One of the biggest challenges that advertisers and marketers face is attributing the results of different marketing strategies to the right marketing tactic, according to a recent report.
This is especially true for affiliate marketers struggling to evaluate different partners for their performance.
How will you know which ones actually paid off?
That is a question that every marketer has faced at some point in their careers. And, finding the answer to that question is not always easy.
Performance marketing was developed, in a way, to overcome this challenge. It provides a better way to measure the performance of your advertising and partner marketing campaigns.
In this post, I will discuss what performance marketing means, how it can help you, and the best performance marketing platforms that you can use.
Ready to learn more?
Let’s get started.
What is Performance Marketing?
Performance marketing refers to the practice of paying only for results, whatever they may be.
This means that if your campaign goal is to get more leads, then you pay only for the number of leads generated.
And, if your digital marketing campaign goal is to generate more sales using affiliates then you only pay for an increase in sales.
Brilliant, isn’t it?
After all, we all hate paying for marketing campaigns that drain our budget and don’t drive results.
Performance marketing, in a way, has put the power back in the hands of digital marketers and advertisers.
But, does it only apply to advertising?
No.
It can be applied to any form of paid marketing like affiliate marketing, search engine marketing, and email marketing.
If you’re wondering how it actually works and where performance marketing come into the picture, then keep reading.
How Does Performance Marketing Work?
Performance marketing campaigns require two main players—advertisers/marketers and affiliates/publishers.
Advertisers are businesses that want to promote their products or services. They do so through affiliates or publishers who promote those products or services on their websites, blogs, and other channels.
Affiliates or publishers get paid depending on the number of clicks/leads/sales that they generate.
Performance marketing can help make this entire process smoother and more organized. These have built-in analytics and tracking tools that can keep track of leads, clicks, conversions, etc.
Performance marketing can also help you manage your social media marketing campaigns better. You can see, in real-time, the results that each affiliate partner has delivered and the payouts that you need to make to each.
Wondering which platform for performance marketing to use?
Don’t worry! There are numerous options for you to choose from and I’ve reviewed the top platforms to help you make an informed decision about which to add to your marketing strategies.
Best Performance Marketing Platforms
Before we get into the list of platfroms for performance marketing, it is important to note that not all of these provide an end-to-end solution.
This list also includes software that handles only one aspect of performance marketing like affiliate marketing.
Therefore, this list can be useful to you regardless of the level of service you want and the type of business you have. There is something here for everyone.
Ready to discover the best performance marketing platforms?
Keep reading.
1.Affise
Image Source: Affise
Affise is an all-in-one platform for performance marketing that can help you manage and track your advertising campaigns.
It has configurable dashboards and over 50 types of data visualizations to analyze your advertising program’s performance.
Here are some of its key features, pros, cons, and pricing details:
Key Features
- Tailored and simple user interface design
- Customizable dashboards
- Multicurrency payouts
- Feature-rich API
- Multiple third-party integrations
- Works for multiple industries
- AI Smartlinks
- Fraud detection
Pros
- Suitable for all businesses
- Smooth onboarding process
- 24*7 customer support
- A 30-day free trial
Cons
- Faces some bugs from time to time, but these are removed regularly
Price
Affise offers a 30-day free trial and three paid plans.
- Pro – $299 per month
- Ent – $499 per month
- VIP – Customized plan
Pro Tip: Familiarize yourself with the platform first and then try the advanced API feature to get more out of the platform.
2. AnyTrack
Image source: AnyTrack
AnyTrack is a platform for performance marketing that enables marketers to scale and grow their businesses by streamlining conversion data across their analytics, pixels, and marketing tools.
This platform is truly a game changer as it seamlessly integrates with any website, ecommerce platform, or affiliate network to collect and sync conversion data across pixels and ad networks.
Whether you have an agency or you’re an affiliate marketer or product owner, there is no limit to what you can achieve by having complete control over how and where your conversion data is sent.
Key Features
- Connect all of your analytics with a single line of code.
- Track all affiliate links and form submissions automatically without coding.
- It offers easy integration with Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and 50+ popular affiliate networks.
Pricing
- Free plan: Up to 5,000 sessions/month
- Basic plan: Starts at $50/month
- Personal plan: Starts at $150/month
- Advanced plan: Starts at $300/month
AnyTrack offers a 14-day free trial with all paid plans.
Pros
- Copy and paste the AnyTrack TAG onto your site to start tracking data.
- You can start tracking data without modifying links or your website.
- It is easy to integrate with any website and funnel builders such as WordPress and ClickFunnels.
- Prevent ad account bans as AnyTrack is compliant with the tracking policies of Google and Facebook.
Cons
- You get third-party report access only through Google Data Studio.
- It doesn’t allow integration with Amazon Associates.
Pro Tip: Utilize the conversion data by AnyTrack to build lookalike audiences for your campaigns.
3. Rebrandly
Rebrandly makes it easier to create branded and short URLs for your long campaign links. You can add your brand name to every link you share, increasing your brand visibility.
This is the complete platform to brand and manage links in one place. You can collaborate with your team and share your created links across departments, regions, and teams.
