16 – Hiring an Affiliate Manager: Key Considerations and Responsibilities

Are you ready to take your affiliate program to the next level? Then it’s time to think about hiring an affiliate manager. This person can make a huge difference in how well your program does. Let’s dive into what you need to know to find the right person for this important job.

Different Ways to Hire an Affiliate Manager

There are a few ways you can go about hiring an affiliate manager:

1. Internal Promotion: Look within your own team. You might have someone who’s perfect for the job already working for you. This person should be:
   • Good with people
   • Strong in marketing
   • Good with numbers and details

   It’s like finding a Swiss Army knife of a person!

2. External Hire: If you don’t have the right person on your team, you might need to look outside your company. Hiring someone with experience in affiliate management can be really helpful, especially if you’re new to this world.
3. Hiring a Director: For bigger programs, you might want to hire a head or director of affiliates. This person would be in charge of the whole affiliate team and help the program grow.

What to Look for in an Affiliate Manager

When you’re hiring an affiliate manager, here are some important things to look for:

1. Skills:
   • Good at marketing
   • Good with numbers and analysis
   • Experience with affiliate programs
   • Knows how to use affiliate tracking software
   • Understands how to promote products
2. Personality:
   • Confident
   • Friendly and outgoing
   • Good at sales

   You want someone who can make potential affiliates excited about your program!

Main Jobs of an Affiliate Manager

An affiliate manager has a lot of important jobs. Here are the main ones:

1. Know the Program Inside and Out: They need to understand everything about your affiliate program, including how it’s set up, what software you use, and how you track success.
2. Promote the Program: They should be out there telling people about your program and getting new affiliates to join. This might mean reaching out on LinkedIn, affiliate websites, or social media.
3. Build Relationships: They need to keep your affiliates happy and give them what they need to promote your products well. It’s like taking care of a garden of affiliates!
4. Track and Report: They should keep a close eye on how the program is doing. This means watching how many new affiliates join, how well current affiliates are doing, and how special promotions are working.
5. Work with Marketing: They should work closely with your marketing team to make sure affiliates have the latest and best materials to promote your products.
6. Attend Events: They should go to industry events to meet people and find new affiliates. This is where being confident and good at sales really helps!

Growing Your Affiliate Team

As your program gets bigger, you might need to grow your team. This could mean:

• Hiring more affiliate managers
• Appointing a head or director of affiliates

This person would be in charge of making sure everyone follows the rules, preventing fraud, tracking important numbers, and helping the program grow.

Wrapping Up

Hiring the right affiliate manager is super important for your program’s success. Whether you promote someone from within your company or hire someone new, make sure they have the skills and experience to manage and grow your program well.

Remember, the key to success is:

• Regular communication
• Strong relationship management
• Thorough reporting

Finding the right person might take some time, but it’s worth it. The right affiliate manager can help your program grow and succeed in big ways!