Affiliate Marketing: Preparing for Q4 Seasonality

Whether you’re a publisher or an advertiser, Q4 is typically an explosive time for promotions, paid media, and shipping deals. Have you started preparing for Q4 seasonality? With publisher holidays quickly approaching, now is a critical time for both advertisers and publishers to take inventory of budgets, booked promotions, and what’s left on the to-do list. 

Promotions

Advertisers, this very moment is the time to be planning for and booking Q4 placements. For those new to the performance space, placements should be locked in no later than October 15 to ensure the highest quality opportunities; although last-minute opportunities sometimes exist, typically, they do not yield the results of placements booked in advance. If brands are looking to invest in paid media, it’s important to ask publishers what kind of investment they require and what CPA opportunities they have available. For example, when it comes to gift guides, brands should have a budget set aside, as most publishers will require a flat fee instead of solely running on a CPA. Brands looking to gain brand exposure may want to invest in upper-funnel paid media placements, as such placements are a great way for brands to get into the consideration stage with consumers.

If you’re an advertiser whose seasonality does not fall in Q4, it’s not recommended to invest in Q4 promotions due to the extremely expensive nature of these placements.

On the publisher side of things, there are important dates to keep track of, such as advertisers’ last day for ground shipping before Christmas and the last day for expedited shipping. Keeping track of these dates helps to coordinate content and promotional calendars with shipping deadlines when preparing for Q4 Seasonality. 

Competitive Intelligence

Publishers and advertisers alike should be thinking about promotions that align with large shopping days such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Green Monday, and Free Shipping Day. Conducting a competitive analysis can help advertisers know what their competitors may be planning to adjust current planning to ensure your brand’s placements are equal to or better than the competition.

Important Dates

Throughout Q4, there are several important dates to keep in mind. Some of these dates include Columbus Day, Halloween, Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Small Business Saturday, Giving Tuesday, Green Monday, Free Shipping Day, Super Saturday, Hanukkah, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day through New Year’s Eve.

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