In affiliate marketing, every conversion counts. As an affiliate marketer or network owner, you work tirelessly to drive traffic and generate sales for the advertisers/ offer owners. However, what if you discovered that you might be missing out on a large portion of your hard-earned revenue due to a little-known concept called "Invisible Conversions"?
In this article, we'll dive deep into what Invisible Conversions are, how they impact your overall revenue, and the actionable steps you can take to recover this lost income and maximize your online earnings.
What are invisible conversions?
Invisible conversions, refer to legitimate sales, leads, or conversions that occur on the advertiser’s side but are not properly credited to the affiliate or affiliate network responsible for generating them. This can happen due to technical discrepancies between the various tracking platforms used by advertisers, networks, and affiliates.
In a perfect world, every conversion would be accurately tracked and attributed to the rightful source. However, in reality, tracking errors are more common than you might think. These errors can arise from issues such as:
- Different tracking platforms: Advertisers, networks, and affiliates often use different tracking solutions, which can lead to mismatches in data.
- Technical errors: Glitches, bugs, or server issues can cause tracking pixels to misfire or fail to register conversions.
- Postback URL failures: When a conversion occurs, a postback URL is typically used to credit the sale. If this postback fails, the conversion may not be properly attributed.
The impact of invisible conversions on your revenue
While a single untracked conversion might not seem like a big loss, the cumulative effect of these invisible conversions can be substantial. Let's look at an example to illustrate the potential impact on your revenue.
Suppose you're an affiliate marketer generating 500 leads per day, with each lead worth $3. If just 2% of those leads are not being credited due to technical errors, you're losing out on 10 leads per day. At $3 per lead, that's $30 in lost revenue daily. Over the course of a month, those losses add up to $900, and over a year, you're missing out on $10,800 in potential earnings.
Now, imagine if the error rate is higher, such as 5% or more. The losses become even bigger. If you're promoting a higher-value offer, like a trial product that pays out $40 per sale, and you're generating 100 sales per day, a 5% discrepancy would result in a loss of $200 per day, $6,000 per month, and a staggering $72,000 per year.
These numbers demonstrate the importance of addressing invisible conversions and ensuring that you're credited for every conversion you rightfully generate.
Strategies to recover invisible conversions
Now that you understand the concept of invisible conversions and the potential impact on your revenue, let's explore the actionable steps you can take to recover this lost income.
1. Partner with honest affiliate networks and advertisers
One of the most effective ways to minimize invisible conversions is to work with reputable, honest networks and advertisers. These partners should be willing to credit you for leads that did not fire properly by cross-checking data on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.
When evaluating potential partners, look for those who prioritize transparency and have a track record of fair dealings with their affiliates. Don't hesitate to ask for references or reach out to other affiliates who have worked with the network or advertiser to gauge their experiences.
2. Bill advertisers based on their backend numbers
When working directly with an advertiser, it's important to invoice them based on their own sales data, upsells, and rebill percentages. This approach ensures that you're being compensated for all the conversions you've generated, even if some of them didn't fire correctly on your end.
Request access to the advertiser's backend statistics, so you can verify the number of sales and conversions attributed to your campaigns. If the advertiser is reluctant to provide this information, it may be a red flag, and you should consider working with a more transparent partner.
3. Look for "overages" from networks
Honest networks will often credit their affiliates for sales or leads that did not fire correctly from the advertiser's side. These credits, known as "overages," are typically based on the affiliate's unique ID.
When working with a network, inquire about their policy on overages and how they handle untracked conversions. A reputable network will have a system in place to ensure that their affiliates are properly compensated for their work.
4. Communicate with your account manager
If you're generating a large number of conversions on a daily basis, don't hesitate to reach out to your account manager to discuss any potential untracked conversions. A good account manager will be proactive in identifying and crediting you for any conversions that may have fallen through the cracks.
Maintain open lines of communication with your account manager and schedule regular check-ins to review your performance and address any issues. By building a strong relationship with your account manager, you'll be better positioned to recover any invisible conversions.
5. Use Sub IDs and Affiliate IDs
One of the most effective ways to reduce tracking errors is to consistently use Sub IDs and Affiliate IDs in your tracking links. These unique identifiers allow networks and advertisers to attribute conversions to the correct affiliate, even if the tracking misfires on the affiliate's end.
When setting up your campaigns, ensure that you're properly passing these IDs to your partners. This extra step can make a significant difference in the accuracy of your conversion tracking and help you recover any potential lost revenue.
Real-world situation
To illustrate the potential impact of recovering invisible conversions, let's look at a real-world example. While networking at the recent AW conference, one affiliate who works with a direct Nutra advertiser shared a personal experience where, after reviewing their sales and conversions at the end of last year from the advertiser’s data, they noticed a $20,000 in unpaid conversions from the affiliate’s tracking IDs. These conversions were attributed to misfires and untracked sales that the advertiser himself identified and credited back to the author. He ended up walking away with $20,000 which he would never have received.
This situation demonstrates the importance of diligently monitoring your conversions, communicating with your partners, and asking for the revenue you've rightfully earned. By implementing the strategies outlined in this article, you too can potentially recover thousands of dollars in lost income.
Conclusion
Invisible conversions are a silent but big threat to your online earnings. They could also be a difference as to why your campaigns are profitable or losing money. As an affiliate marketer or network owner, it's crucial to understand this concept and take proactive steps to minimize their impact on your revenue.
By partnering with honest networks and advertisers, billing based on backend numbers, seeking out overages, communicating with your account manager, and using Sub IDs and Affiliate IDs, you can recover lost revenue and ensure that you're being fairly compensated for your hard work.
