The first months of the new year are always the hardest, sales-wise, for any marketer. There’s a general tendency for people to stay in and spend less. However, as spring and the warmer weather approaches, people start to emerge from their hibernation with a willingness to spend more. With the cash starting to flow more freely it’s easy to be satisfied with the average take. But why settle?
This spring, we’ll help you sell even more with these easy but often overlooked ways to accelerate your revenue during the big selling season.
1. Organize a seasonal flash-sales campaign
This is the perfect moment to promote exclusive deals. The most effective are the limited-time offers, the ones that trigger a state of “emergency,” where it’s clearly an unexpected sales opportunity that the customer will not want to miss. The best opportunities, depending on the type of your affiliate business, are typically around universal holidays like International Women’s Day (March 8th), St. Patrick’s Day ( March 17th), International Day of Happiness (March 20th), Earth Day (April 22nd), International Workers’ Day (May 1st), etc. To take advantage of these offers speak to your account manager or directly with the vendor.
2. Ask vendors for new, relevant materials.
Don’t be afraid to take the first step in the relationship with a vendor and ask for help – most of them are eager to provide customized banners, product box shots or gifs, consistent with the offer they have. The spring is also the best time to update your website, so if you’re launching a new campaign then, make the most of it and use the opportunity to refresh all of your website visuals.
3. Write interesting product reviews.
Customers come to your website and buy because they trust you. They want to read your honest opinion on products so it is important to take the time to craft a few strong reviews. Remember, the best reviews aren’t always the most favorable. You don’t need to be nice, but you do need to be thorough and interesting, and you should always include a Pros and Cons section, even if you don’t want to expose the negatives. In this case, what matters most is your sincere thoughts.
4. Strengthen your traffic source.
If your communication strategy isn’t aligned on all channels, now is the time to fix it so it comes through as one strong, coherent message. Focus on one message – for example, the contest, the exclusive discount coupon, or the limited-time two-product deal. Whatever hook you come up with, leverage your content via social media, e-mail marketing blasts, PPC, offline methods (if your kind of business allows it), or direct messages. Don’t forget to send reminders and update your SEO strategy – it’s the smallest details that are apt to make the biggest difference, most notably in your pockets.
5. Generate coupons from your own commission.
Go the extra-mile by customizing your campaign in the exact way you want it by offering exclusive discount-coupons to your client, generated from your own commission. This powerful feature is available through the Avangate Affiliate Network, which enables you to create deals whenever you want.
The campaign can act as an exclusive offer, and you can use it to build your lists or drive more traffic. Standard coupons and discounts are also available, and you can always check with the vendor to see if a custom promotion is possible, as they are usually open to new ideas.
Bottom line, it can provide you with an extra promotional opportunity to use with the merchants that allow this type of discount.
