Network or Broker? What to do?
In the affiliate space, publishers who are a part of a network agree to place a page of their offers in their registration paths. For publishers, there are two major benefits to participating in a network – 1. Offer money-savings deals to consumers. 2. Develop an additional revenue stream for the publisher’s web site. The approach has its supporters. But is running a program exclusively through a network really the best, most value driven method for generating leads and conversions for advertisers? Is there a better way?
Advertisers and publishers who utilize a marketing agent/broker to navigate the ad placement waters benefit from a unique value proposition. Marketing agents/brokers provide a strong level of format control. They provide strong format control. Additionally, marketing agents/brokers encourage complete market optimization. Network run campaigns often lack the experience and expertise required to continually optimize and test offers, transfer data and implement creative. And there is no guarantee that a publisher will opt to become part of a specific network, potentially making the additional time and effort put in by the client advertiser an exercise in futility.
Another unique benefit to utilizing a marketing agent is the agents’ ability to broker media buys on single sites and network sites. Marketing agents/brokers understand the market in-depth. They are not hamstrung by any specific commitment to a publisher revenue number. Rather, they are committed to finding the right site for the advertiser. It bears repeating that marketing agents/brokers identify trends before they become trends. They are able to expertly analyze, evaluate and optimize ads, across the entire market leading to new revenue streams and maximum profitability.
As you weigh the pros and cons of network and broker service, it is important to consider that in online performance marketing, being able to continuously improve a campaign and proactively adapt to trends are crucial to short-term and long-term success. Marketing agents/brokers have a keen grasp of the strengths and weaknesses among affiliate networks. They understand best practices, compliance issues and effective targeting initiatives. Most importantly, marketing agents/brokers utilize these high level proficiencies to drive consistent, profitable results that go beyond the limits of a specific network positively impacting the total online marketplace.
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