Our Process
At GIS, we’ve honed a unique process over the years that consistently drives success. We treat our clients as true partners, involving them in every step—from Discovery to the Maturity of their affiliate marketing program. Below, we outline how we collaborate with each client to develop, launch, and manage their affiliate program.
Discovery
When you partner with GIS, you gain a full-service management team that seamlessly integrates with your marketing efforts. We collaborate closely with your marketing leadership to optimize the impact of your affiliate marketing strategy.
This begins with a thorough discovery process. We dive deep to understand your business—your goals, products, and key performance indicators (KPIs).
What to Expect?
The discovery phase equips the GIS team with a clear picture of your brand, offerings, and benchmarks. Success hinges on our ability to fully grasp your business.
Led by Kirk Pagenkopf, with 32 years of diverse marketing expertise, our Q&A session is designed to ask the right questions, listen intently, and learn comprehensively. A deep knowledge of the sports, lifestyle, and EDC industries plays a pivotal role in this stage.
Platform Selection
Following the Discovery phase, GIS recommends platforms tailored to your business needs. Once a platform is chosen, we partner with your marketing and tech teams to integrate it and populate it with essential data and materials.
The brand enters a separate agreement with the platform provider, covering all associated costs. As the brand, you own the license, designating GIS as the agency of record with admin access. Our clients enjoy an agency discount on licensing fees as an added perk.
What to Expect?
Platform selection and integration typically take 2–4 weeks, depending on your website’s e-commerce setup. During this period, we handle technical integration, upload marketing assets, finalize agreements, set commission rates, and more. Once complete, we conduct a test transaction to ensure readiness for launch.
Launch Strategy
With over 3,000 affiliate partners, GIS crafts a “Brand Launch Program” for each client, sharing key details with affiliates. Our aim is to quickly onboard affiliates and spark their enthusiasm for promoting your brand.
What to Expect?
The launch includes several key elements:
- A dedicated email blast to all targeted affiliates
- Personalized emails to select affiliates
- Direct phone outreach to top-tier affiliates
What to Expect?
The launch includes several key elements:
- A dedicated email blast to all targeted affiliates
- Personalized emails to select affiliates
- Direct phone outreach to top-tier affiliates
-A dedicated email blast to all targeted affiliates
– Personalized emails to select affiliates
– Direct phone outreach to top-tier affiliates
In tandem, we align with your team on your marketing and promotional calendar, exploring the diverse channels affiliate marketing offers.
Affiliate Recruitment
Affiliate Recruitment
After launch, GIS remains proactive in identifying and recruiting affiliate partners. Central to this ongoing effort is our rigorous vetting process.
After launch, GIS remains proactive in identifying and recruiting affiliate partners. Central to this ongoing effort is our rigorous vetting process.
We meticulously evaluate each affiliate applicant—exploring their websites, blogs, videos, and content. Only those who meet our high standards and align with your brand’s values are approved, ensuring quality and compatibility every step of the way.
Post Launch Strategy
Next Steps?
Let’s have a conversation about how GIS can help you grow your direct-to-consumer business using affiliate marketing.