· Management · by Evan Weber
Recruiting is hard; keeping them is harder. Discover the engagement loops and communication strategies that prevent partner churn.
It costs 5x more to recruit a new partner than to retain an existing one. Yet, most affiliate managers spend 90% of their time on recruitment and only 10% on retention. The result? Partners join, promote once, get bored (or ignored), and leave.
Retention requires a proactive "Partner Success" strategy. Here is how to keep your army loyal.
Silence kills affiliate programs. If a partner hasn't heard from you in 30 days, they assume the program is dead.
Affiliates are competitive by nature. Tap into this.
This sounds basic, but it's the #1 reason for churn. If you pay late, trust evaporates. If your tracking goes down, trust evaporates.
Best Practice: If you are on a network, ensure your account is always funded. If you run in-house, try to offer Net-15 or even Weekly payments to your VIPs. Cash flow is king for media buyers; if you pay faster than competitors, they will route traffic to you.
Treat your affiliates like employees. Recognize their work, incentivize their growth, and pay them on time. A loyal affiliate who grows with you year over year is an asset that compounds in value.