As the year draws to an end, the holidays present excellent opportunities for marketers. From increasing sales to building a better brand image and customer trust through successful promotions, they’re a rightful marketing staple.
The same applies to affiliate marketers specifically. Leveraging holiday themes to inform aesthetics and copy, they can promote relevant offerings with notable effectiveness. The purchase intent is there in full force, presenting opportunities for those who plan ahead for them.
That said, it’s far from easy to prepare your top affiliate marketing program for the holidays. It’s not just a highly competitive season; how one leverages any given holiday to suit their offerings matters immensely too.
So, while we can’t answer every subjective question that ultimately hinges on your business, we can help with the rest. This article will go through how you may best approach the planning phase carefully and thoroughly, benefitting your programs post-launch.
What Is Affiliate Marketing?
First things first, let us briefly define affiliate marketing. We’ve done so before, and you likely do know its fundamentals if you’re looking into it – but clarity always helps.
In brief, affiliate marketing is practice brands, and businesses use to promote their offerings. In affiliate marketing contexts and discussions, they’re called merchants.
The way it works is merchants get in touch with affiliates, people, or companies who promote said offerings. In these contexts, they’re called publishers – or affiliates, hence the name.
Publishers then promote merchants’ offerings through affiliate links. For every successful sale through an affiliate link, the publisher gets a commission fee from the merchant.
Finally, this arrangement may take place through affiliate networks like Amazon’s Associates. These third-party platforms connect merchants and affiliates, often making the process easier.
Understandably, then, affiliate marketing can be very effective for both parties. Merchants get increased reach and more sales while only paying for completed sales. Publishers often generate more income passively if their organic content performs well enough.
Why Should You Consider A Holiday Affiliate Program?
Beyond affiliate marketing’s general efficiency, holidays, national days, and other such occasions are particularly noteworthy. The simple reason for that, as mentioned in the introduction, is that they are excellent for sales.
Some give customers free time to go shopping at their leisure, and others give them an active reason to do so; buy gifts for loved ones, celebrate the occasion, partake in a custom or social event, and so on.
So, these conditions are excellent for both parties involved. They present an opportunity that few would like to miss. But naturally, in marketing and especially in such competitive contexts, seizing such opportunities takes careful planning.
Which Holidays And National Days Should You Prepare For?
Now typically, preparing for the holidays in this context tends to mean preparing for the Q4 holidays. Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and so on – the kinds of holidays that get people truly active online.
That said, there’s an array of holidays to consider, prepare for, and run affiliate programs around. While Q4 holidays are a staple, they’re far from the only ones worth building a holiday affiliate program around.
So, for your convenience, let us first make some lists of a few examples. As we do, selection criteria should hopefully start becoming clearer, too.
Alt. tag: A close-up of a person writing their plan in a notebook.
#1 2022 Q4 Holidays
Since we’re well into November already, we’ll be skipping October and focusing on late November and beyond.
- November 24; Thanksgiving
- November 25; Black Friday
- November 26; Small Business Saturday
- November 28; Cyber Monday
- December 4; National Sock Day
- December 12; Green Monday
- December 17; Super Saturday
- December 18; National Free Shipping Day
- December 18–26; Hanukkah
- December 21; Winter Solstice
- December 24–25; Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
- December 26; Boxing Day
- December 26–January 1; Kwanzaa
- December 29; Tick Tock Day
- December 31; New Year’s Eve
As you can see, affiliate marketing for the holidays can focus on quite a few different dates. Many of them have specific audiences in mind, however.
Hanukkah is for Jewish communities, for instance, while Kwanzaa is for African Americans and the African diaspora. Boxing Day mostly resonates with audiences in the UK, Australia, and other historically UK-related countries, while Thanksgiving is for Americans.
As such, this shouldn’t be a list to take as-is. Rather, you should carefully consider which among them makes sense for you and your audiences before focusing on them.
#2 2023 Q1 Holidays
Next come the Q1 2023 holidays and other important dates. If you don’t plan on starting with the 2022 Q4 holidays, planning ahead for some of these is also an option.
