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Affiliates / Publisher network – why and how to use it?

Using affiliates or publisher networks is a cost-effective way to acquire new customers. However, always invest with caution. I have burnt my fingers with high fraudulent rates from some publishers.

How can we solve this?

Validate data with your backend database.

If your payout is based on metrics like bookings, orders, registration, etc., validate them with your backend data before finalizing the payout numbers. It will help you understand the quality of the network and give you the confidence to scale the campaigns. However, validation should happen after the cancellation period is over.

  1. Pros #1 – It is more robust, which will help in making accurate decisions whether to scale / descale or optimize the campaigns
  2. Cons #2 – It is slower as it needs to be done manually

Use exclusive coupon codes

Verify the claims based on the exclusive coupon codes issued to the affiliates. However, validation should happen after the cancellation period is over.

  1. Pros #1 – It is faster to verify numbers as coupon code data is easier to pull
  2. Cons #1 – Some might not use the code provided by the affiliate, leading to inaccurate / lower numbers and inaccurate decisions about the campaign as we might think it is not performing well.
    1. Users might not use the affiliate coupon code because:
      1. They forgot the code while transacting
      2. Don’t know where to apply coupon code
      3. Used one of the codes available while transacting
  3. Cons #2 – Onboarding is slower as every affiliate will need to have:
    1. Regular tracker
    2. An exclusive coupon code will be created for them through an internal process.
    3. Separate set of ad sets with coupon codes present in it
  4. Cons #3 – Coupon code expires, and keeping track of their validity becomes a hassle

Server 2 server (s2s) event integration

You can create a server 2 server (s2s) event in your mobile measurement platform used for attribution. I have used this for app-based campaigns. I am not sure whether we can do the same for web-based campaigns

Pros #1 – It is the fastest way of automating the process. However, tech reservations will always exist as they will push to do things manually in lieu of picking something more critical.

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