Get detailed click stats for all your links to analyze the performance of your social media, email marketing, and ad campaigns.
You can start with smaller plans and scale as your business grows.
Key Features
- URL shortener with a custom domain name
- Branded link management
- Team collaboration
- Domain name management for multiple domain names
- 404 redirect management
- Customized analytics
- Traffic routing and deep linking
- Link retargeting
- Link expiration
- Bulk link creation and editing
Pros
- Allows you to create branded links for all campaigns
- Integrates seamlessly with 100+ business tools including HubSpot, Gmail, Sprout Social, and popular social media networks
Cons
- Limited geographical analytics available
- Multiple custom domain names in links come with higher-value plans only
Pricing
- Free for up to 25 branded links/month and 1 custom domain name
- Lite plan: $13/month
- Essentials plan: $32/month
- Professional plan: $99/month
- Enterprise plan: $625/month
4. LeadDyno
Image Source: LeadDyno
This is an affiliate marketing software solution and covers only that aspect of performance marketing. In that sense, you can call it a specialized platform for performance marketing.
Want to know what all it offers?
Here you go.
Key Features
- Performance tracking and measurement
- Affiliate engagement tools
- Email automation
- Rewards and payouts management
- Integration with over 25 software, apps, and platforms
- Multiple tracking options
- Bulk payment using PayPal
Pros
- User-friendly interface
- Open API
- A free 30-day trial
Cons
- Integration with other platforms is not always smooth
- Customer service can be quicker
Price
- Starter – $49 per month
- Biz Builder – $59 per month
- Premium – $79 per month
Pro Tip: Get help from their team to customize the platform according to your needs at the very beginning, to avoid future issues.
5. PartnerStack
Image Source: PartnerStack
PartnerStack is a full-stack solution for all your partner management needs. You can use it to manage all of your partner programs from a single interface.
Here are more details about the platform:
Key Features
- Automated partner onboarding, attribution, and payouts
- Real-time performance reporting
- A scalable platform that grows with your needs
- Multiple integrations
- Partner compliance management
- Best-suited for B2B companies
Pros
- One of the largest B2B partner and affiliate networks in the world
- User-friendly interface
- Lot more features than most other platforms
Cons
- No free trial
- An expensive option for small businesses
Price
Price is available on request.
Pro Tip: If you are a SaaS company, then this is one of the best options for you.
6. Tapfiliate
Image Source: Tapfiliate
This platform for performance marketing focuses only on the affiliate marketing aspect. It is a complete solution to create and run successful affiliate marketing programs. It is especially good for ecommerce and SaaS companies.
Want to know more about its features, in detail?
Here you go.
Key Features
- Easy to create and share tracking links
- Provides personal referral links and coupons
- Branded and customizable dashboard
- Over 30 plug-and-play integrations
- Supports six affiliate languages
- Automated, customizable payouts
- Provides the option to award performance bonuses
- Automated onboarding and workflows
- Open API
Pros
- Easy to set up
- Gives a 14-day free trial
- Smooth integrations
- Good customer support
Cons
- Can add the automated emails/newsletters feature like some other platforms
- A bit costlier than some other platforms listed here, but totally worth it
Price
A 14-day free trial option is also available.
- Essential – $69 per month
- Pro – $149 per month
- Enterprise – on request
Pro Tip: If you have an ecommerce company, then this is a good option for you as it integrates smoothly with several ecommerce platforms.
7. Impact
Image Source: Impact
This is a platform for performance marketing to manage, automate, and scale all of your partnerships.
Wondering what that means?
Well, Impact’s partnership cloud allows you to manage influencers, affiliates, and other partners from one place. The platform itself is highly scalable and grows with your business.
Here are some of its key features and other details.
Key Features
- Partner discovery and recruitment
- Helps with negotiations and signing contracts
- All-in-one affiliate tracking and management
- Partner marketing to engage and train partners
- Fraud detection and other security measures
- Performance data and insights
Pros
- A complete partner management solution for enterprises
- A large database for partner search
- User-friendly interface
- Good customer support
Cons
- Not the best option for small businesses
- Does not provide a free trial
Price
Price is available on request.
Pro Tip: As they don’t provide a free trial, it is best to request a demo before making a purchase.
8. Refersion
Image Source: Refersion
This is another platform for performance marketing that specializes in affiliate marketing. From tracking affiliate performance to managing affiliate relationships, it does it all.
Let’s take a closer look at some of its key features, pros, and cons.
Key Features
- Real-time performance insights
- Integration with ecommerce platforms
- Flexible commissions and payouts
- Personalized affiliate portal
- Easy-to-analyze performance reports
- Customizable dashboard
- Turns customers into affiliates
Pros
- Easy to set up
- Free trial
Cons
- Only one fixed-price plan
- Not the best option for small businesses
Price
A 14-day free trial is available.
- Professional – $89 per month
- Enterprise – Custom pricing
Pro Tip: Use this platform to provide referral links to your customers and turn them into affiliates.
9. AffiliateWP
Image Source: AffiliateWP
This is an affiliate tracking and management plugin for WordPress.
You can use it to track and measure the performance of your affiliates just like any other affiliate program. The only difference is that this is specifically for WordPress websites.