- January 1; New Year’s Day
- January 2; Science Fiction Day
- January 13; National Sticker Day
- January 15; National Hat Day
- January 16; Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- January 19; Get to Know Your Customers Day
- January 22; Chinese New Year
- January 26; National Spouse’s Day
- January 26; Australia Day
- February; Black History Month
- February 2; Groundhog Day
- February 5; Grammy Awards
- February 9; National Pizza Day
- February 12; Super Bowl LVII
- February 14; Valentine’s Day
- February 20; Love Your Pet Day and Family Day
- February 27; National Retro Day
- March 8; International Women’s Day
- March 12; Oscar Night
- March 14; White Day
- March 17; St. Patrick’s Day
- March 19; Mother’s Day
- March 20; First Day of Spring
As you can see, options for a holiday affiliate program early next year abound. However, the point above still stands here; which of these dates is relevant to you will ultimately depend on you.
Beyond regional differences, as highlighted above, these also present examples of how different holidays are relevant to different demographics. For instance, Valentine’s Day is about couples, Love Your Pet Day interests pet owners, and Family Day speaks to families.
Others also relate to your products; National Hat Day likely doesn’t interest you unless you sell hats yourself. So here, too, remember to carefully filter the list based on your own business and audiences.
#3 2023 Q2-Q3 Holidays
Finally, come holidays deeper into 2023. These are a few too many to list here, but we may note a few important ones from each month.
- April 1; April Fools’ Day
- April 7–10; Easter
- April 11; National Pet Day
- April 21–22; Eid al-Fitr
- April 22; Earth Day
- May; Mental Health Awareness Month
- May 4; Star Wars Day
- May 5; Cinco de Mayo
- May 14; Mother’s Day
- May 22; Victoria Day
- May 29; Memorial Day
- June; Pride Month
- Pride Month, throughout June
- June 11; International Children’s Day
- June 14; American Flag Day
- June 18; Father’s Day
- June 19; Juneteenth
- June 21; International Yoga Day
- July 4; Independence Day
- July 7; World Chocolate Day
- July 17; World Emoji Day
- July 20–October 20; UEFA Women’s Euro
- August 9; Book Lovers Day
- August 17; National Nonprofit Day
- August 19; World Photography Day
- August 26; International Dog Day
Granted, 2022 may be too early to mind these just yet. But if 2023 Q2 or Q3 is approaching as you’re reading this article, it may be time to start planning.
Alt. tag: A card next to a coffee, flowers, and sweets that reads “Happy Easter”.
How To Prepare Your Affiliate Marketing Program For The Holidays
With introductions in order, we can now delve deeper into how you can make preparations early.
As you might imagine, this process is mostly about planning ahead, ironing out your strategies, and preparing your assets. So, we’ve broken it down into 4 individual sections, each with its own practices to consider.
Without further ado, let’s begin.
#1 Start Planning
The first stage comes with general planning. This is the initial step, where you can begin to decide on your next actions.
In no particular order, this stage comes with 3 main practices.
Review Last Year’s Performance
First, you may take a deep dive into last year’s performance. Even if you haven’t run a holiday affiliate program before, you can still examine general affiliate performance.
Depending on your exact networks and analytics tools, examine such elements as:
- Paid placements; which performed best and which underperformed
- Average order value, alongside outstanding order values
- New partners; which performed best – and, ideally, why
- Old partners, which have been consistently effective
- Specific promotions run; what the best and worst performers can tell you
While these won’t paint the full picture, they can offer enough insights to help you get started. With a clearer grasp on what promotions and which partners best resonated with your audience last year, you can make better-informed decisions on how to proceed this year.
Decide On Valuable Holidays
Next, as you prepare your affiliate marketing program for the holidays, it’s quite useful to decide which holidays matter. Not in general, of course, but specifically as far as your business and promotions go.
A common, mostly safe practice is to target those Q4 holidays. However, as highlighted above, these tend to be the most competitive. At the same time, “lesser” holidays may present the untapped potential for different businesses and their industries.
