With the Affiliate Huddle 2023 long over and done, there was a lot of information to take in and reflect on from all the informative discussions that took place. A round-table discussion that really struck a chord with us was the “British are coming” panel, where experts discussed their experiences of expanding into new markets around the world. They spoke about some of the different trials and tribulations of working in countries where English is not the first language. High market taxation was even brought up by one panellist, as well the cultural differences that can lead to missing the mark. It allowed us to sit back and reflect on the clients we have worked with over the years and think about how we have had to change our approach when it comes to optimising in a different market.
The market that we have decided to highlight in this “Market Spotlight” is Australia, a continually growing market in the affiliate space. There are a lot of similarities with more established markets such as the UK & US, as well as emerging trends within their own space, that we shall come onto later. With the team having worked in this market for 5+ years, we can say with some confidence that this is a market with large scale opportunity, if you are able to take the right approach. With that in mind, we have devised the following tip sheet, in order to help you make the most out of your opportunities in Australia.
Tip 1: Working Closely with a local team/contact
When expanding into a new and unknown market, it is important to have an understanding of the market. However, it is even more important to have a local contact in the market who you are able to lean on for niche market insight. Lets face it, particularly for a market like Australia, you aren’t likely to know all the in’s and out’s of who is best to optimise at which time of the year etc. So having that “boots on the ground” communication with someone who will have the experience is invaluable. This was something that was echoed throughout the panel at the Affiliate Huddle. When questioned, one of the panellists stated that they would rather have a relationship with someone in the market, than pages and pages of market research. Now, in our opinion, having both is great! However, they were correct in prioritising having that live, constantly updating information that allows you to make the most out of every opportunity. Although waking up at 6am to have a call with a contact at 5pm is not ideal!
Tip 2: Key Dates & Partners
Knowing the key optimisation dates and who are the best key partners to have on your programme, in any new market is crucial to maximising your, or your clients, investment in said market. With that in mind, here’s our guide to the key dates in Australia:
Tip 3: Be adaptable
It goes without saying that being adaptable in a new market, especially in those first few months, is crucial to the success of any programme that is looking to expand into new territories. Our experience from expanding into new markets has taught us the benefits of testing and learning from different approaches and techniques, as not everything that works for us in the UK will translate to success in Australia, or any other new market for that matter. Don’t be stubborn and if you can see something is not working, try something else! Have quarterly, or even monthly reviews of performance. Look at each individual piece of exposure post-campaign to see what learnings can be taken ahead of the next one.
An example of this in our experience, was something that has been touched on earlier in the blog. We were booking CPA increases at times that weren’t making the most of the country's promotional peaks (11.11. etc.). This was resolved by our great relationships with the account managers of our publishers, who gave us that insight to make improvements to when we were booking in the CPA increases.
Our Top 3 Publisher Recommendations
We have curated a list of what we believe of the 3 must-have publishers on your network if you would like to grow and get the most out of your Australian affiliate programme:
A cashback partner that we have worked with on our AU programmes. They offer bespoke cashback packages for a quarter which allows you to pick and choose your uplift periods in a given timeframe. This allows us to be competitive with our CPA increases to get the most out of partnership with them. Their account managers are also fantastic in communicating with our team, despite the timezone challenges.
Another cashback partner that we work with across several markets in Asia as well as Australia and New Zealand. They also offer great flexibility when it comes to booking in CPA increases so that we are able to take advantage of the Australian promotional dates, as discussed earlier in the blog. As one of the larger cashback partners in the market, they are definitely one to get on board with.
Part of the Global Savings Group family, Cuponation is a coupon publisher that we have partnered with across multiple markets across the globe. From Norway to Australia, they have coupon sites that stretch across the world. As a well established and well-known voucher publisher, they are a must-have partnership.
