Straight to a Conversion: Buyer’s Journey in Different Affiliate Marketing Verticals

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User journey varies from vertical to vertical and from offer to offer. Some are short and simple, the others are more complex (yet, well-paid). But how do these journeys depend on the niche you work with? And how to arrange a proper user path to the desired conversion regarding the offer you choose? 

Let’s discuss different flow types and see how they vary around the most popular affiliate marketing verticals. 

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So, what is a buyer’s journey in general? 

A buyer’s journey is a chain of actions visitors complete before arriving at your landing page, where they complete target action. Some offers have a very simple flow – one click and your user is already there, converted. The others, like surveys, deposits, or registrations, usually have a longer way to make. 

While the first type is aimed at the immediate reaction and sometimes – impulsive action, the second one is trickier. Whenever you work with offers with a complicated user journey, your task is to hold their attention so they don’t jump off + add extra value and encourage them to continue. 

Smooth user experience, clarity, and value are important when it comes to encouraging visitors to press that desired button. User journey frames the entire story and in most cases decides whether the target action will be completed. 

The difference between user flows described above is mostly determined by the vertical and offer type you work with. So let’s stop on the most popular ones and see how it works in various scenarios.

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Finance 

Finance is one of the top verticals in affiliate marketing – it shares leadership with Utilities and iGaming. Three main categories for Finance offers are: 

Cryptocurrency

Most Cryptocurrency offers require registration and deposit, which make this offer type pretty complex. Sometimes, they also include calls – when a support team contacts the lead to smoothen the depositing process. Here is what the flow looks like:

Pre-lander > Landing Page (registration) > Thank You Page > Call (optional) > Deposit 

For such offers, pre-landers are very important – they usually include video guides on how to work with Cryptocurrency, success stories, or comments sections as a social proof. 

Here is an example of a success story for a pre-lander:

Important: Add numbers – profit amount, the difference between the deposit and income, etc.

And here comes the registration form, simple and clear:

Quite logically, after reading a success story, users can get inspired to repeat the experience. Transferring them right to the registration page after such a warm-up might be efficient.

Pro tips from our Sales Team:

• Make your pre-landers as simple as possible. Don’t leave your visitors wondering where the link to a landing page is.

• Use three and more hyperlinks in the copy of your pre-lander. Be it a success story or a product description, add a couple of links to a landing page (you can add them any time you mention the brand name, for example). 

• If you have any opportunity to contact the offer owner and change a pre-lander, make sure to test a couple of them. Namely – check how different placement of a registration form influences your CR. 

Insight: According to our tests, the best location is the upper part of the page. 

• Check what competitors do. In such a competitive market as Crypto, you should be ahead of other affiliates and be aware of their strategies. Try their methods, test various options, and see what you get. 

• According to our statistics, the best results can be achieved with Push ads or Popunder ads.

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Forex 

Forex offers have the same peculiarities as Cryptocurrency, including the flow. Here is what a pre-lander can look like:

The German text on the right describes guarantees, the translation is:

Our main priority is your safe trading 

• Join the platform trusted by millions of users
• We care about your privacy
• Your money is safe

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Pro tips from our Sales Team:

• In Forex offers, there might be such a stage as a demo account – usually, before a user makes a deposit. Such demo accounts exist to show users how the platform works, allow them to test various features, and grasp the principles. 

Insight: If your offer has a demo-account option, use your pre-lander or Push notification to inform users about it.  

• Mind restrictions. Most Forex offers from European companies have limitations. For example, it’s not allowed to use any CTAs and stimulating copies – your strategy should be modest and soft. Try searching for the Forex companies based in Asia – they provide more freedom. And don’t forget to ask the offer owner about restrictions. 

• If you have access to the pre-lander and can change it – test different registration forms. We suggest testing various colors, button shapes, and locations. According to our tests, these aspects can change the game radically. 

• As for the ad format, again, our tests show that Push notifications work efficiently with Forex. 

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Credit Card and Loans

Credit Cards and Loans make up a pretty large part of Finance offers. We must pinpoint that Credit Cards are the most popular here, especially in LATAM.

So, these offers are pretty obvious: users can get a credit card account or apply for a microloan. Here is what the flow usually looks like:

Pre-lander > Landing Page (registration that usually includes a couple of steps) > Thank You Page > Call > Approval of a Credit Card, Loan quote 

Now, traditionally, let’s see what a pre-lander can look like:

This one contains a Portuguese text translated as:

Your limit (1200) – No loan interview

CREDIT CARD – DON’T MISS YOUR CHANCE

42.3 thousand reviews, This offer expires in 11 minutes and 53 seconds.

See the best Credit Card options that suit your needs.

This pre-lander describes the conditions – financial limit + no-interview quote. Also, we can see a timer that encourages users to act, as well as information about the company’s rating. These elements add value and reliability to the offer. 

Pro tips from our Sales Team:

• For Credit Cards, you can use motivational copies and encourage users to check the offer immediately – usually, there are no such restrictions as in Forex here. 

• As our stats show, the most fruitful GEO for Cards and Loans is Brazil. 

• You don’t need a pre-lander for this type of offer, so the flow is easier. 

• Push is the most efficient format for Cards and Loans, according to our stats and case studies.

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General insights about Finance

The Finance vertical usually has a pretty complicated flow – users are required to register, complete forms, and even talk with the support team by phone sometimes. 

For Cryptocurrency, they are most likely to end up with a deposit, while Credit Cards are about to get the final approval. So, Finance vertical may imply operations with money, which means that users have to trust you before they deposit or request a loan. 

