How Would a Golf Affiliate Programme Work?
A golf affiliate programme will work along the same lines as any other, and each party involved in the process should have a very clear understanding of how the commission structure works for each part in the chain.
This chain involves three parties working together to generate more conversions:
- Merchant – the merchant is the brand that develops and sells the product, they will work with the network to find the best publishers to market their golf products.
- Network – Webgains is a network, and the network works to pair merchants with the right publishers.
- Publisher – the publisher is the affiliate marketer which takes the merchant products and creates marketing campaigns through a variety of channels to sell them for a portion of the revenue generated when a product is sold.
- Customer – the last party is the customer who buys the golf products through special tracking links created by the publisher.
Each time a customer purchases one of your golf products using one of the affiliate links (referral links), a share of the revenue is then split between the publisher, network and the merchant.
The publisher is usually given a time frame from the merchant to earn their referral between the click and the eventual purchase.
This isn’t a problem if the customer purchases immediately after the click, but what happens if they click and then don’t return for five, ten, or even thirty days or more?
The merchant will work with the network to set out how long this will last to avoid any grey area, this is known as the cookie duration.
How Can a Golf Merchant Make Money Through Affiliate Marketing?
With an ever expanding interest in golf, and worldwide marketing spends continuing to increase, (expected to have increased by 8.7% to $738.5 billion by the end of 2022) golf brands must look to alternative marketing platforms if they are to scale and stay one step ahead.
Affiliate marketing programmes are a proven means to do just that, but how exactly can they benefit your brand?
Engaged Audiences – The marketing material created by the affiliate is designed to convert customers, therefore they know exactly what they’re clicking on, and they do so with the intention of making a purchase.
Flexible – When you select a quality affiliate network to work with, you’ll be able to scale up and scale down any programme as you please. This is especially important for smaller golf brands that are dipping their toe into the affiliate world for the first time.
Lower Cost – When you think of other forms of marketing like SEO, or social media, it often requires an entire team of internal or external specialists to manage, which is costly. With affiliate marketing you’ll be relying on the network to find publishers, and turning to these affiliates to create high-converting content on your behalf, therefore keeping up front costs down.
Lower Risk – These low up front costs mean that you can start a golf affiliate programme with minimal risk, which makes it perfect if you’re operating on a tighter budget.
Lower Overheads – Affiliate marketing is generally a hands-off process, all you need to do is ensure you’ve done your research from the outset when selecting the best network and you’ll have an affiliate creating conversion led content which only costs you a portion of each sale. You don’t need to worry about salaries, or marketing agency costs as a result.
Return on Investment – Although success in marketing is never a guarantee, by aligning yourself with affiliates with golf savvy, you’ll be creating the best possible chance of success. Their passion and know-how carries across to their audience, and this is one of the biggest reasons why 54% of affiliates claim that affiliate marketing is their top performing channel.
How Will An Affiliate Promote Your Golf Brand?
Golf affiliates will hold expertise in the sector and will often run their own websites, and may utilise a range of media to leverage the audience interest in the sport to suggest your product lines to them.
There’s a range of ways they can choose to do this:
- Social media updates.
- PPC ads.
- Podcasting.
- Videos.
- Email campaigns.
- Digital ads.
When one of these methods is successful and generates a sale, the revenue from this sale will be shared between the affiliate themselves, the network and the merchant. These sums will vary depending on the agreement and the cost of the products sold.
What are The Pros of Golf Affiliate Campaigns?
It’s still the case that many brands don’t utilise affiliate marketing as effectively as other marketing strategies, but modern brands are now beginning to see the benefit of diversifying their marketing strategies even further.
Affiliate programmes can be particularly effective for sport brands, so it’s certainly something you should be considering for your golf business.
So, what’s so good about golf affiliate marketing?
– Golf is unique from a sporting perspective, in that clothing, equipment and shoes are all required even for the amateur golfer, this means you have a huge range of lines that your affiliates can promote.
– Golfers are loyal repeat purchasers, and will consistently spend each year to ensure they have the right (and often most expensive) equipment to suit their game.
– Unlike other sectors, there is already a captive interest in the sport, so you don’t need to create awareness for the sector since this is largely already developed by the professional game.
What are the Cons of Golf Affiliate Campaigns?
Although affiliate marketing is a fantastic opportunity to grow your brand, it’s important that you understand both sides of the coin before proceeding.
So, what are the cons?
– Because the golf industry is so popular and still growing, you could find yourself paying out a large sum of money to your affiliates on the more expensive items sold.
– As the game evolves, you need to be able to trust your affiliates to understand how the plates are shifting and move with the curve to ensure the content they create is up-to-date and relevant.
– The sector is packed full of pretty considerable brands that you’ll be competing with, it may take some time and patience to find an angle which works for the audiences your affiliates are promoting to.
Is a Golf Affiliate Programme Right For Your Brand?
There’s a great deal to like about golf affiliate marketing.
Your audience is growing, dedicated and as we know, happy to spend money in order to pursue their passion.
That said, it’s not just a case of assembling a team of golf affiliates: you need to work closely with your network to find the right publishers who have a genuine passion for the sport and are capable of reaching out to their audience.
However, once you’re able to slot all of the pieces together, there’s absolutely no reason that your programme won’t be a success.
At Webgains, we’re committed to offering our vast knowledge of the golf sector, and a range of free learning materials to help you hone your skills and knowledge, wherever you are in your journey.
Getting Started with Your Golf Affiliate Campaign
Golf affiliate programmes are a great opportunity for your business to unlock new sales funnels and earn a great return on your investment too.
The golf market is growing exponentially right now, especially now that the professional game is gaining more worldwide followers than ever, so now is a fantastic time to get started on your affiliate marketing journey.
At Webgains, we have significant knowledge and expertise in the golf market, so if you’d like more information or advice, one of our knowledgeable team members will be happy to help.
Why not get in touch with us today?