Using voucher codes for clickless tracking

Voucher codes are also known as coupon codes, promo (promotion) codes, vanity codes, discount codes, or referral codes. And they’re the most effective way for affiliate networks to track influencer marketing campaigns on media buying platforms (e.g. Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, etc.) or offline channels (podcasts, radio, TV) that don’t allow click tracking.

On Instagram, for instance, when an influencer uses a voucher code, the brand they are promoting can tie conversions back to their post. The code will typically include the influencer’s name or a shortened version of their name in addition to the discount percentage that will be applied to the purchase, like “Use code: MONA20” or “Enter promo code: SARA30.”

This enables you to easily track the number of sales attributed to that code and measure the overall success of the influencer’s campaign.

In the CAKE platform, you can create voucher codes for partners, and partners can request codes via the affiliate portal. You can also manage the attribution settings for the use of a voucher code. For example, if a consumer had previously clicked on a campaign tracking link, you can decide whether you want to pay out the affiliate (influencer) that had the voucher code or the affiliate that generated a click on a different advertisement. To limit the use of a voucher code, you can also set expiration dates on them or set a maximum amount of uses (e.g. first 1,000 users.)

3 benefits of using voucher codes

Using voucher codes to accurately track your performance marketing campaigns will also provide additional benefits to the advertiser.

1. Increase conversion rates: Voucher codes drive shoppers to try new products and brands, help convince them to finalize a purchase, and have been shown to lead online shoppers to return to an abandoned shopping cart.

2. Increase order value: When customers save money through an offer, many will increase the amount of their purchase, oftentimes far beyond the value of their original order. In fact, 40 percent of consumers say they’d spend more overall and 28 percent of consumers will purchase a more expensive product with an exclusive offer. To encourage larger purchases, you can restrict the use of the voucher code to a certain dollar amount (e.g. “Use code FREESHIP50” for free shipping on any order of $50 or more), which will motivate customers to spend more to get access to a certain discount or benefit.

3. Increase brand loyalty: One great way to show your customers you care and earn their business is to treat them to a special offer. Special codes make customers feel like they’re part of the insiders’ club or in the VIP suite. And when they feel like they’re a valued customer, they will be more loyal to your brand: 68 percent of consumers say digital coupons help generate brand loyalty. They will also be more likely to share a voucher code in their network. And that word-of-mouth marketing has a positive impact on the reputation of your brand as a quality retailer.

Bonus: Use voucher codes to optimize A/B testing

A/B testing should be part of every campaign and when you use a different voucher code for different offers, channels, or campaign elements, you can easily identify which ads and channels are performing the best.

Experiment by creating unique voucher codes for:

• The same offer sent out via different channels;
• Different ads on the same web page;
• Different email formats;
• Emails with different messaging; and
• Different offer amounts (e.g. 10% off $50 order, 15% off $150 order, 20% off $200 order).

The goal: Increased visibility and accuracy

Voucher codes are a great option to accurately measure your campaign performance, especially for offline media and influencer marketing campaigns. With CAKE’s clickless tracking through voucher codes, you can easily track all media buys in a single platform, increasing visibility, and accuracy around attribution and performance measurement.

How to get started

If you’re a CAKE customer, please contact your CAKE Account Manager or Technical Support today to learn more about using voucher codes to accomplish clickless tracking within CAKE.

If you’re looking to learn more about CAKE and our measurement solutions, contact us here.

Other content you might be interested in:

• Blog: How to Attribute Conversions Using CAKE’s Fingerprint Tracking
• Using Direct Linking to Measure Google and Facebook Ad Performance
• Stepping Up Your Promo Code Game – The Power of The Right Affiliate Marketing Technology

The post Using CAKE’s Voucher Codes for Clickless Tracking appeared first on CAKE.

Affiliate marketing is a dynamic industry that continues to gain momentum and for good reasons. The performance-based marketing method has proven to increase brand awareness, generate new leads, and deliver strong ROI. For those looking to enter the affiliate industry or optimize their existing affiliate programs, CAKE has created the ultimate guide for affiliate marketing.

In this guide, we’ll cover the basic, yet fundamental, questions of affiliate marketing to get you one step closer to understanding the industry and making the most out of your marketing efforts. We’ll also dive into the must-know elements for getting started with an affiliate marketing program.

Let’s get going!

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 Here’s what you’ll find in this guide on affiliate marketing for beginners

THE BASICS

• What is affiliate marketing?
• How does affiliate marketing work?
• What is an affiliate network?
• Affiliate marketing statistics
• How to use affiliate software to drive revenue

GETTING STARTED

• How to select an affiliate commission model
• How to find affiliates
• How to prevent affiliate fraud
• How to manage affiliates
• How to choose the right affiliate marketing software

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THE BASICS

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What is affiliate marketing?

Affiliate marketing is a form of performance marketing that enables advertisers to pay partners based on the performance of their marketing campaigns. The advertiser (or brand) defines the desired action they’re looking for and then pays the affiliates when that action has been completed. The action might include submitting a form or completing an ecommerce transaction.

Affiliate marketing programs are used by companies across numerous verticals such as ecommerce, retail, financial and legal services, real estate, gaming, and so much more. In fact, 90 percent of advertisers consider affiliate programs to be a significant part of their marketing strategy.

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How does affiliate marketing work?

The goal of affiliate marketing is to drive customers to advertisers’ landing pages so that affiliates can earn a commission on the sale. For advertisers, affiliate marketing extends their resources and reach, and ensures they only pay for verifiable impressions or conversions, rather than for ads that may simply have been served up and ignored.

Affiliate marketing glossary — Key terms to know:

Advertiser: A company that markets and sells goods or services. It is the company that owns or is brokering the offer.

Affiliate/Publisher: These individuals are the partners running traffic to an offer in lieu of a commission.

