Chat Sessions

Another good feedback mechanism to use with affiliates is to host live chat sessions on your site. You can invite your affiliates through an e-mail or in your affiliate newsletter to visit you during the chat session at a designated time to discuss a particular topic or hold a general bull session. You can discuss a particular topic, such as how to increase sales, or ask advice about the best way to run your next promotion. Or you can ask for a topic from your affiliates themselves by including a request in your newsletter.

But be prepared to respond to negative feedback when it comes up. Run a lively, give-and-take chat session and respond to criticism by stating you will take those comments under consideration. Don’t dismiss them out right. Remember that you are getting real-time information about your program from your business partners. Treat it that way. It’s inevitable that a chat will hit a quiet point, so be sure to have some canned questions to spur discussions.

Establish a regular schedule for your chats and determine this schedule by asking your affiliates what works for them. For instance, ClubMom runs an affiliate chat two times per month—one at noon and another at 9 p.m.—to facilitate the varying schedules of affiliates. Try running your chats for a period of one hour, and archive them for any affiliates that could not participate.

Do

DO man your chat rooms. Nothing kills a chat room tool like people dropping by and asking, “Is anybody there?” and having no response. That is why a chat moderator should always be present when you have your chat room open.