How to prepare your brand ambassador program for BFCM
BLACK FRIDAY IS ALMOST HERE. ORCA COMMUNICATIONS INVITED AFFILIATE MARKETING EXPERT & FOUNDER OF JUMP.SHOP, LUIGGI PERA, TO WRITE A GUEST POST TO HELP BUSINESSES PREPARE THEIR AFFILIATE MARKETING PROGRAMS FOR THE SHOPPING HOLIDAY SEASON.
September 29,2023 | Luiggi Pera
Black Friday/Cyber Monday (BFCM) is right around the corner and your brand is likely scurrying around looking for new ways to reach sales goals this BFCM season. Affiliate marketing usually goes under the radar this time of year but can easily be your best shot at higher sales goals when done right.
I know, I know, affiliate marketing gets a bad rap, but that’s because most people who install affiliate programs do not know how to go out and recruit, and on top of that do not have the resources to manage their affiliates.
Remember, email marketing was just as hard for e-commerce companies 10 years ago until platforms like Sendlane made it easy, and now every e-commerce brand has its own email marketing tool.
But today you have companies like Jump that are trying to make affiliate marketing just as easy as email marketing and where a one-person team can manage it themselves.
How do you prepare your affiliates and brand ambassadors for BFCM season?
1. Get an Affiliate Marketing Platform. If you haven’t already, get an easy-to-use affiliate marketing platform to easily recruit, manage, and pay your brand ambassadors. If you are using Shopify, you can simply go to the Shopify Apps store and type in “Affiliate marketing,” “Affiliates,” or “Jump.” Full disclosure, I’m the CEO of Jump and it absolutely kicks butt.
- Recruit your Brand Ambassadors. Make sure that you are sending a post-checkout email to all your customers to sign up for your brand ambassador program. You can use Klaviyo for this or your affiliate platform may already have a way for you to do this.
- Invite to a Chat Group. Once your brand ambassadors start rolling in, make sure to invite them to a chat group where you can easily communicate with them and keep them motivated. The best communication tool we have found is a simple WhatsApp community group. You can silence responses plus you can send creatives without a problem. Most importantly, they get a notification via “sms”. After you accept a new brand ambassador recruit make sure your welcome email includes instructions to join your community.
- Hype up your army for BFCM. On the first week of October, make sure all your brand ambassadors are joining your Whatsapp community and that you send out at least one message to them letting them know which products you plan on pushing, which promo codes are available, and which creatives to share. Do this at least once a week until BFCM arrives. Keep them motivated and answer all their questions.
- Watch your affiliate sales come in. As you see your affiliate sales come in due to your BFCM affiliate campaign, make sure you give praise to the brand ambassadors making sales via your chat group. As a bonus, offer the highest-selling brand ambassador at the end of BFCM a $100 gift card (or more) to your store! Not only will it create competition, but it will make your sellers feel valued and, more importantly, feel like they are a part of an amazing team.
As BFCM gets closer, don’t be afraid to give affiliate marketing a shot. There are many ways to keep your brand ambassadors motivated without burning yourself out by using modern affiliate platforms like Jump. Plus, it is one of the most rewarding marketing strategies out there. You get to build a team that loves your brand, uses your products, and wants to sell for you – all for a commission on sales. It’s a win/win!
If you ever need affiliate marketing help, feel free to reach out to me at luiggi@jump.shop or check out www.tryjump.co.
And may the BFCM odds ever be in your favor.
