Preferred OPM Program

OPMs come in all shapes and sizes. Over the years Feeds4 has worked closely with quite a few OPMs.  Some are absolutely wonderful to work with while others have a lot to learn.

What is an OPM?

An OPM is an Outsourced Program Manager.  Agencies are paid to manage advertiser affiliate programs.  There are many reasons why an advertiser may want to outsource this work.

Enter the Brand Ambassador.

The one constant if an advertiser chooses to do so is the OPM is a representation of your brand: a brand ambassador.  Advertisers need to trust the OPMs they hire.  They handover a portion of the their online reputation and presence to the OPM who then communicates to publishers the goals and/or marketing materials for their entire publisher-base to use.  Screw this up and you don’t simply screw this up one on one.  Instead one bad email can go out to thousands of publishers and create a nightmare for your marketing department.

We see it from time to time.  Unprofessional communications and or inappropriate behavior that would make advertisers shudder if this was going on “in-house”.  All the email addresses of every publisher in their advertiser program on the to line.  The wrong dates for coupons and promotions.  Stuff happens and people make mistakes, we get it, but advertisers should know that some OPMs are good and some just are not.

Maybe in some things but as for OPMs, we have first hand knowledge that the best OPMs are not always the biggest nor are the best OPMs the smallest. Every OPM is different and we are here to help you make a more informed decision.

Myth: Bigger is Better.

Not true. A lot of OPM agencies think the bigger they get the more value they will add as an OPM. Once an OPM gets too big, they may lose personality or accountability to brands they focused on in the past. They sometimes fill roles with junior level associates who learn the ropes using your brand and marketing content as an education. When OPM owners get corporate, they can lose dedication and the reason why advertisers chose them in the first place.  Some of the best OPM agencies have less than 10 clients.

Myth: Niche OPMs will provide expertise.

This is at times true but be careful.  Niche doesn’t always mean small.  A lot of smaller OPM agencies are hustling new business and when your brand is competing with attracting more business, your marketing material usually take a back seat.  Tread lightly here.  Niche OPMs can be the best of the best but may also slow down the effectiveness or your online marketing growth.

So what is the best size?

There isn’t one. When choosing an OPM, do not focus on size.  Start a real conversation and learn about how they will market your brand.  Learn what other brands they represent?  Sometimes a powerhouse OPM is the way to go if you want a company with tons of experience and can level up your revenue fast.  Other times a more boutique OPM may be the strategic play, focusing on branding and becoming more of a dedicated resource.  The best advice we can give it to make sure you interview a handful of OPMs and if you are not getting the answers or response level you think you should as a prospective client, take your business elsewhere.

Feeds4 wants to see the good OPMs rise to the top and there is a lot of room up there.  OPMs that consistently go above and beyond, day in and day out, and really represent the good in affiliate marketing should be noticed and rewarded with your business.  This is why we created the Preferred OPM program.

What Does Preferred Mean

Preferred is our distinction for OPMs that execute on a high level a majority of the time.  OPMs that communicate well, send out content that is correct and in good format.  OPMs that send out marketing materials in a timely fashion or with an implementation plan.  OPMs that provide follow-up and those who are always looking for opportunities to grow an advertiser’s online presence get our attention.  OPMs that don’t overwhelm publishers with a barrage of useless marketing material.  OPMs that understand the needs of both small and big publishers alike.

These are the traits that earn agencies preferred status.  Feeds4 updates our list of OPMs regularly.  OPMs do come and go, get acquired and some OPM employees leave big firms and start their own adventure.  If you would like for us to consider your OPM agency for our preferred list, please contact us to learn more.