Here’s how affiliate marketing actually works: 

Third-party partners (commonly referred to as “affiliates” or “publishers”) are leveraged to promote offers and drive web traffic on behalf of an advertiser. Essentially, the advertiser “outsources” the responsibility of finding customers to their affiliates, who already have relevant audiences that align with the advertisers’ customer criteria. These affiliates leverage various channels to acquire customers, including search, email, display, social, and mobile. Once the affiliate returns a qualified lead that takes an action, such as filling out a form or using a coupon to purchase a product, the affiliate is paid a commission by the advertiser.

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What is an affiliate network?

An affiliate network serves as an intermediary between the affiliate and the advertiser. Affiliates participating in networks can easily find suitable affiliate programs and offers that are a good fit for their audience and are most likely to result in a conversion or impression for the advertiser. This in turn generates income for both parties.

Additionally, companies offering affiliate programs benefit as they can reach all of the affiliates participating in the affiliate network, and determine which affiliates and campaign types work best for them plus quickly expand their reach.

While 83 percent of advertisers tend to utilize affiliate networks to connect with affiliates, advertisers don’t always need to work with a network. They can develop direct relationships with affiliates that circumvent pricey network fees, plus ensure their best performing affiliates and campaigns are well optimized. This is especially significant considering that 90 percent of a brand’s traffic is derived from 10 percent of its publishers.

On the flip side, however, there are scenarios where an affiliate is actually required to go through an affiliate network to even be eligible to promote a specific product.

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Affiliate marketing statistics – The landscape in 2024

Affiliate marketing growth

• Global affiliate marketing spend is expected to grow to a $15.7 billion industry in 2024 (up $2.7 billion from 2022). (Influencer Marketing Hub)
• Globally, the affiliate industry is projected to reach a $27.7 billion valuation by 2027. (Authority Hacker)

Affiliate revenue

• Affiliates drive on average 23 percent of a brand’s total revenue. (Colorlib)
• Affiliate marketing programs generate 15-30 percent of all sales for advertisers. (Authority Hacker)

Affiliate opportunity

• 90 percent of advertisers think affiliate programs are essential to their marketing strategy. (Forrester)
• 83 percent of marketers use affiliate marketing to increase brand awareness, and 79 percent use affiliate marketing to engage existing customers. (Rakuten)

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How to use affiliate software to drive revenue

The use of affiliate marketing technology benefits advertisers, networks, and affiliates as insights become easier to access and the entire process is more efficient. For affiliate marketing to be successful, advertisers must accurately track key data points so they can verify actions, such as clicks and conversions, and identify the offers and affiliates that actually performed.

Below, we share three key technology capabilities that should be considered in today’s affiliate marketing world. Incorporating them into an affiliate marketing program will result in what will always be essential – increased revenue and strong company growth.

Precision: Accurate, real-time monitoring and reporting

The industry runs in real-time, therefore the data should follow suit. Technology empowers you to make decisions quickly, based on accurate reporting.

Insights regarding traffic trends, such as spikes or declines, allow you to avoid paying for traffic that cannot be monetized. It’s also critical to immediately detect fraudulent traffic, since one fake click can cost a company thousands of lost dollars.

Additionally, real-time visibility about clicks and conversions is important for managing profit margins. Key elements to monitor include:

• Region – Traffic must be acceptable for any client with a global presence and be routed properly.
• IP – Fraudulent IPs should be spotted and blocked immediately.
• Referring URL – Clicks need to be monitored to ensure they are coming from approved sites with approved call-to-actions.
• Volume – Something as simple as tracking the volume of clicks and conversions offers insights on questions regarding monetization such as, ”Can we support and afford to pay out on the traffic?” or ”Is the payout an appropriate price per lead?”

Payment control: Understand the value of a lead and reward your high-performing partners

With access to important data through technology, each partner’s true contribution can be examined. A partner that consistently generates high-quality traffic should be incentivized with a higher commission. Or vice versa.

Having the ability to control payments at a granular level is also key. Below are tips to keep in mind:

• Every affiliate is different, so determine payment based on individual affiliate performance.
• Tiers allow you to get creative. When partners generate a certain number of sales, incentivize them with a higher CPA.
• Some metrics are more important than others for your industry. Dive into reporting and leverage industry-specific insights to determine which affiliates are generating what you actually need.

Reliability, security, scalability: Safeguard your data, maintain trust, and pave the way for growth

It’s too risky to base such a vital piece of your business on a short-term solution. So, only depend on a reliable, secure, and scalable platform that you can trust will be around for the long haul. With that confidence, you can then focus on how technology can help expand your business.

Any company aiming to grow should consider these necessities for an enterprise-grade platform:

• Intelligent scalability: The ability to expand your affiliate marketing program across new verticals with flexible traffic volumes.
• Enterprise reliability: 99.9 percent uptime guarantees.
• Protection and security: Strict security audits, with investments in security, backup technology, and maintenance. Commitment to ongoing GDPR efforts and additional security regulations.
• Stable provider: Don’t settle by operating in a risky environment. It is particularly difficult to scale an affiliate marketing program if you need to switch technology platforms because a provider is unsuitable.

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GETTING STARTED

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How to select an affiliate commission model

A common inquiry people have when looking to start an affiliate marketing program is about how to select an affiliate commission model. Commissions encourage affiliates to assist in the sale of your products. Choosing the best commission structure for your campaigns is vital to affiliate marketing success.

Because each vertical or type of product and service has its own pattern of commission rates, it’s important for you to analyze your competitors’ affiliate programs to remain competitive. Resources such as Offervault and oDigger are helpful for collecting information about existing affiliate offers.

Here are the widely used payment methods to consider – depending on your unique business goals.

