The Rambunctious Dog Analogy

So, I was sitting here thinking about the state of affiliate marketing. I get so damn frustrated with advertisers sometimes. And, yes, I have been one so I can speak from experience as much from observation. When listening to advertisers talk about affiliates- categorizing them a "rogue", restricting their marketing efforts, viewing them as a necessary evil... I get disappointed. To illustrate my point I am going to use an analogy- sorry affiliates I am going to compare you to a dog. But a really, really great, lovable dog- that is your best friend in the whole world.

Our industry is in the position that can best be explained using a rambunctious dog analogy. A dog aims to please it's 'owner' (or please it's 'parent' if you are a dog lover like me). In this case- the dog is 2 or 3 years old and still uses the carpet as a restroom from time to time, tears through the garbage at every opportunity, and does that fake 'sit' on command where it's butt never quite touches the ground. Around other people the owner is always complaining about the behavior of the dog- when everyone knows it's really the owner's lack of discipline that is the reason for the dog's antics. A dog's whole mission in life is to please the owner- and that is how it gets the most gratification.

Let's carry this over to the advertiser/affiliate relationships. As an advertiser, if you feel like your affiliates are rogue, or if you are limiting their marketing efforts, or if you view them as a necessary evil- then you have not properly trained them. Most affiliates are reliant upon this revenue for survival for themselves and their families. They want stability, comfort- they are looking for your affiliate program to provide several needs within Maslow's hierarchy of needs. They want to be trained. They want the tools. They want the reporting, direction, leadership. They want you to tell them when they have tried a marketing effort that won't work. They want you to be as upfront, proactive, and honest as possible when you have bad news. They want to feel secure that your relationship is going to sustain the good times and the bad.

If you don't give them these tools- they are on an island and don't know quite how to make you happy. All they know is that they need to make money- so they send traffic any possible way they know how. Hoping that something will work and you will reward them with more money. Often times this tactic just leads to unnecessary noise and negative attention.

If you take the time to establish this relationship with your affiliates- I guarantee you the results- and your attitude towards affiliates will change. Your affiliates will temper their rogue advertising ways. They actually can become an extension of your company. Testing new verticals for you, expanding your breadth of presence in a positive way.

So, advertisers- next time you are about to make a semi-derogatory comment about affiliates- ask yourself if you have truly done your job to train them to behave as you want/need them to.