The methods used to attract website visitors from social media and organic search placements, track them accurately through the buying cycle on both desktop and mobile devices, and receive the appropriate compensation for doing so, is far different and much more complicated for today's affiliate marketer than in years past (as well as the retailers that support the entire ecosystem).
In addition, affiliate networks seem to enter and exit the online business vertical as quickly as in any other. As a result of the marketing practice being such an integral channel in the digital mix however, the platform selection process has become one of immense importance for merchants and affiliates. Will your brand's network of choice ultimately be acquired by a competitor, shift its focus to another vertical or simply go out of business? Choose wrong and your brand will miss a significant opportunity to drive awareness and, ultimately, additional conversions.
So what should you know? The list of features and supported functionality required to capitalize on the practice of affiliate/performance marketing successfully is long; so long in fact that marketers and advertisers looking to expand their sales through the practice often choose platforms that are the most cost efficient, rather than the most feature rich, robust and ultimately effective. There is, of course, a better way to select a network that will be used to power your enterprise's performance marketing campaigns - experience.
The performance marketing platforms readers will find in this month's list of 50 top platforms in the space are those that have established themselves as essential solutions in the virtual world of performance marketing over the course of digital history. There are big names to know including Conversant (formerly Commission Junction) and LinkShare (part of Rakuten), as well as digital stalwarts including ClickBank and Tribal Fusion. There are also lesser-known platforms, which are quickly making a name for themselves thanks to innovative approaches, including Skimlinks and Fluent. Each of these platforms is unique, offering opportunities found nowhere else.
Let this month's list featuring 50 of the top performance marketing platforms serve as an introduction to the upcoming May 2014 feature article, when Website Magazine editors will delve into the competitive landscape of affiliate/performance marketing.
8. Chitika.com
10. VibrantMedia.com
11. AffiliateWindow.com
12. AdKnowledge.com
13. CoProsper.com
14. Burstmedia.com
15. 7Search.com
16. FlexOffers.com
17. Click2Sell.eu
18. TradeDoubler.com
19. Affiliatebot.com
20. Clickbooth.com
21. MundoMedia.com
22. Bidvertiser.com
23. MotiveInteractive.com
24. Fluentco.com
25. Skimlinks.com
26. XRevMedia.com
27. ClixGalore.com
28. Kontera.com
29. CPALead.com
30. Adversal.com
31. PantheraNetwork.com
32. Zanox.com
33. Webgains.com
34. AdWorkMedia.com
35. AffiliateFuture.com
36. Neverblue.com
37. MaxBounty.com
38. ShareResults.com
39. Peerfly.com
40. PaidonResults.com
41. MediaWhiz.com
42. Convert2Media.com
43. AffiliateNetwork.com
44. AdvertGoal.com
45. AdscendMedia.com
46. ExoClick.com
47. Monetise.co.uk
48. Adsimilis.com
49. CPATrend.com
50. RevenueWire.com