A Complete Guide to Affiliate Marketing Platforms

When it comes to affiliate marketing platforms, businesses have the option to choose from two distinct types: network platforms and software platforms.

Network platforms connect affiliate marketers with brands via a network to allow them to find one another with ease. They act as the middleman between the two. 

Software platforms differ in that they provide tools and resources for affiliates and brands to manage their own affiliate program. 

Affiliate marketing programs assist businesses with reaching more people, driving more leads, and boosting sales. They optimize their spending through well-designed platforms, eliminating the need to enlist the help of expensive marketing companies.

Types of Affiliate Marketing Platforms

The two main types of affiliate marketing platforms provide different services for different needs.

Affiliate Marketing Software

Affiliate marketing software offers a unified platform, allowing users to freely manage their affiliate program the way that works best for them.

Key features typically offered by affiliate software include:

• Tracking technology: Affiliate software tracks the performance of affiliates, such as clicks, conversions, and sales. This data helps businesses understand the effectiveness of their affiliate marketing efforts.

• Payment processing: With affiliate software, users can automate the process of paying commissions to affiliates. It calculates commissions based on predefined rules and processes payments efficiently.
• Performance reporting: Affiliate software provides detailed performance reports, allowing businesses to analyze the success of their affiliate marketing campaigns. Reports may include metrics like traffic sources, conversion rates, and revenue generated.

Some leading examples of affiliate software platforms include: 

• Tapfiliate: Tapfiliate is an affiliate, referral and influencer tracking software suitable for small businesses and enterprise clients. With a straightforward user interface, and easy customization it’s a great option.

• Scaleo: Scaleo focuses on online businesses, digital marketers, affiliate networks, and media agencies, assisting with real-time tracking, analytics, and anti-fraud solutions
• Refersion: Refersion assists various B2B and B2C businesses with tracking the performance of their partners, salespeople, and customer referrals. 
• Affise: Affise provides a software focused on B2B businesses, specifically within the SaaS, Fintech, and eCommerce industries.
• LeadDyno: LeadDyno assists businesses with the expansion of their earnings by enhancing customer relationship monitoring and sales performance.

Affiliate Marketing Networks

Affiliate networks are platforms that connect brands and merchants, acting as intermediaries between the two, like a dedicated affiliate manager. Unlike affiliate software, affiliate networks handle the entire process of affiliate marketing from recruitments, relationship management, conversion tracking and payment processing. They are excellent for merchants looking for exposure. 

The key features of affiliate networks include:

• Wide range of affiliates: Affiliate networks have a wide range of affiliates across various industries. This wide selection allows brands to find affiliates that align with their niche, audience, and marketing strategy.
• Simplified partnership process: By acting as intermediaries, affiliate networks simplify the process of finding suitable partnerships for both merchants and affiliates. Instead of individually reaching out to potential partners, brands can browse and connect with affiliates.
• Brand and affiliate support: Many affiliate networks offer support to assist brands and affiliates in their marketing efforts. This may include providing opportunities to brands with affiliates, connecting high performing affiliates to brands, resources, training materials, and personalized guidance to help brands and affiliates optimize their campaigns and drive more conversions.

Examples of affiliate partner networks include: 

• Amazon Associates: As one of the largest and most popular affiliate networks, Amazon Associates is known for its wide range of products and high conversion rates.
• ShareASale: Known for its user-friendly interface and reliable network ShareASale enables affiliates to participate in pay-per-click and pay-per-lead programs in addition to traditional commission-based programs.
• Rakuten Marketing: Rakuten Marketing, formerly known as LinkShare, is a global affiliate network that stands out for its international reach, also offering personalized support and training.
• Awin: Awin is a leading affiliate network that specializes in facilitating partnerships between influencers and brands. It also offers advanced tracking and reporting capabilities, allowing affiliates to monitor their performance in real-time.

What to Think About When Choosing a Network vs a Software

Both affiliate network software and affiliate marketing software can play a vital role in the success of an affiliate marketing program. Both platforms offer an array of benefits for both affiliates and merchants.

Ease of Use

User-friendliness is a major deciding factor for both merchants and affiliates to determine which platform they choose. 

From the affiliate’s perspective, affiliate network programs tend to be more user-friendly as they provide a centralized platform to find and join multiple affiliate programs. Affiliates can use this network to easily browse through different programs, track their performance, and receive payments from one place, making it convenient and efficient for them to manage their partnerships.

On the other hand, affiliate software platforms are more tailored toward merchants or brands looking to manage their own affiliate programs. They may not provide the same level of variety and flexibility for affiliates to choose from. Using software platforms, affiliates would need to individually join different programs on various platforms, which can be time-consuming and less convenient compared to using an affiliate network.

