5 Quick Affiliate Hacks for the Holidays

Last holiday season, everyone was worried that a shaky economy would hurt sales. Fortunately, holiday sales performance exceeded expectations.

Once again, economic turbulence has everyone holding their breath. The good news is that you can overcome this uncertainty by leveraging your affiliate and influencer partnerships. Let’s explore five quick affiliate hacks you can implement ahead of the 2023 holiday season.

Setting the stage for a profitable holiday season

Consumers spent over $211 billion online during the 2022 holiday season, which represents a 3.5% increase year-over-year (YoY). Not only are more people shopping online, but they’re starting earlier, too, with a third of buyers beginning their holiday shopping as early as October.

Using affiliates can help you expand your online reach and capitalize on these trends. With that in mind, let’s get into the affiliate hacks.

Affiliate Hack #1: Tailored holiday creatives

First stop on our holiday hack express: festive visuals and content. Your graphics should scream “holiday cheer” — snowflakes, twinkling lights, cozy winter scenes, the works.

Festive visuals draw attention to your content and give it a fun seasonal flavor while evoking warm, fuzzy feelings in your audience, which can put them in a buying mood. It’s more than just aesthetics. It’s about making your audience feel good and wanting to spread the joy around.

Affiliate Hack #2: Exclusive holiday promotions

You want affiliates to prioritize your products, right? Then give them exclusive deals that make your product easier to promote. According to Deloitte, 95% of holiday shoppers are actively looking for ways to save money.

That said, it’s important not to inadvertently undermine your profitability. To keep your profits intact, consider promotions like bonus gifts, festive discount codes, and limited-time bundles. Inventory liquidation is another excellent way to appeal to budget-conscious shoppers.

Affiliate Hack #3: Mobile optimization for on-the-go shoppers

Mobile is the future of affiliate marketing, and the future is now.

Holiday shoppers love doing their browsing (and buying) on mobile devices. They’re sneaking in purchases on their morning commutes, during coffee breaks, and while waiting in line at their favorite eateries. As such, if your affiliate links lead to a website that isn’t mobile-friendly, you’re missing out big time.

Make sure everything, from landing pages to the checkout screen, is optimized for the mobile shopper to make it easier for them to make purchases from anywhere at any time. Responsive designs and fast load times should be among your top priorities this holiday season.

Affiliate Hack #4: Influencer partnerships with a holiday twist

At Acceleration Partners, we believe that a comprehensive partnership marketing strategy should involve both affiliates and influencers if you want to achieve business success. That’s why affiliate hack number four is all about influencers.

Influencers excel at creating authentic, relatable content, which makes them the perfect addition to your holiday sales strategy.

Partner with influencers who can weave your products into their festive narratives this holiday season. It might be a beauty influencer showcasing your product in their holiday makeup tutorial or a home decor influencer incorporating your new hot ticket item into their Christmas home tour.

Find influencers that resonate with your brand and let the magic happen. Who knows? Your new influencer partner might be the missing link to business growth you’ve been searching for.

Affiliate Hack #5: Real-time analytics and adjustments

Last but definitely not least, keep an eye on your campaigns. The holiday season is fast and chaotic, and what’s trending this week might be old news by the next.

Using real-time analytics tools allows you to monitor every detail of campaign performance. You can pinpoint what went well, what didn’t, and how you can adapt.

Are certain products flying off the shelves? Amplify your messaging about them. Is a particular asset underperforming? Pivot quickly and get your sales back on track. In the world of holiday affiliate marketing, flexibility and nimbleness are indispensable qualities.

Let AP help you crack the affiliate code

Upping your affiliate marketing game this holiday season is easier than you might expect, especially with these quick hacks in your toolkit. But if you need a little boost, Acceleration Partners can deliver. Check out our affiliate marketing checklist for more tips on how to gear up for Q4 of 2023 and beyond.

You can also connect with our team. We can revamp your existing affiliate strategy, build a new one from the ground up, and help you make the 2023 holiday season your best one yet.

Ready to take your affiliate marketing efforts to the next level? Let’s connect and get started today!