So, consult the holiday list above, and consider factors like:
- Competition; what does your market position say about your potential candidates?
- Brand alignment; how well can you align your brand and offerings with a given holiday?
- Audience leanings; which holidays do your audiences care about the most?
For this step, analytics and audience insights are self-evidently helpful. If you don’t yet know exactly what does, or would best resonate with your audiences, now is a great time to dig into your data and get a clearer picture.
Set Your KPIs And Budget
Finally, on an equally personal note, you may start planning as regards performance monitoring and budgeting. Both are just as crucial; monitoring performance will inform your present and future programs, and budgeting will make them sustainable.
For this highly personal step, consider such questions as:
- Which KPIs will you use to gauge performance? What’s the ultimate goal of your programs, if not direct sales?
- What does past performance, if any, say about your expectations for success?
- How much can you afford to invest comfortably into your holiday affiliate program? What Return On Investment can you expect, and how cost-effective should your investment be?
As regards KPIs, you may carefully examine your SMART goals and align the two. If you seek brand growth, for example, you may prioritize conversion rates over final revenue. Conversely, if revenue is your goal, you may keep an eye on your target revenue threshold.
#2 Prepare Your Programs And Affiliates
With your initial plans in order, you may then begin to prepare your programs’ inner workings and ready your affiliates. There are a few different ways to do so, but 3 crucial practices deserve a note here.
Review Commissions For The Season
First, having just touched on budgeting, you may consider your holiday commissions. That is, you may strategically offer affiliate incentives to help boost sales and performance during the holiday period.
You may approach this in a few different ways, including:
- Increasing commission rates for all sales during a specific period
- Offering a commission bonus if a set sales threshold is reached
- Providing your top performers with additional incentives, such as exclusive promo codes, which will also boost their total income
Negotiating your commission rates in advance is advisable, as affiliates do appreciate them dearly – and higher rates incentivize them. At the same time, you should keep an eye on your competitors’ rates to ensure you remain competitive while not exceeding your budget.
Review Communication Channels
Next, as you prepare your affiliate marketing program for the holidays, it’s best to ensure continuous communication with your affiliates. You may need to adjust your program in a hurry, realigning it with your goals or providing creative input.
In this regard, you’ll need to ensure you are always on the same page and your affiliates can reach you. For some examples, consider the following:
- Are your goals and creative directions thoroughly communicated and understood in advance?
- Do your affiliates have access to tailored holiday creatives?
- Do you have established communication channels like Slack or dedicated emails where you can be reached at all times?
This is quite an important step, too, as it can act as another failsafe. Programs may not always go according to plan, in which cases both parties must be able to swiftly discuss readjustments.
Streamline Affiliate Onboarding
Finally, because you haven’t had affiliate programs before or need to expand, you may need to onboard new affiliates. Especially if you’re forging your partnerships close to the holiday season, you’ll want the onboarding process to be as smooth and frictionless as possible.
To do so, review your onboarding procedures and consider whether they include the following:
- An easily accessible “getting started” guide which covers the fundamentals
- Clear instructions on finding creatives for each program
- Readily available contact information for questions and input
- An outline of relevant incentives and all payment information
- Offering selection guidance and strategies
Granted, just how you set up your onboarding process is ultimately up to you. Still, effective affiliate marketing for the holidays or otherwise always depends on accurate communication of all relevant information before launch.
#3 Secure Placements And Prepare Your Deals And Website
With all of the above in order, you may now enter the final stage of planning. That is, you can begin to lay the groundwork and finalize your deals for a comfortable launch.
There are many different practices to consider in this regard, many strictly dependent on how your efforts are shaping up. Among them, the following crucial ones should maintain your attention.
Secure On-Site Placements Early
First and perhaps foremost, on-site placement is best handled well in advance. Inventory goes quickly the closer you get to the holiday season, which is why planning ahead can truly pay off.
