In anticipation of her upcoming Affiliate Management Days conference presentation, Affiliate Channel Testing – Testing to help improve Affiliate EPC, our very own Geno Prussakov interviewed A’Lisa Tomatis, Senior Manager of Online Business Marketing at Symantec. View the Q-and-A below to see how A’Lisa views affiliate program management as well as digital marketing, in general. Find out what’s in store for AM Days 2016.
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Question: If you were to emphasize one important issue that every affiliate manager should be paying more attention to, what would it be and why?
A’Lisa: I would say the constant evolution and change in our industry. This includes many different aspects we are all aware of such as attribution, commission structures, diversification of affiliates, etc. It is important for us to be thinking of these changes and preparing and staying ahead of them so we can create strategies for growth in the future.
Question: What was the most important marketing lesson that you learned in 2015?
A’Lisa: I’ve learned to always be open to trying new marketing initiatives and to always be creative. Some may work out and some may not, but I learn from each experience which helps me create our long term growth strategy.
Question: What do you believe to be the main areas of opportunity in 2016 – for online marketers, in general, and for affiliate marketers, in particular?
A’Lisa: The biggest area of opportunity in 2016 comes from what I learned in 2015. Be creative, think outside the box, and try new things. I believe this is the same for online and affiliate marketers, but an addition for affiliate marketers is to work with and listen to your affiliates. They are business owners and can come up with some amazing ideas for testing and growth.
Question: What do you believe to be the biggest challenge advertisers with affiliate programs face, and what steps could help them overcome it?
A’Lisa: One of the biggest challenges would be recruitment and winning back affiliates who may no longer be promoting our products and services. Building relationships and keeping affiliates engaged is a great way to ensure those affiliates you recruit stay productive and grow. When addressing winning back affiliates this is always a challenge, but constant reaching out and providing ideas of how they can be successful in selling your products and/or services can go a long way. This can include discussing marketing ideas and commission structures to get the relationship back on track.
Question: Please give us 1-3 reasons why marketers should attend your AM Days 2016 presentation, Affiliate Channel Testing – Testing to help improve Affiliate EPC.
A’Lisa: You will learn about our theories and objectives for many tests conducted throughout the customer journey to improve affiliate EPC. This will include what was tested and how the test was set up, the results/learnings the test yielded and how the learnings were used to influence business decisions.
Question: If you were to leave online advertisers, merchants and affiliate managers with one piece of advice, what would it be?
A’Lisa: Do not forget the importance of relationships. We are in a partner-driven business and keeping lines of communication open to provide support, strategy and optimization is how we all learn and grow ourselves and our businesses.
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Don’t miss A’Lisa’s conference presentation, Affiliate Channel Testing – Testing to help improve Affiliate EPC, at Affiliate Management Days on Tuesday, April 5, 2016, from 1:00-1:45pm. Click here to register for attendance.