Some reliability-building strategies: 

• Add social proof – comments, success stories;
• Add instructions – video guides, explanations, product descriptions;
• Explain conditions – write about offer conditions, like limits, special offers, etc. 

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Utilities 

As you know, Utilities vertical includes ad blockers, VPNs, cleaners, and other applications. 

Important: While the buyer’s journey in Finance depends on the offer category, in Utilities it is all about the platform: Android or iOS. So, let’s compare the flow.

iOS applications: 

Pre-lander > Installation (paid) > Free Trial Opt-in > Automatic Payment for Subscription 

Android applications: 

Pre-lander > Installation (free, from Google Play) > User’s Interaction with In-App Ads

Pre-landers are absolutely necessary for both platforms and all kinds of Utilities offers. The reason is simple – you should explain which app you offer, why users may need it, which terms and conditions are there, etc. People are not very likely to install dubious apps – they might consider them as malware, so you need to prove that yours is reliable. 

Utilities pre-lander can look like this: 

And here is a Push example: 

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To sum up

Platform (Android or iOS) matters for Utilities a lot – these devices have different requirements in terms of app installation. Most apps for iOS are usually paid, while Android users enjoy free apps, but with ads inside. Both the flow and the target action are different here. Mind this when launching your Utilities campaign with a certain targeting. 

Pro tips from our Sales Team:

• Utilities might have trial versions. This is especially true for iOS – first, users get a free ride, then it expires, and a banner with paid subscription appears. The trick is to actually make that banner maximally visible and obvious. Create a large button and make it pop up during usage. Or else, if a user doesn’t see that subscription button, you risk losing your payout. You can discuss this with an offer owner if you have such an opportunity. 

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Sweepstakes 

Sweepstakes offers are great for affiliates who create their own pre-landers. Sweepstakes are mostly giveaways – users are offered to take their chance to win a prize, whether it is a smartphone, voucher, gift card, or anything else. 

The buyer’s journey usually implies a registration/subscription process where users complete a form and add their name, email, phone, and other details (if required). But in most cases, these are a name and phone or email only. 

Important: Users eagerly complete such forms when they have motivation to do so. In Sweepstakes, you should motivate them with an opportunity to win something valuable – a prize. 

In Sweepstakes, the buyer’s journey can differ. In general, there are three flow types here – Single Opt-In (SOI), Double Opt-In (DOI), and Credit Card Submit.SOI is the simplest: 

Pre-lander (with a wheel or gift boxes to choose) > Landing Page with a Registration Form 

Or:
Pre-lander (with a success story) > Landing Page with a Registration Form/Wheel

Or else, Sweepstakes can have just one page with registration or wheel/gift boxes – nothing else.

Or else, Sweepstakes can have just one page with registration or wheel/gift boxes – nothing else.

A bit more complicated DOI looks like: 

Pre-lander (with a wheel or gift boxes to choose) > Landing Page with a Registration Form > Email Confirmation 

In DOI, users need to confirm registration via email, while in SOI, no additional actions are required. 

Credit Card Submit looks this way: 

Pre-lander > Registration Form (with basic information – name and contacts) > Form with Credit Card Details  

After the card is added, conversion is counted. This category of offers also includes various paid services, like video and music streaming. As long as the subscription is active, the offer owner will charge a price for usage monthly (usually, up to $100). 

Important: This offer flow is complicated because not every user is ready to leave his card number online. On the other hand, such an advanced flow is associated with high payouts. 

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To sum up

Sweepstakes can imply both – an extremely simple and pretty complicated user journey. Sometimes, people just spin the wheel and leave some data, but sometimes they are required to submit card numbers and even subscribe for paid services. 

Regarding the final action and the complexity of the flow, try to keep them interested till the very last step. Make sure that your Sweepstakes offer is so appealing that it is just impossible to skip it – tell a story, describe how amazing the prize is, and add some comments from the previous winners/subscribers. 

Pro tips from our Sales Team:

• In general, Sweepstakes serve as leadgen offers – their main function is to collect as much user information, as possible. To reach this aim, you have to make your offer maximally simple – ask for basic data only and avoid adding more than three-four questions. 

• Another motivating thing for your potential leads – make sure to take offers with the most desired and fresh products. Say, the new iPhone will definitely evoke more interest than an old Samsung. 

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Post-conversion monetization strategy

To maximize your profit, you can set ProPush Tag to your landing page or a pre-lander. 

This is an especially great idea for Sweepstakes and Finance offers, where the chance for conversion is not that high or the flow is rather complicated. For these verticals, set the ProPush Tag to your pre-lander. As for Utilities offers – use ProPush for your landing page. 

After you set it to your landing page/pre-lander, your users will see the opt-in window. No matter how users act – whether they accept or deny subscription, or just leave the page, or even if they have already subscribed, you will still receive money from them. 

The second monetization chance is yours! Whenever users don’t interact with your offer as needed, ProPush Tag will transfer them to another relevant offer regarding their characteristics. 

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User journey tracking

Here is a tip from our partner Michał Schindler from Voluum:

The essential conditions of customer journey mapping are:

• Recording user-generated events across multiple sites
• Attributing the right conversions to the original click
• Viewing all events related to the original click

You can do all that with ad trackers, including Voluum.

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Final word

Well, this is it! We are done with three extremely popular verticals! Now you know how flows depend on the offer type, which creatives work best, and most important – how to encourage users to convert.

Hopefully, with these tips at hand, you will approach your campaigns even smarter and earn even more! Good luck, and come back to our blog to read the second part of the article – about iGaming, Dating, and eCommerce! 

Have some questions or ideas? Join our Telegram chat and let’s discuss them together!