Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate Marketing Agency: Building and Successfully Managing Partner Programmes
Affiliate marketing means that partners promote your products on their websites, in newsletters or on social networks, and you only pay for real results. As an affiliate marketing agency, we plan your partner programme, choose the right network and steer it towards revenue. In doing so, we combine more than 20 years of experience in digital marketing with support in 6 languages.
What is affiliate marketing?
Affiliate marketing is a performance-based sales model: partners (affiliates or publishers) recommend your products and receive a commission for every sale, lead or click they generate.
Each partner receives their own coded link. If a visitor clicks on it and buys from you, the tracking attributes the sale to that partner and the commission becomes due. Partners can be comparison sites, blogs, voucher sites, newsletters, content creators or cashback portals. This is usually organised through an affiliate network, which handles tracking, billing and partner management.
What commission models are there?
Pay per sale, pay per lead and pay per click are the 3 most important commission models in affiliate marketing.
| Model | Commission | Suitable for |
|---|---|---|
| Pay per sale (PPS) | Share of revenue or fixed amount per sale | Online shops |
| Pay per lead (PPL) | Fixed amount per enquiry, sign-up or registration | Service providers, insurance, software |
| Pay per click (PPC) | Amount per click on the ad material | Reach and brand awareness |
We often combine models, for example a higher commission for new customers or bonus tiers for particularly strong partners.
What do we take care of for your partner programme?
Digital Targets handles 6 tasks for your partner programme, from strategy and network selection through partner recruitment to support and quality control.
Concept and commission model
Goals, target audiences, commissions and terms of participation, aligned with your margins.
Network selection
Impartial advice on affiliate networks or an in-house partner programme.
Partner recruitment
We specifically look for suitable publishers in your industry and your target countries.
Ad materials
Banners, text links, product feeds and vouchers tailored to your target audience.
Tracking and quality control
Clean tracking, vetting of partners and checks on sales and cancellations.
Alignment with SEO and PPC
Clear rules so that partners complement your own channels instead of competing with them.
How do we build your partner programme?
Digital Targets builds your partner programme in 5 steps: analysis, concept, set-up, partner recruitment and ongoing optimisation.
1
Analysis
Products, margins, competitors and existing programmes in your industry.
2
Concept
Commission model, terms and choice of network.
3
Launch
Set-up, tracking, ad materials and the first partners.
4
Expansion
Targeted recruitment and activation of new partners.
5
Management
Ongoing monitoring, optimisation and regular reports.
Who is affiliate marketing worthwhile for?
Affiliate marketing is particularly worthwhile for online shops and providers with a clear target audience, good margins and a website that sells reliably.
Because you only pay for results, the risk is low. The effort lies in building and maintaining partner relationships. This is where we support you with experience from many programmes in Germany and across Europe. If your website is not yet selling as well as it could, we first take care of your online shop so that every referred visitor pays off.
Frequently asked questions about affiliate marketing
How much does affiliate marketing cost?
You only pay your partners for results, that is, for sales, leads or clicks, depending on the commission model. In addition, there are usually network fees and the cost of managing the programme. You receive a tailored quote after the initial consultation. In it, we also show which commissions keep your programme attractive for partners and profitable for you.
Which affiliate network is the right one?
That depends on your industry, your target markets and your budget. Large networks offer many partners, while smaller or specialist networks often provide better support. For some companies, an in-house partner programme is worthwhile. We give you impartial advice, compare the right networks for your markets and support you with registration and set-up.
How do I prevent fraud in affiliate marketing?
Through clear terms of participation, vetting every partner before approval and regularly checking sales and cancellations. We also define whether partners may, for example, bid on your brand name or use vouchers. We detect suspicious patterns such as unusually high cancellation rates early on and consistently block dubious partners.
Is affiliate marketing right for my shop?
It works particularly well for products with a clear target audience, good margins and a website that reliably turns visitors into buyers. Service providers and software companies also use affiliate marketing successfully. In the initial consultation, we assess whether and how a programme would pay off for you, and tell you honestly which requirements should be met beforehand.
How does affiliate marketing work together with SEO and PPC?
Partners bring additional reach but should not compete with your own campaigns for the same clicks. We align the rules for partners with your SEO and PPC strategy so that you do not pay twice. A typical rule, for example, is that partners may not bid on your brand name, so your own ads run there undisturbed.
Which services go well with it?
Alongside affiliate marketing, Digital Targets offers 3 complementary services, e-commerce, PPC and social media, aligned with your partner programme.
Ready for your own partner programme?
In a free initial consultation, we assess whether affiliate marketing is worthwhile for you and what a launch could look like.
Write to us
We usually get back to you within one working day.