Pay-for-performance methods

• Cost per action (CPA): Of all the payment models, this flat-rate-per-action method is the most popular. The fee is paid to the affiliate once they refer a prospective customer to perform the desired action.
• Revenue share (RevShare): This approach shares a predefined percentage of the qualified referral’s total shopping cart with the affiliate.

Pay-for-volume method 

• Cost per click (CPC): This model means affiliates get rewarded for each click they receive on their link. When looking to increase website traffic or drive individuals to a landing page, this is a great option.
• Fixed: With this method, a publisher receives a set price. Fixed commission rates are often driven by the publisher as they offer traffic options such as display ad space.
• Cost per mille (CPM): A CPM model pays the publisher per thousand impressions (Mille is a Latin word that means the same as 1000 impressions). This is great for launching an awareness campaign, as long as you track the quality of traffic.

If you’re managing a large volume of affiliates and campaigns, consider affiliate marketing software with these three commission management features to help you keep up with changing commissions.

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How to find affiliates

The partners you associate with directly impact your reputation and credibility. So, an early decision you’ll have to make is how to find affiliates, and how to ensure they are the right fit. The three main avenues include:

• In-house: Find and manage affiliates yourself, and develop direct relationships.
• Outsource: Partner with an outsourced affiliate network and management service for a fast and easy setup.
• Hybrid: Implement a hybrid model by leveraging both approaches. For instance, you can use a third-party service for identifying and managing a larger volume of affiliate partners, while using an in-house program to cultivate one-on-one relationships with top-performing affiliates.

Additionally, when growing your existing affiliate base, identify what’s working well and then either look for more of the same or begin diversifying your affiliate base. Recruiting tools such as Publisher Discovery offer information about each vertical, providing advertisers and networks with insights about the most relevant and influential potential partners.

With so many players in the ecosystem that can affect a brand, you need to monitor all affiliate marketing activities to identify the right partnerships and then efficiently manage them.

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How to prevent affiliate fraud

Affiliate fraud occurs when an affiliate steals credit for a conversion that wasn’t actually achieved by them in an effort to collect a commission. In this situation, the network or advertiser pays for a conversion that was organic or created by someone (or something) else.

To build an effective fraud management process that eliminates potential affiliate fraud and low-quality traffic, marketers must analyze data about their clicks and conversions. When doing so, they may identify potential red flags such as:

• Conversion rates for certain affiliates are unusually high.
• Click counts are high, but the volume of conversions is low.
• Referring URLs are all coming from the same location.
• Traffic is originating from a previously banned site.

Technology is key for monitoring and leveraging data. Advertisers and networks can identify revenue-impacting affiliate fraud in real time when they receive custom alerts for suspicious behavior and are able to set up traffic controls to create rules for blocking or redirecting traffic at the campaign level.

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How to manage affiliates

Once you have acquired the right affiliates, the success of your program depends greatly upon an additional factor – and that is affiliate management. Effective and efficient affiliate management enables you to make intelligent business decisions while ultimately increasing the value of your program.

Here are tips to consider when managing affiliates:

• Properly target customers by gathering and monitoring your program data in real-time.
• Leverage attribution data to understand your marketing spend.
• Implement a feedback loop to evaluate affiliate performance.
• Ensure sales are valid with a proper fraud management system.

Insight into data at every step of the purchase funnel enables you to evaluate each affiliate and reach your target audiences.

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How to choose the right affiliate marketing software

As previously mentioned, it’s imperative to monitor the progress of your affiliate program on a regular basis. This is accomplished by utilizing affiliate program software. Choosing the ideal technology solution brings clarity about the performance of your marketing campaigns, enabling you to accurately manage and measure partner performance.

Now, let’s review the following action items to ensure you make an informed choice when selecting the best affiliate marketing software for your needs:

• Pinpoint and prioritize business goals for your affiliate software solution.
• Determine which product features and benefits deliver the capabilities that meet your needs.
• Make a side-by-side product comparison of different providers to select the best solution to drive your business forward.

Purchasing affiliate marketing software is a big decision. Use trusted resources like this step-by-step affiliate marketing software checklist to ensure you choose a solution that will provide everything you need to run a high-performing affiliate marketing program.

Interested in learning more about leveraging technology to grow your affiliate marketing program to achieve maximum profitability? Reach out to the CAKE team at info@getcake.com.

The post Affiliate Marketing For Beginners – Your Kickstart Guide appeared first on CAKE.

We’ve been talking with our customers about how they can best leverage the CAKE platform that they already have in place. For many, that means expanding their performance marketing program with lead generation.

CAKE’s lead distribution product is easy to turn on; and coupled with our ability to ping/post and monetize lead traffic, it is effective in supporting lead generation campaigns across a range of vertical industries, including finance, education, and telehealth. Today’s blog post will focus on how to run a lead generation program on CAKE and highlight a couple of best practices to get you started.

The value of lead generation

Lead generation involves capturing, validating, and distributing a lead — a web site visitor who has filled out a form by providing contact information — in real-time. Also referred to as “host-n-post” or “lead management,” lead generation is a lucrative new revenue stream for affiliate networks.

Lead generation enables a network to improve its bottom line and bring more value to their partners. Unlike a traditional CPA program where every conversion is worth the same amount regardless of the individual’s details and what happens with that conversion, using a lead distribution software allows you to define the appropriate price point for varying quality leads.

This is a good time to find new opportunities

As the industry shifts, marketers are looking to diversify. This is a good time to explore additional opportunities with your partners.

First, look at new industries. Are there new verticals you can expand to? Are there options for lead generation within the verticals you’re focused on today?

Second, identify opportunities with existing partners who might already be running successful lead generation campaigns, and those that would sell leads to you and those that will buy leads from you. Launching a lead generation campaign is sometimes as simple as enabling a new opportunity for your pre-existing affiliate relationships that have access to lead data beyond the traffic they already send you.

