Training Courses for Affiliate Managers
Learning on the job has been the way to go in this industry but affiliate management training from third party providers is now becoming more accepted. From my own early days in affiliate in the early 2000s, there wasn't much in the way of structured training apart from the Affiliate Tip course from industry veteran, Shawn Collins. Most of the networks were inventing the affiliate model 'on the fly' - from commissions and overrides to how you deal with different affiliate activities.
Each network would then figure what works and how to do it - and pass that on as on-the-job training. This was then collated and passed on to new staff members. So each network worked and trained staff slightly differently. The patterns and procedures gradually standardised as staff moved to other networks, agencies or client side.
As the industry matured, this process has distilled into standard working practices with established ways of working.
The Outside View
The benefits of using a third-party trainer are that it gives an agnostic view of the industry to the new employee - and it doesn't tie up existing team members for much of the onboarding of a new recruit.
We've assembled a list of some of the courses you may want to look at either for yourself or your new team members.
These are the courses that have been mentioned to us. We don't make any specific recommendations or give a view on any of them. I'd say pick the one where you know of the trainer by reputation in the industry and you'll probably get the most useful outcome! Read the literature and decide which suits you and your organisation the best.
Here's the List
As you'd probably expect we don't make specific recommends to any of these courses. If you've attended any affiliate management training courses yourself, please leave your thoughts and feedback on these in the comments section below.
The Affiliate Marketing Experience
Instructor: Geno Prussakov
Performance Marketing Manager
Join a community of affiliate managers looking to take their program to the next level.
Get 10 hours of recorded sessions. Dustin teaches fundamentals and advanced methods of affiliate program optimization. Weekly group coaching sessions and personal coaching to discuss your program.
Instructor: Dustin Howes
Digital Marketing U
This course will teach you all about managing affiliate programs, including how to effectively recruit affiliates as well as how to manage affiliates to get the most production from your affiliate program. A must for affiliate managers.
Instructor: Evan Weber
Affiliate Insider Training
The live training program is suitable for all digital and affiliate marketing professionals who want to launch, scale or grow a successful affiliate program in any industry. Access two decades of affiliate marketing expertise packed into a 12 week live training program. Training, coaching, and accountability to help drive increased revenue and consistent sales!
Instructor: Lee-Ann Johnstone
IDM Training
Make affiliate marketing work better for your business. Learn how to devise a strategy, set objectives and measure results. Identify the types of affiliates that are best for your business and integrate this into your wider marketing strategy.
- Understand the principles, benefits and pitfalls of affiliate marketing
- Identify which types of affiliates are best for your business
- Develop an effective affiliate marketing strategy
- Measure and evaluate your affiliate marketing programme
- Integrate affiliate marketing into your wider marketing activity
Instructor: Andy Letting
Clockwork Affiliates
Our Affiliate Marketing Training sessions cover everything from the basic introductory level on affiliate marketing, through to full affiliate program management and high level strategy and growth techniques.
We will tailor a bespoke affiliate training package around your needs. We also offer training & advice for publishers looking to understand the affiliate marketing sector.
Instructor: Chris Brown
Brain Measures
Brainmeasures is the leading professional online certification company that is highly reputed and renowned for their world class teaching standards and expert guidance and skill testing. After enrolling in this course with Brainmeasures, students will receive an E-book guiding them towards the online exam. Upon successful completion of the exam successful students are awarded a certificate.
Instructor: TBC
John Academy
This Professional Affiliate Marketing Course is a beginners introduction to affiliate marketing and its key strategies. You will explore the fundamentals of affiliate marketing, such as affiliate links, affiliate websites, email marketing, affiliate programs, SEO and social media. You’ll also learn how to recruit your affiliate army and choose your niche and network. Our step-by-step course material is designed to help you identify the types of affiliates best for your business. Are you are an aspiring digital marketing professional, blogger or sales manager?
Enrol in this affiliate marketing training course and get the practical skills and knowledge you need to further your career progression.
Instructor: n/a Distance Learning
Centre of Excellence
The Affiliate Marketing Diploma Course gives you a solid understanding of what affiliate marketing is, including its various forms, pros and cons, and how it came about. You’ll be familiarised with some of the many different affiliate marketing networks, how networks function and what services they offer to affiliate marketers and merchants.
From the course, you’ll learn how to manage the day-to-day operations of the business, be exposed to some useful business management tools and resources, and gain an understanding of how affiliate marketing businesses are taxed in the UK.
Instructor: n/a Distance Learning
iGaming Academy
This comprehensive course gives affiliate managers the knowledge, tools and skills needed to succeed in their role. This is geared specifically to the gambling market
Covering a range of topics in an engaging, interactive format, participants will have the chance to discuss and get hands-on experience. Everyone will be encouraged to put learnings into practice by formulating a real affiliate marketing strategy for their brand or business.
Instructor: TBC
Other Resources
There's also a huge amount of expert advice available free of charge to read through and pick up the basics. A lot of these are excellent detailed resources, and are pretty good affiliate management training in their own right; so well worth reading.
Here's just a few:
Acceleration Partners - Affiliate Marketing 101
AM Navigator - Complete Guide to Affiliate Program Management
iAffiliateManagement - Affiliate Marketing 101
TUNE - Ultimate Guide to Partner Marketing
Sam Brady - Affiliate Marketing Hub
Affiliate Marketing 101 > - our short guide
10 Tips for Getting the Basics Right for Affiliate Recruitment > - blog post and video resource
Run a google search and you'll probably find a whole lot more!
And - see more on our Resources page - and listen in to some of the top affiliate podcasts as well.
Conferences
Of course conferences are also a great resource for up to date knowledge, practice and research. In many disciplines, conference attendance is valued as part of 'continuing professional development' as much as affiliate management training would be.
Very often the ticket price may seem high. It's fair to say that you'll always return from them with two or three pieces of vital new knowledge you can put into action for your own business.
The AM Days training conferences are now included as part of Affiliate Summit. You can see more information on the AM Days website.
We usually highlight the leading conferences on our Conferences page. Here's a quick list though:
- Affiliate Summit - the Daddy of the conferences, ASE, ASW, ASAPAC and AS Euro - where' you'll find the AMDays Workshops as well
- PI Live - The key European mainstream event.
- iGB Live - Gaming and Forex sector
- Sigma Gaming - More gaming
- DMEXco - general digital marketing
- Affiliate World - more lead gen focused
- DMI Expo - leadgen and general
- CJ University - network specific; by invitation
- Rakuten Dealmaker - network specific; by invitation
It's always worth fitting in time to visit events for two key reasons.
- industry events are one of the few opportunities for meeting potential affiliates in person
- they are a prime source of learning - something you're never going to stop doing!
Your Affiliate Journey Isn't a 'One and Done'
This is a dynamic and pretty quick paced industry in part driven by advertisers' requirements and needs - and by frequent changes in the digital marketplace.
The main thing in such a dynamic and fast-developing industry is to ensure you're reading up to date materials. AND - always be learning!
Chris Tradgett
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