Affiliate managers reading this don’t be mad…noooo. The question of whether affiliate managers should work on the weekends (and evenings) is deeper than just is it more effective (it’s definitely more responsive). With a large percentage of affiliate marketers working on their sites/blogs/social media after-hours and on the weekends, it’s very helpful to be able to respond to affiliate questions and issues whenever they are asked to deliver the answers in a highly responsive fashion. So, it’s actually necessitated due to the nature of the affiliate marketing industry and the actual affiliates who comprise it.
Being there to answer questions, emails, and calls at all times shows that you are willing to put in extra effort for your affiliates and are on 24/7, which always impresses. Of course, I think affiliate management should be a 7 day a week effort, but many times affiliate managers working for companies will stick to the corporate schedule and never really give affiliates attention or answers on the weekends or at night because they think they don’t have to work “off the clock”. The truth is that everyone has phones and tablets that can be checked to see if email came in and most even notify you of a new email, then you can look at it and answer the people that need answered without waiting until the morning or Monday. Not to mention affiliate managers should provide phone numbers to affiliates and be willing to answer those calls whenever they come in. This is real affiliate management and dedication to your affiliates in my opinion and I know from doing this for 15+ years that it works. I’m not saying you have to check your email every hour while your shopping or enjoying your weekend, but in general I do think affiliate email and new affiliate applications should be addressed same day, always.
In the end, it really depends on the commitment your affiliate managers have to being as responsive as possible, and whether your company values responsiveness or even think it’s vital. If they don’t think they need to be there as much as possible then they just don’t get it. It’s extremely important to be there 24-7-365 in order to effectively grow your affiliate program and help affiliates to become more productive across the board. Not to mention you should be getting inquiries and questions all the time if you are managing your affiliate program properly with an outgoing, engaging, proactive strategy. You have to satisfy an affiliate’s needs when they are focused on your program or planning to give it attention, otherwise you squander the opportunity to have an affiliate working on your program when they what to.
So in my opinion affiliate management should be done over the weekends and at nights to be as effective as possible. If you disagree then you just don’t value responsiveness or know that it works to better facilitate affiliates to promote your company or offers. Your affiliate program is your sales force on the web and should be a major focus, strategy-wise, of your company and what you are doing to increase revenue through the affiliate marketing channel. If you want highly responsive affiliate management, contact Experience Advertising to discuss your affiliate program. Let us know what you think!