How to get started with CAKE’s lead distribution software

Once you have identified the partners that are ready to do lead generation with you and turned on lead distribution with CAKE, there are four best practices to get your lead generation program up and running.

#1 Determine when to sell leads in real-time vs. when buyers are available

Understanding the market and the type of leads you’re selling will help you determine when to sell leads in real-time and when to sell them based on when buyers are available.

When to sell leads when buyers are available:

• If you want to provide consumers with additional products/services while they are on the site
• If your consumer can wait to hear from someone within 24 hours
• If you want to enrich leads before selling them for greater quality/value

When to sell leads in real-time:

• If the lead buyer wants to follow up on the lead right away
• If the buyer of the lead wants the lead to be redirected to their website upon lead submission

Oftentimes, the type of industry will dictate whether a lead should be sold in real-time or not. For example, leads for consumers looking for financial or legal help might need to be sold in real-time, while someone looking into higher education options could likely wait a day before hearing back.

CAKE has the functionality to accommodate both campaign types. You can choose to have CAKE sell the lead in real-time (if it doesn’t sell right away, CAKE won’t do anything further with the lead) or try to continuously sell a lead over and over until someone buys it (e.g. within a set timeframe of 12 hours, or whatever you set it to.)

#2 Ensure leads go to the right buyer

To run a successful and profitable lead generation campaign, you need to validate your leads and ensure accurate lead routing. For instance, some buyers may only accept leads from a certain location based on their ability to service the leads.

CAKE automates the distribution of leads in real-time to lead buyers according to their lead data requirements, respective bids, and budgets, and availability. Automated lead distribution helps to reduce wasted adspend and lead returns, and makes sure leads go to the right buyer every time.

#3 Sell leads for the highest price

You want to sell leads for the highest possible price — and you want to keep your lead buyers happy. The good news is you can do both.

Once you’ve succeeded with step 2 and you have a large enough network of lead buyers who you can sell to, then you will be in a good position to get the highest price for the lead among multiple buyers.

CAKE’s lead distribution software can help you monetize lead traffic by providing you with advanced lead selling tools (such as Ping/Post functionality and Dynamic Lead Prices) to ensure you sell every lead generated for the highest possible price.

CAKE automates the entire process, and everyone wins: you get the highest price, and the buyer is happy because they set the price.

#4 Look for ways to monetize leads you can’t sell

If you end up with leads you can’t sell, you still have options. You can sell these leads — known as vintage, aged, or aftermarket leads — in bulk. This will help balance out profit margins by finding revenue to cover the acquisition cost.

Alternatively, if you’re an advertiser generating real-time leads for your own business but you can’t service them, look for other companies in your market that might be willing to purchase these leads.

CAKE enables you to easily monetize leads by providing bulk sell options directly from reports, as well as easy management of lead routing rules for those leads that don’t match your criteria.

Here to support our customers

CAKE was founded to address lead generation needs stemming from the 2008 financial crisis. We listened to customers’ needs and made sure to build products for exactly what was required.

Today, as the largest performance marketing software vendor with the industry’s most reliable and scalable infrastructure, we will continue to stand by our customers to help you run successful performance marketing programs — including lead generation — now, and for the long-term.

Reach out to your Account Manager, or email support@getCAKE.com, to add CAKE’s lead distribution software to your account. We are here to help you identify the right partners for your business and help guide you through the process.

Other content you might be interested in:

• Blog: 3 Reasons Why CAKE Has the Most Robust Lead Distribution Software
• Whitepaper: Keys to Successfully Launch and Grow a Lead Distribution Program
• Blog: 5 Best Practices for Working with Your Lead Buyers on a Ping Post

The post How to Run a Successful Lead Generation Program on CAKE appeared first on CAKE.

The post 8 Essential Steps to Create a Successful Affiliate Program appeared first on CAKE.

Developing a proactive strategy to automatically manage and monetize excess leads is essential to expanding profit margins and opportunities.

CAKE’s robust affiliate marketing and lead distribution technology enables marketers to not only generate leads but also increase the earning potential of every lead. With 53 percent of marketers allocating half of their budget to lead generation, wasted ad spend is simply not an option.

In this blog, we’ll explore two tried-and-true strategies to handle excess leads, real-life examples of how different industries tackle lead overflow, plus how CAKE’s software automates the lead distribution process to maximize revenue.

Strategy #1 – Sell real-time, excess leads to buyers at a premium

The most profitable method marketers can use to optimize lead revenue is to sell surplus leads to buyers in real-time at a premium. There are a myriad of scenarios in which a marketer might lack the resources to respond or simply offer a different product or service than what the lead is searching for.

Thus, the best option is to sell the lead to the highest paying buyer who can more effectively work the lead. Without this strategy, lead generators must absorb lead acquisition costs and worse, miss out on revenue.

To ensure maximum profitability with your lead overflow, the path to success involves using CAKE’s flexible lead distribution solution to:

Grow revenue – Enable real-time, automated lead routing to buyers according to their lead data requirements, respective bids, budgets, and availability in order to sell leads for the highest profit.

Expand partnerships – Onboard additional buyers interested in purchasing leads that align with their business offering.

There are countless ways to use CAKE’s technology to sell excess leads in real-time across every vertical. Let’s dive into two examples.

Real estate leads

In this scenario, a lead generator is delivering exclusive real estate leads to realtors, who serve as lead buyers, interested in boosting home sales in specific zip codes. The lead generator’s efforts continue to result in an excess of leads falling outside of their realtors’ defined zip codes. So, where does the generator go from here?

The lead generator can connect with their existing buyers to see if they are interested in purchasing leads from neighboring zip codes. Eager realtors might be open to buying leads in a new, yet geographically close zip code to expand their business. In this case, the lead generator can use CAKE’s Zip/Distance Buyer Filter to input a zip code and specify the distance within which that buyer is willing to purchase leads.

