. The kicker here is that the “restricted” promo code was listed in the advertiser’s New Publisher Email! Notoriously out of date, this email is your chance to make a great first impression with your new publishers. Make sure it's accurate and aligns with your current program terms. This email is your chance to incentivize publishers to start promoting your brand as soon as possible.

Placements Tab

Placements > Opportunities

The CJ Placements Marketplace allows you to identify placement opportunities, negotiate rates, exchange creative, track performance, and pay for placements, all in one place. Feeling adventurous? Browse for new opportunities.

Placements > Insertion Orders

Review and follow up on insertion orders. An insertion order acts as the contract between you and a publisher with whom you've negotiated a placement. Each insertion order outlines the details of the placement, including creative requirements, pricing, and how you agreed to pay for the placement.

Insights Tab

Gain new insights with this suite of reporting dashboards. If you haven't already, spend some time playing around with this tool. You might find that you can quickly pull those MOM metrics you've been calculating manually or your new go-to reports.

Phew! We know that there's a ton to keep on top of as an advertiser. But the time spent tidying can ensure your affiliate affairs are in order, lead to more successful partnerships, and spark new ideas. Are you feeling that life-changing magic yet?

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Looking for more information about navigating your CJ account Check out all Support Center articles.

Contributing author: Eirik Buoe