To do so, you may:
- Decide whether on-site placements make sense for your specific program and goals
- Dig into past data, if applicable, and identify top performers you may book again this time
- Explore your market and competitors to identify new low-cost, low-risk, or likely cost-efficient placements you can consider this time
Naturally, the more historical data you can tap into and the more thoroughly you can explore your market, the better. Especially if you’re on a tighter budget, this step can significantly impact your holiday affiliate program and its final returns.
Centralize Your Holiday Creative And Finalize Promotional Deals
Next, you can take a final look into your creativity and begin to cement your holiday deals. As your program is about to take off, both are invaluable steps toward success.
As far as your creativity goes, ensure it is readily available to your affiliates. In turn, ensure they have access to all necessary materials through it, including:
- Brand logos, product shots, typography, and other images and visual material
- Approved copy, including set talking points aligned with your brand – and personalized versions for different demographics and audiences, if possible
- Functional and up-to-date links, coupons, and codes, as well as other notable material like endorsements and awards, if available
At this point, you should also be finalizing your deals themselves, including:
- Exact offering selection
- Optimal duration and schedule
- Alignment with your final goals for the program
If you have planned thoroughly thus far, this step should likely offer a few challenges. Still, remember to inform your affiliates appropriately and remain in touch to ensure the program goes according to plan.
Polish Your Landing Pages
Lastly, remember that your holiday affiliate program will often serve as an initial step to the customer journey. As such, you can revisit your website and polish its landing pages to make a stellar impression and secure conversions.
For both program-specific and generic landing pages, remember the tenets of Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO). For text economy, we can outline the basics:
- Visual clarity; ensure the page layout and white space give a copy, images, and CTAs room to breathe
- Immediate value; keep valuable information and, in this case, offer confirmation above the fold
- Persuasive copy; address your audiences’ pain points early and thoroughly while staying brief and on-point
- Effective CTAs; keep your CTAs readily visible, distinct from the background and away from secondary visuals, and keep their copy clear and concise
- Social proof; include trust signals such as endorsements and customer reviews, and testimonials
In addition, as far as your holiday landing pages go, you can even offer your top affiliates personalized landing pages. This will incentivize them and build stronger bonds, as well as likely resonate better with their audiences and boost sales.
Prepare Your Affiliate Marketing Program For The Holidays To Come
And finally, whether this is your first or thousandth affiliate program, you can use it to prepare for future ones. Namely, you can:
- Fine-tune your KPIs and forge relationships. As your program runs its course, examine which KPIs best helped you grasp its performance. As you do, work on your relationships with affiliates, whether through incentives or otherwise, to secure future partnerships.
- Review your publisher portfolio for next time. With your KPIs and analytics in hand, examine your publisher portfolio. Look into which ones performed as expected, which ones exceeded your expectations, and which ones underperformed – and possibly identify why. This kind of historical data can help polish your portfolio and strategies alike.
- Analyze the entirety of the customer journey. Using the downtime, take a moment to review the customer journey your general strategies offer. Consider trust signals, copy and branding, and landing page effectiveness, and review the length of your checkout process. These and other metrics can help you refine the customer experience from start to finish, benefitting future programs.
Such practices, alongside thorough early planning, should help make your next program more focused, more thorough, and ultimately more effective. Theoretical planning certainly has value, but hands-on experience and hard analytics arguably have much more.
Conclusion
To summarize, holidays of all kinds may be ripe for a holiday affiliate program. They present an excellent opportunity to expand reach, secure more sales, and drive more revenue. Holidays incentivize us all to shop, after all, whether for gifts for loved ones or treats for ourselves.
However, getting an affiliate program in order requires work and careful planning. From deciding which holidays hold more value for your business to getting your affiliates ready and everything in between, challenges abound. This is exactly why planning in advance is necessary; to both lay the groundwork early and ensure seamless execution.
While brief on the subject, we hope you found this article useful. Regardless of your budget or market position, affiliate marketing can hold massive promise – but luck favors the prepared.
About the author
Matthew Young is a copywriter, avid SEO practitioner, and WordPress enthusiast. Combining his interests, he frequently collaborates with wpfullcare.com and offers his insights into modern digital marketing trends, developments, and challenges.