If the lead generator brings in a lead within a buyer’s radius, CAKE will automatically route and sell the lead to that buyer. If the lead matches two or more buyers’ zip distance filters, CAKE prioritizes the buyer who is willing to pay more for the lead.

Debt consolidation leads 

This highlights a debt consolidator leveraging affiliates to drive traffic to their portfolio of debt reduction offers. The primary focus is to identify individuals seeking help to reduce their personal debt.

The affiliate traffic not only generates leads that match the debt consolidator’s audience, but also results in additional tax relief and student loan reduction leads. The debt consolidator must compensate the affiliates for the leads generated, even if they don’t directly service tax or student loan leads.

A proactive solution to manage the excess leads is to find and onboard new buyers in CAKE that are interested in purchasing real-time tax relief and student loan reduction leads. In this instance, the debt consolidator is doing more than covering their acquisition costs. They are also creating new revenue streams and growing their partnerships by consistently selling leads that would otherwise have gone to waste.

Strategy #2 – Bulk sell aged leads to buyers at a reduced price

An alternative approach to manage lead overflow is to bulk sell aged leads (also referred to as vintage leads) to buyers, typically at a fraction of the price of real-time leads.

Aged leads are a result of a large influx of leads and limited bandwidth to follow up on them fast enough. The amount of time that determines an aged lead’s likelihood to close is industry-specific. For example, a 30 day-old payday loan lead, which represents an individual seeking instant access to a short-term, high cost loan in advance of a paycheck, is unlikely to result in a sale. While a relocation lead that is 60 days old, indicating an individual’s upcoming move to a new area, holds considerable potential.

Without a real-time strategy to handle a significant surge in leads, aged leads begin to accumulate in bulk. These leads can quickly clutter a marketers’ database and erode profit margins.

Through CAKE’s Bulk Seller feature, users have the ability to:

Control margins – Sell aged leads to recoup initial acquisition costs and ensure you can potentially earn a percentage profit on the sale of each lead.

Organize the database – Offload leads in bulk to maintain a clean and organized database that ensures reporting transparency.

Let’s look at an opportunity of when to bulk sell leads and why speed matters, even with aged leads.

Payday loan leads

In this case, a lead generator is generating payday loan leads through their website. Ideally, all of the generated leads would be handled, however they don’t have the bandwidth available for the amount of leads that their marketing efforts pulled in.

The lead generator does not have a plan to proactively route the excess leads in real-time to buyers willing to pay a premium. As a result, their next best option is to now bulk sell the aged leads. With payday loan leads every second matters as these individuals are looking for immediate access to cash.

Leveraging CAKE’s Bulk Seller feature, the lead generator can quickly and efficiently offload the now aged leads to a buyer for a reduced price. This ensures the lead generator can still cover lead acquisition costs and earn a profit.

Want to learn more about the Bulk Seller feature? Connect with us here.

Unlocking profit potential: Start your journey

When it comes to lead overflow, the primary objective is to ensure revenue is generated by routing leads to the right buyers. We’ve provided you with two key strategies to achieve this.

Now, ready to explore this further and embark on your lead distribution journey? Reach out to our team here.

Or, maybe you just want to learn more! Master the art of lead distribution in our ebook: Keys to Successfully Launch and Grow a Lead Distribution Program

The post Lead Overflow: Two Strategies to Maximize Profitability appeared first on CAKE.

Apple recently announced a host of important privacy and security updates including the introduction of Link Tracking Protection, set to impact the fall 2023 release of iOS 17, iPadOS 17, macOS Sonoma, and watchOS 10. This latest privacy feature eliminates user-identifiable tracking parameters from links found in Messages, the Mail app, and Safari Private Browsing. Fortunately, CAKE is seasoned in navigating browser updates, and implementing innovative and effective solutions that equip customers with the measurement tools they need to continue maximizing ROI.

While the privacy and security enhancements offer consumers reassurance regarding their personal data, the updates can present a tracking and measurement dilemma for digital marketers.

In this blog, we highlight the effects of the privacy updates on tracking capabilities and share our recommended (and vetted) solutions that ensure accurate, reliable, and uninterrupted tracking.

The impact – Link Tracking Protection in Messages, Mail, and Safari Private Browsing

With Link Tracking Protection, Apple will remove user-identifiable query string parameters (e.g. Google’s Click Identifier (GCLID), Facebook Click Identifier (FBCLID), etc.) appended to URLs in links shared within the Messages and Mail apps, plus Safari Private Browsing.

While the links will continue to work, the removal of user-identifiable tracking parameters makes it exceedingly difficult for marketers to track users across various websites. As a result, measuring conversions, leveraging attribution, and delivering a personalized ad experience becomes more challenging.

It’s important to note that Apple’s Link Tracking Protection only impacts user-identifiable parameters and it does not remove standard UTM parameters (e.g. utm_source, utm_medium, etc.), or custom parameters (e.g. ckmreqid which is the CAKE Request ID) from links.

The solution – Direct Linking and first-party cookies

After completing extensive testing in Apple’s Beta Program, we’ve identified two CAKE solutions that equip customers with the most effective tools to maintain accurate measurement. Our team continues to monitor the release and will provide timely updates and new recommendations as needed.

Additionally, we encourage all customers to test their custom parameters and implementation within Apple’s Beta Program to confirm that our recommendations align with your unique business model. You can register for the Beta Program here.

Below are the recommended approaches:

Best approach – Direct Linking

Our recommended approach to ensure seamless and accurate tracking is to use Direct Linking.

CAKE’s Direct Linking feature is a form of click tracking that sends a consumer to a landing page URL with appended query string tracking parameters instead of redirecting through a tracking link. Direct Linking enables affiliates to send individuals straight to the advertiser’s landing page from an ad, email, or marketing campaign and attribute conversions and performance back to the affiliate who generated the traffic.

