How Third-Party Affiliate Verification Undercuts Marketing ROI

Extending an exclusive offer to consumer community groups like teachers or the military is a proven way to acquire new customers, earn their loyalty, and increase their lifetime value. That’s why brands like ASICS and Princess Cruises see significantly higher conversion rates and ROI for these types of marketing programs compared to other campaigns.

But not all platforms that enable you to create community offers are created equal. If you use a third-party affiliate to create and verify your customers’ eligibility for community offers, you could undermine your campaign’s success before it even starts. We recommend using an open verification platform that gives you freedom to market your offer on multiple channels. Here’s why. 

You Pay Twice for Your Marketing

Affiliates tend to charge hefty commission fees — sometimes 8% or more — on each sale. And you’ll pay it regardless of how your customers found you. 

Say you create compelling social content around your student offer. Awareness takes off, and thanks to word of mouth, potential customers start Googling your brand’s student discount to learn more. They end up on your affiliate’s landing page to verify their eligibility — meaning you’re paying a commission to a “partner” who did zero work to bring these students to your door. 

It may look like you’re getting a lot of traffic through your affiliates, but many of these new customers are due to your own marketing efforts. 

Those commission costs will eat away at your ROI, and may force you to lower the discount you extend to your community — which lowers the overall effectiveness of your offer at the same time. 

On the other hand, if you use an open verification platform instead of an affiliate, the entire customer journey funnels through your own channels and website. No third-party landing pages will take credit for your hard work, and you can maximize the ROI on your campaign.. 

You Diminish Your Brand Identity

Beyond the hard costs of commissions, third-party affiliates siphon away an even more valuable currency: your brand identity. 

Consider the emotional connection you build when promoting a military discount on Veterans Day. Your social posts, digital ads, and content work together to tell the story of your brand honoring and supporting those who have served their country. 

But, when your affiliate swoops in during the verification process, those powerful messages get diluted. Or, if a consumer finds your offer on an affiliate site — with no exposure to your brand other than your logo and a percentage-off number — you miss out on the chance to forget that connection altogether. 

Now instead of remembering your company as the brand who values their military service, customers will think it’s the affiliate.

With a white-labeled open verification platform, you fully control the customer experience. This kind of in-brand experience ensures your messages resonate, building stronger connections and increasing loyalty over time. 

Open Verification Keeps You in Control

The power of community marketing is that it makes your customers feel appreciated and valued by your brand. In this crucial relationship, third-party affiliates quickly become a distracting (and costly) third wheel. 

Open verification keeps your customers focused on your brand and ensures you receive all the benefits of extending a discount in the first place. By driving brand awareness, increasing loyalty, and delivering a consistent customer experience, you can see the greatest possible results from your community marketing campaigns. 

Learn how the SheerID Open Verification Platform delivers just this kind of white-label solution in this two-minute product video.