In a perfect world, every eCommerce merchant could get help crafting a well designed affiliate program. Sadly, most merchant run programs fail. To assist merchants that are in this situation, MGECOM has just launched the Incu-Beta service to give select merchants an unfair advantage getting started in the affiliate channel.
What is Incu-Beta?
An innovative, invitation-only affiliate program management service developed to share MGECOM’s Unfair Advantage with select brands that may not be ready for the award winning Full Service offering. Describing the Incu-Beta program, Jeff Cress, VP of Business Development and Marketing, said, “Think of the Incu-Beta as the place where great brands get a head start on the affiliate channel by leveraging many of the same great MGECOM tools and processes that delivered an average 276% growth to MGECOM’s Full Service clients in 2011. However, the Incu-Beta program offers a lower monthly investment than the Full Service offering. MGECOM's Incu-Beta program goal is to give younger, high potential brands the affiliate channel support needed to quickly grow and become profitable.”
The name “Incu-Beta” is a clever play on the words “incubator” and “Beta,” reflecting that this unique service level is strategically aimed at brands that wish to move forward with an affiliate program before their time, and possibly even before their site has the normal strong foothold required to support a successful affiliate channel investment.
Prior to the Incu-Beta service, brands that weren't yet ready for Full Service affiliate program management had three options, none of which were particularly effective or attractive.
1) Merchants could task someone in-house or hire to build an affiliate program. While hiring in-house allows action, it usually results in significant brand risk, frustration, distraction and a distinct lack of success. Hiring in-house is guaranteed to be more expensive than the Incu-Beta program.
2) Merchants could abandon their affiliate program plans or put them on indefinite hold.
3) Merchants could hire a discount service provider to apply cookie cutter techniques and mass launch the program on every network that will accept it. As logic suggests, throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks is less of a strategy and more of a desperation move.
The smart alternative is to apply for MGECOM's Incu-Beta program, which provides a customized strategy and hands-on, expert management.
Merchants interested in launching affiliate programs for brands that may not be ready for the investment in Full Service Affiliate Program Management, but still looking for a solution to protect the brand while driving positive ROI, should contact MGECOM at info@mgecom.com or 866.494.7183 for an evaluation and to request an invitation to the Incu-Beta program.