From the merchant’s perspective, affiliate software platforms are more user-friendly as they provide complete control and customization over their affiliate program. Merchants can easily set up, track, and manage their program, as well as communicate with their affiliates, all within one platform. This level of control and customization may not be available on affiliate networks, where merchants have to adhere to the network’s rules and regulations.

Cost

Cost structures associated with affiliate networks and software platforms vary depending on the specific platform and the services they offer. Both affiliate networks and affiliate software platforms will typically charge initial fees and monthly fees. 

Affiliate networks will oftentimes charge a fee to join the network, and thereafter a monthly fee. Depending on the platform, they may also charge commission rates on sales generated through their network. As with any service, it will depend on the network what percentage they charge. This could vary, however, as some affiliate networks charge a flat fee. 

Depending on the complexity of your program, fees for the initial setup of your affiliate marketing software will vary. Onboarding your brand into their platform will involve a setup fee, as well as monthly maintenance fees for using the platform. The cost will also vary depending on the features used. A commission fee will typically be charged by the software platform – these charges, again, will depend on the software chosen. 

Control and Customization

There are different levels of control in affiliate marketing software vs affiliate marketing networks. 

The software allows users to have full control over their recruits, marketing strategy and more as, overall, the affiliate program is managed by the user. With software, users also have the option of customizing their look and feel to match their brand. Reporting and data are also completely customizable. 

With affiliate marketing networks, users have limited control over aspects such as program guidelines, commission structures, and payment terms. This is because these are determined by the networks themselves. Typically, within networks, reporting and data are pre-formatted and cannot be altered. 

Support and Community

Each option provides a different level of support for users. 

Affiliate marketing networks provide a wealth of support, from access to account managers, training resources, and guidelines. The focus of these networks is connecting merchants and affiliates. Thus, the need to foster a community presence is not a priority. Many networks, however, will provide optional community forums that the user could access. 

Affiliate marketing software will provide varying levels of support depending on the platform. Some may offer customer support that deals with the affiliate program specifically, while others will provide dedicated tutorials instead of human-interaction. User communities may be available on some software platforms. 

Integration and Scalability

Typically, affiliate marketing networks offer plugins or APIs for platforms and marketing tools, making integration simple. The scalability for networks is limited to their customization abilities (of which, they may not be many). Expanding beyond functionalities may require additional integrations. 

Affiliate marketing software integration can vary according to the complexity of your requirements. Integration is often simpler with popular platforms, but it may take longer to integrate if custom development is required. Scalability for software is high, where users are to customize features, integrations, strategies, reporting and more. 

Reach and Recruitment

It’s no surprise that affiliate marketing networks afford a more extensive reach. You’ll have access to a wide range of affiliates who are ready to be connected with merchants in your niche. Networks also often have built-in recruitment tools, listings, and search functionalities, making it very easy for affiliates to find you.

Software will afford users a more targeted reach through platforms like email marketing and social media. Software users may need to actively recruit through various channels separate from the affiliate marketing software. 

Which Platform is Best for Affiliate Marketing?

The best platform will depend on your specific business requirements, complexities, goals, and resources. As you can see, each of these platforms offers different advantages and disadvantages. 

If you’re just starting out and have limited marketing resources, an affiliate marketing network will offer a quick and simple way to launch your affiliate program. This is especially true if your focus is on brand awareness. 

For businesses with specific niche targeting and a long-term growth plan, an affiliate marketing software is the way to go. The high scalability of software allows you to adapt your program as you grow and add features or functionalities specific to your needs.

For those looking to benefit from both, you’re in luck! Combining affiliate marketing networks and software can be a powerful strategy for best results and it’s completely achievable for any business. 

Enter Tapfiliate

Tapfiliate is an affiliate marketing software that helps businesses manage their affiliate programs. It provides features like creating referral links and coupons, and tracking conversions driven by those links on e-commerce websites or SaaS websites. It can also integrate with various partners, allowing for a multitude of features and benefits! 

Start Your Affiliate Program Today

The success of your affiliate marketing efforts ultimately depends on selecting the right platform that aligns with your business objectives. Take the time to carefully assess your needs, evaluate different platforms, and conduct in-depth research. 

By considering factors such as fees, control, customization, and compatibility with your goals, you can find the affiliate marketing platform that will fuel your success in the online marketplace.

Juxhina Malaj

Juxhina is an ambivert based in Lisbon. She has a MSc degree in Communication Science from the University of Vienna. When not engaged in research & content marketing, she likes to travel, read, and oil paint.