To ensure accurate tracking in compliance with Apple’s privacy and security release, leveraging page-based attribution in lieu of links containing user-identifiable tracking parameters is the best path forward.

Alternate approach – First-party cookies

If Direct Linking is not a viable option, a suitable alternative is to use first-party tracking. First-party tracking uses cookies to track and attribute user interactions within a single website. This method does not offer the same level of cross-channel tracking that Direct Linking provides, it does however, give users the ability to track conversions and performance.

Navigating the privacy updates together

We fundamentally believe that consumer privacy, data security, and accurate measurement can coexist and remain committed to continue delivering on our promise of providing the most effective, secure, and reliable platform available to our customers.

Our team is readily available to help you navigate Apple’s privacy and security release and find the solution that works best for your business.

Connect with our support team here, or reach out to your customer success manager directly. We look forward to helping you!

The post Navigating Apple’s New Privacy Update: Maintaining Reliable, Accurate Tracking appeared first on CAKE.

Once you have successfully onboarded a new affiliate, the CAKE Affiliate Portal provides the ultimate toolset to ensure they continue to have a great experience.

By enabling the 12 Affiliate Portal features and settings listed below, you’ll improve communication, unlock greater transparency, and deliver the efficient, self-service experience your affiliates expect.

The features and capabilities are expansive, so let’s make sure you are using them to their full potential. Here we go!

Customize the dashboard view for your affiliates

When affiliates log into the Affiliate Portal, the first thing they will see is the dashboard view. They rely on the dashboard to access important information about performance, revenue earned, and suppression list and compliance details.

There are seven ways you can customize the dashboard view to provide more value to bolster affiliates’ success.

5. Leverage CAKE Pay

Enable CAKE Pay to take advantage of our automated partner payment solution that unlocks greater billing clarity for partners. With CAKE Pay, partners have the option to download real-time PDF invoices directly from the Affiliate Portal.

The solution also provides fast and reliable affiliate payments on all traffic that is tracked and in any price format. This includes cost per click (CPC), cost per thousand (CPM), conversions, leads, phone calls, and by product, category, or SKU. Learn more about CAKE Pay in our blog, A Better Way to Pay Partners.

6. Launch the Twitter feed

Turn on the Twitter feed so that affiliates can stay informed on your company updates, including new offers and relevant offer updates.

7. Utilize iframe settings

Use this feature to display a custom URL, such as a link to your company website, a status update page, or any other content you want your affiliates to see.

For more on these settings and additional ways to boost communication with your partners, read our blog, 5 CAKE Features to Simplify Communication with Affiliates.

10. Include Events in the Campaign Summary

Give affiliates the option to track event performance (not just the final conversion), to help them better optimize campaigns each step prior to or after a conversion.

Learn more about tracking multiple actions from a single click with Events in this Knowledge Base article, Events – Tracking Multiple Actions from a Single Click.

11. Turn on the timezone filter

Allow affiliates to view more accurate reporting based on their own timezone (instead of in the network’s timezone).

12. Enable the Contract Name Visibility setting

Provide affiliates with additional details in the Offer Contracts (i.e., payouts, price formats, rules targeting, etc.) so they can decide which variation of the offer to pursue.

Learn more about the Affiliate Portal

Customizing the Affiliate Portal with these 12 features leads to enhanced communication and allows both you and your affiliates to achieve maximum success and profitability. To access a full walkthrough of the Affiliate Portal, watch the video here.

The post 12 Affiliate Portal Features That Deliver A Great Affiliate Experience appeared first on CAKE.

In our ongoing tracking series, we’re exploring the foundational CAKE features that equip networks and brands with the tools they need to manage, measure and optimize their performance marketing program.

To understand the full potential of the Dynamic Click Pixel, it’s important that we first explore the prominent measurement setback impacting brands with an affiliate program.

The measurement challenge

While brands are no stranger to affiliate marketing, in fact, 81 percent of worldwide brands have an affiliate program, measuring the affiliate channel with all digital channels continues to prove challenging for many.

Here’s why. Imagine you’re a digital marketer for a leading brand and you’ve invested countless hours strategizing, creating, and implementing a core tracking framework. This framework defines the parameters (ad group, keyword, source, etc.) you want to consistently track and measure across all of your digital channels. At the same time, you are ready to track the performance of your affiliate program in parallel with your other digital marketing efforts to extract the greatest insights. Unfortunately, digital platforms like Google and Facebook don’t accept third-party affiliate tracking links which leaves brands with a serious tracking dilemma.

What’s more, brands aren’t interested in redoing their existing tracking framework across all of their digital platforms in order to accommodate a new channel. They need a solution that seamlessly fits into their current strategy.

So how do brands holistically measure their digital channels (including affiliates) and maintain their current tracking framework? The CAKE Dynamic Click Pixel.

The Dynamic Click Pixel – What is it and how does it work?

CAKE’s Dynamic Click Pixel is a JavaScript tag that simplifies the tracking setup for brands and networks by placing a single tag on their website to concurrently track all digital media sources (including paid and earned media). By measuring all digital channels together, the Dynamic Click Pixel informs users of relevant insights, such as what campaign the traffic should be attributed to or the keyword that drove the click for example. It also ensures that brands can continue to use their established tracking framework.

When the Dynamic Click Pixel tag is placed on a brand’s webpage (either globally or at the landing page level), the Dynamic Click Pixel scans all of the parameters in the web address to identify two critical pieces of information.

(1) the specific parameters to extract, and

(2) the proper traffic source to give credit to.

Once a conversion occurs, a JavaScript SDK (JS SDK) conversion pixel captures the CAKE Request ID and subsequently records the conversion in CAKE.