Want to know more?
Let’s look at its features and other aspects in detail.
Key Features
- Quick and easy setup
- Real-time affiliate tracking and reporting
- Integrated payouts service
- Affiliates dashboard with performance and other data
- Integrates with 25+ WordPress plugins
- Supports unlimited affiliates
- Email notifications
- Includes a basic and extended API
Pros
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Option to buy a lifetime license with a one-time payment
- Easy to use and cheaper than most other affiliate tools
Cons
- Payouts service costs extra per transaction
- No free trial
Price
- Personal – $99 per year
- Plus – $149 per year
- Professional – $249 per year
- Ultimate – $499 one-time payment
Pro Tip: Try any of the plans for the first year and if you like it then get the Ultimate plan (lifetime license) to save on recurring subscription costs.
10. iDevAffiliate
Image Source: iDevAffiliate
This is probably one of the most affordable platforms for performance marketing on this list. It focuses on affiliate marketing and can help you build a profitable affiliate network.
One of the most useful and unique features of this tool is that you can buy the license and not pay any monthly fees. This means that you can own it by paying a one-time fee.
Isn’t that incredible?
Now that we know that it’s cheap, let’s see if it actually provides enough features to invest in it.
Key Features
- Affiliate management and tracking
- Customizable payment options
- Completely customizable platform with HTML/CSS templates, language packs, etc.
- Multiple reporting options
- Fraud detection and other security features
- Marketing tools to empower the affiliates
- 150+ integrations with software, apps, and platforms
- Built-in shopping cart integration
- Option to self-host
- Affiliate training videos
Pros
- Provides all essential features at a competitive price
- A great option for small businesses
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Option to connect multiple websites with one license
- Free upgrades
Cons
- Initial setup is a bit tricky but it works well after that
Price
- Cloud – $39 per month
- Cloud Social – $49 per month
- Cloud Premium – $59 per month
- Self-Hosted – A one-time fee of $249
Pro Tip: Try their cloud hosting option first and, if you like the platform, then buy the self-hosting license and integrate it with your website.
11. Voluum
Image Source: Voluum
This is one of the most effective affiliate marketing tools and deserves a mention on this list. It can help you create, track, optimize, and run successful affiliate programs end-to-end.
However, it does not cover other aspects of performance marketing, just affiliates.
Let’s get started with a list of its features and other details.
Key Features
- Cloud-based ad tracker
- Track all affiliate campaigns from one place
- Built-in anti-fraud kit
- AI-based automated traffic distribution
- Listicle tracking
- Mobile app for iOS and Android devices
- Multiple tracking options
- Multiple cost models
- Extensive reporting with data grouping and drill-down options
- REST API with JSON
- Supports multiple currencies
- A/B testing
- Built-in anti-fraud kit
Pros
- Advanced analytics, tracking, and reporting
- Real-time data processing
- Suitable for all types of businesses
Cons
- No payment or commission management features
- No free trial
- Premium pricing
Price
- Discover – $69 per month
- Profit – $149 per month
- Grow – $449 per month
- Agency – Starting from $999 per month (customizable plan)
Pro Tip: Get either the Profit or Grow plan if you want to use the open API.
Bonus Platform #1: OSI Affiliate
Image Source: OSI Affiliate
This is a performance marketing software solution that you can use to manage your affiliates and social media marketing influencers. It has tools and features that allow influencers to promote your business on social media.
It is, in fact, a mix of affiliate marketing and referral marketing software combined into one useful software solution.
Wondering how it is different from affiliate marketing tools?
Read about its features to find that out.
Key Features
- Influencer directory to find influencers for your brand
- Pre-written posts for customers to share on social media
- Integrate with multiple social media platforms
- Unique promo codes for customers and influencers
- Option to use your own domain
- Built-in promotional tools
- Multi-tier affiliate rewards
Pros
- User-friendly setup wizard
- One-on-one customer support
- Suitable for all types of businesses
Cons
- Takes some time to understand and use all the features
Price
- Basic – $47 per month
- Professional – $97 per month
- Premium – $247 per month
Pro Tip: Go through their training resources as the interface can be a bit challenging to understand at first.
FAQs
-
Which is the best platform for performance marketing?
The best platforms are:
Affise
AnyTrack
ClickMeter
LeadDyno
PartnerStack
Tapfiliate
Impact
Refersion
AffiliateWP
iDevAffiliate
Voluum
OSI Affiliate -
What is the best performance marketing platform for an affiliate marketing network?
The best platforms for an affiliate marketing network are:
Affise
Tapfiliate
AffiliateWP
iDevAffiliate
OSI Affiliate -
What is the most important for you, when choosing a platform for performance marketing?
The most important factor to consider when choosing a platform for performance marketing is whether you need an end-to-end solution or only specific features. This will help ensure that you do not pay for features that you do not need.
Which Performance Marketing Platform Will You Choose?
These are some of the best platforms for performance marketing that you can use to manage your affiliates, influencers, and other partners. Some are specialized affiliate marketing tools, while others are end-to-end partner management solutions.
Which one do you think is the best?
Try out the one that you like best and share your experience with me in the comments.
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