I talk every day with merchants who would like to see more sales coming into their site. Some of them are more advanced marketers than others - guys who play the multi-channel marketing game and are looking to add affiliate marketing to the mix.

More and more lately, I have heard from prospects who are really getting squeezed for ROI because their PPC spending is not translating the the same ROI as it used to. Their spaces are becoming more crowded and the search terms cost is going up. They are looking for affiliate marketing to add another channel to drive targeted traffic.

After listening to the “Next Generation Affiliate Marketing” presentation at EcomXpo, my head got jarred a bit and an idea I have recommended to many clients and prospects came back up. (Thanks Linda)

Let affiliates do your PPC for you, or at least split the load.

There are some things that need to be in order to make this work.

Why are affiliates going to have better luck than you ? Well, it’s no guarantee, but here’s the deal; The affiliates who really play the PPC game effectively are super smart about it. Think about it - they are playing a speculation game risking their own money in order to make commission from you. You can bet your bottom dollar that they are going to mine the data and find the slots where they can make money and they are going to aptimize their spend to get the best positioning they can afford and still make the ROI they are looking for.

Sometimes, the money isn’t in the common keywords you would think would drive your traffic and sales, but in the niches that deliver super qualified, ready-to-buy prospects.

They HAVE to be more efficient than you in order to make their bucks.

Don’t be afraid of affiliates who use PPC to make their money - embrace them and work with them. Your sales and more importantly, your PROFITS will benefit from it.