Since the Dynamic Click Pixel is placed on the brand’s website (or landing page) it enables a single tag that works for any of the affiliates and campaigns associated with that brand, thus making it fully dynamic. Before the Dynamic Click Pixel users would click a static click pixel which meant it was hardcoded to that affiliate and campaign.

While server-to-server tracking consistently remains CAKE’s best tracking practice, it does require development resources. By eliminating the need to involve back-end resources to institute more in-depth tracking methods like server-to-server, the Dynamic Click Pixel offers a familiar setup for brands who are comfortable with marketing tags.

The Dynamic Click Pixel – Three benefits for digital marketers

In addition to a simple setup coupled with a brand’s ability to maintain its tracking framework, the Dynamic Click Pixel equips brands with three powerful benefits.

Expand digital marketing opportunities with direct linking 

Direct linking widens the opportunity of the digital channels brands can advertise on while also unlocking access to a complete picture of how the brand’s digital media efforts are working together. This multi-channel view powers transparency, revenue, and greater opportunities for growth and expansion.

The Dynamic Click Pixel facilitates direct linking, which gives brands the ability to efficiently launch, measure, and optimize campaigns on media platforms like Google and Facebook that typically deny third-party tracking links. While tracking links are the recommended approach for click tracking, they are not always a viable option due to media-buying platform third-party tracking restrictions. CAKE’s Direct Linking is a type of click tracking that routes consumers to a landing page URL with tracking parameters in lieu of redirecting through a tracking link.

Fuel a hybrid tracking approach that abides by web browser restrictions

By combining the Dynamic Click Pixel with the JavaScript SDK, brands can leverage a hybrid approach of cookie and cookieless tracking to ensure accurate measurement. As web browsers continue to restrict third-party tracking cookies, digital marketers are struggling to gain a complete view of performance.

Since the Dynamic Click Pixel tag is placed on the brand’s website or landing page, users are relying on that site’s first-party cookies as opposed to the browser sending third-party cookies. To learn more about how to set up the JavaScript SDK Conversion Pixel, visit CAKE’s Knowledge Base article here.

Eliminate page deduplication costs with more control

Since the Dynamic Click Pixel uses first-party cookies, it instantly recognizes duplicate clicks and ensures brands only pay for “unique” clicks which drive greater revenue control.

Let’s look at an example: A consumer clicks your link and lands on the website which generates the first-click request. That same user comes back to the website two hours later which triggers a second-click request. While that user is still on the website, they reload the page which enacts a third-click request. For the brand, this translates into three payments for the same consumer. Unfortunately, this is a frustrating and common occurrence that results in wasted ad spend and diminished returns.

The Dynamic Click Pixel removes this challenge and provides brands with the automation they need to identify duplicate clicks in real-time to protect their margins.

The Dynamic Click Pixel: Ready to get going?

The Dynamic Click Pixel gives brands the simplicity and flexibility to utilize their existing tracking framework to measure their affiliate channel and digital marketing performance together. This holistic approach to measurement reveals actionable performance insights that inform brands of their true ROAS and guide strategic decision-making.

Ready to explore the full potential of CAKE’s Affiliate Software and how it can empower brands to take measurement to the next level? Reach out to our team here.

If you’re looking to:

• Boost profit margins in the face of rising digital ad costs —>  Visit this blog
• Discover how to simplify postback URL management —>  Read the series
• Build a performance program resilient to economic fluctuations —> Check this out

The post The Dynamic Click Pixel – A Simple Approach to Streamline Cross-Channel Measurement  appeared first on CAKE.

In this latest edition of our tracking series, we continue to explore the features that contribute to CAKE’s tracking framework and how they enable customers with revenue-generating and time-saving benefits that fuel growth, expansion, and accuracy.

Today, we’re covering part two of the Dynamic Offer Pixel. Before we jump into the most powerful functionality of the Dynamic Offer Pixel, let’s set the groundwork by doing a quick refresh on what was covered in part one.

The Dynamic Offer Pixel – A brief summary

The Dynamic Offer Pixel is a postback pixel that can be leveraged for all offers tied to an advertiser. This removes the laborious task of generating, placing, and testing a new postback URL for each individual offer. In addition, the Dynamic Offer Pixel streamlines integrations between the network and advertiser, facilitates cookieless tracking and measurement, and supports third-party tracking platforms that can only accept a single pixel.

To create the Dynamic Offer Pixel, the hardcoded Offer ID parameter is removed from the postback URL. The network updates the landing page URL to include the #oreqid# token, which dynamically passes the Offer ID and the Request ID. This value is then passed back on the postback URL in the r= parameter.

Now, let’s get to the best part.

Reclaim your time – Standardize pixel management across all advertisers

To simplify pixel management, even more, customers can use the Dynamic Offer Pixel with the event name parameter to standardize their networks pixel instructions across all advertisers. In other words, take your ad operations to the next level!

For example, imagine working with hundreds of advertisers who each need their own unique set of pixel instructions and the countless amount of ad operation hours and resources this would require. The Dynamic Offer Pixel reduces the busy work.

Here’s how it actually works. As seen in figure two, the event parameter (or “e=”) references the actual event number. While it is perfectly acceptable to use the “e=” parameter to pull in the hard-coded event number, it does not give the most visibility into the event type. For instance, was the event that occurred a registration, a signup, a purchase, etc? Plus, the Event ID is limited to a single advertiser.

Replacing the hard-coded “e=” parameter with the event name parameter in the postback URL (or “en=YOUR_EVENT_NAME”) removes the Event ID requirement on tracking by making events more generic. This provides networks with a more straightforward setup when working with multiple advertisers.

To reflect this pixel update in CAKE, simply navigate to the event name field on the Events tab of the Advertiser card and type in the new event name. This ensures CAKE will properly attribute the event name to the original Event ID. For example, Event ID 25 can now be represented by the event name “registration,” or “en=registration.”

