At some point, every online business will have to ask the question. Should I keep the affiliate program management in-house or should I outsource the work? The very fact you are asking this question is a good sign. It means your affiliate program is growing and doing well enough to pay for outsourcing. Still, you need to consider a few things.
Outsourcing Part of the Affiliate Program
Outsourcing does not have to be an all or nothing proposition. You can outsource some things while keeping other things in-house. This will save you money while you are continuing to build your affiliate program.
Ideally, you will want to outsource recruitment as soon as possible. Affiliate program management teams will have more experience and better expertise in drawing in new affiliates. Additionally, as they draw in more affiliates, your sales will increase. This allows you to outsource more of the management.
The downside to outsourcing is that company to whom your do so will have other clients. As much as they would like to help you, they will have other clients to tend to. This means you will have to wait for call-backs and e-mail responses. However, a 24 hour turn around can and should be expected for responses.
Hiring an In-House Affiliate Manager
Alternatively to outsourcing your affiliate program, you can hire an in-house affiliate manager who works exclusively with your company and is available when you need them. The benefits to hiring an in-house manager are reliability and personal touch.
The downside to hiring an in-house manger is the cost of training. It will cost you quite a bit to hire an expert affiliate manager to work exclusively for you. You can go cheaper by hiring someone who is not an expert and requires training. However, they will not begin with the same expertise as an outsourced company.
Affiliate Management Software
Software can take some of the pressure off an affiliate management program. Some tools are free for businesses while others will cost you.
In the beginning, new companies should look into free software. Some free software is quite good and is recommended even for the busiest of affiliate programs. This software (especially tax software) can take tons of pressure off you and your staff while maintaining a high level of performance.
As you progress, this free software can be incorporated into an outsourced or in-house affiliate program management team. It is not too much to ask your team to continue to use this software. This is even more important when you are talking tracking tax info.
After all, it is not the outsourcing company that will be held responsible for your tax returns. If you find software you like, then stick with it and insist all teams use it to track your affiliates.
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