Now every advertiser has the same set of pixel instructions. This saves the network’s ad operations team an incredible amount of time by eliminating the task of creating unique pixel instructions for every advertiser in their system.

Using the “en=EVENT_NAME” parameter, the network’s postback pixels distributed to all advertisers can now look like the figure below.

 
This setup can drastically cut down ad operation hours typically spent creating multiple pixels. You can now build a dynamic, customized approach for your network that fuels efficiencies, enhances visibility, and utilizes resources effectively.
 

Get started with the Dynamic Offer Pixel today!

Check out the CAKE Knowledge Base article that covers how to configure a Dynamic Offer Pixel, frequently asked questions, and everything you need to know to get started.

More interesting reads:

• Step up performance with intelligent tracking —> Check out this blog
• Build an affiliate  program resilient to economic fluctuations  —> Read this post
• Discover how to future-proof your network —> Download this eBook

The post The Dynamic Offer Pixel, Part Two – A Key to Simplifying Postback URL Management appeared first on CAKE.

As U.S. ecommerce ad spend is projected to rise by 29 percent this year and worldwide ecommerce sales are expected to hit $6.2 trillion by 2023, the industry spend and size presents a competitive landscape for brands to launch and scale their ecommerce affiliate campaigns.

To stay one step ahead and ensure the highest returns, finding the right ecommerce measurement tool is imperative. The requirements are simple, brands need to be able to:

• Eliminate working with third-party networks who take 10-30 percent of commissions owed to affiliates
• Automate attribution and commissions
• Control commission models and profit margins through different payout types
• Access sub ID tracking for insights into partner sources
• Understand the value a partner is driving to each type of product, category, and SKU
•  Unlock real-time reporting
•  Incentivize partners at the campaign, sub ID, SKU, and product level

Discover how our ecommerce solution can work for you too!

Boost online sales with CAKE’s Ecommerce solution

Brands leveraging CAKE’s Ecommerce solution gain access to real-time insight into transactional information such as order details in addition to granular performance analytics on each purchase. This includes how many sales a traffic source is generating plus which brands, products, or storefront categories are performing the best.

CAKE also equips brands with six specific features they need to manage their performance marketing program and ecommerce campaigns within a single platform to drive the highest ROI. Let’s dive in!

Import Shopify products into CAKE

Import Shopify products with a single click and enable SKU tracking to access SKU-level reporting by leveraging CAKE’s integration with Shopify’s all-in-one commerce platform. This empowers customers to associate shopping cart details with affiliate performance, accurately track ecommerce campaigns and revenue, payout affiliates, and gain access to real-time insights into performance.

Access detailed ecommerce product feed integrations

View every level of ecommerce campaign performance and collect actionable metrics on each order through the product feed integration for an entire storefront or subset of a storefront. The ecommerce product feed integrations allow users to:

• Map feeds columns to CAKE columns.
• Leverage product and category feeds.
• Import product feeds daily on a set schedule.
• Use CSV/XML feeds.

Compensate affiliates with flexible ecommerce payout rules

Pay affiliates based on a variety of ecommerce payout options including shopping cart value and incentivize affiliates on promotions at the SKU, category, and brand level. With ecommerce payout rules, brands can:

• Set payout rules that match shopping cart details and assign a payout once a match occurs.
• Streamline backend operations by utilizing custom payout rules for all traffic sources.
• Support affiliate-specific payouts by creating payout rules at the offer level and override them at the campaign level.

Enhance performance with SKU-level and category-based ecommerce reports

Measure and optimize ecommerce affiliate marketing campaigns with real-time reports that provide insight into performance. The reports include:

• Storefront Report – Gives visibility into a storefront’s performance.
• Order Report – Shows order details at a granular level.
• Master Report – Displays orders, order total, average order value (AOV), and revenue for affiliates, campaigns, and offers.

Provide partners with easy to access affiliate feeds

Give affiliates access to a storefront feed for product- and-creative related information directly from the CAKE Affiliate Portal. This functionality gives affiliates and their corresponding networks the ability to:

• Ensure affiliates are promoting the right product page(s).
• Find the landing pages eligible for payment based on qualified traffic.
• Confirm your audience is directed to the correct landing page URL and show them the best products.
• Equip affiliates with the most up-to-date product feed from your store directly in their portal.

Ensure accurate tracking and attribution with voucher codes

Upload and track the number of sales attributed to a unique voucher code (also referred to as a promo code, coupon code, vanity code, discount code, or referral code) by source using advanced attribution methods. Leveraging voucher codes can:

• Influence shoppers to try a new product or brand, entice them to finalize a purchase, and reduce shopping cart abandonment.
• Increase overall order value by incentivizing consumers to add additional products to their purchase while offering a discount.
• Grow your affiliate base by giving partners a special promotional offer to utilize in their marketing.

Learn more about CAKE’s voucher code functionality here.

Getting started with CAKE’s Ecommerce solution

It’s a fact – The average online AOV is 31 percent higher from customers driven by affiliate marketing. Managing, measuring, and optimizing your ecommerce affiliate marketing campaigns in-house is a critical step to ensure success and the highest revenue return. CAKE provides brands with the tools they need to succeed with their ecommerce affiliate marketing campaigns.

If you are an existing customer ready to get started with CAKE’s Ecommerce solution, reach out to your customer success manager.

New to CAKE and curious about our ecommerce capabilities? Connect with our team here.

If you’re looking to:

• Learn more about the future of ecommerce —> Check out this blog.
• Use voucher codes for clickless tracking —> Read this post.
• Leverage CAKE for conversion tracking with Shopify —> Visit this page.

The post Ecommerce Affiliate Marketing – Increase Online Sales and Profitability with CAKE’s Ecommerce Solution appeared first on CAKE.