Why a Lead Tracking and Distribution System for Affiliate Marketing is NOT the Same as a CRM

Germain Palacios

Content Writer

6 minute read

In the intricate landscape of affiliate marketing, staying ahead requires finely tuned tools that match the complexity of your affiliate program. 

Two essential tools commonly used by affiliate marketers are lead tracking and distribution systems and customer relationship management (CRM) software. While these may seem synonymous at first glance, delving deeper reveals distinct purposes and functionalities that set them apart.

In a world where every click, impression, and interaction is valuable, businesses must harness the power of advanced systems to effectively manage their outreach efforts. To maximize leads and optimize conversion, it’s imperative to understand the unique roles that lead tracking and distribution systems and CRMs play.

Whether you’re a seasoned marketer or just starting your journey, this blog will equip you with the knowledge needed to decide which tool best suits your specific marketing goals.

Join us as we navigate through the intricacies of these tools, dissecting their features, functions, and applications.

Lead Management and Distribution Platform for an Affiliate

A lead management and distribution system allows you to track, route, and sell all your incoming leads to your network of buyers in real-time. Sophisticated lead distribution software provides form builders, integration builders, and affiliate and publisher management tools out of the box. 

So while CRMs are used by the end service provider (advertisers, brand, buyer), lead distribution systems are used by lead generation companies who then sell leads to the end users (typically via ping post systems for automated, intelligent routing across multiple buying entities and brands).

Lead Generation and Distribution

This platform focuses on capturing and managing leads generated through various marketing channels, such as affiliate websites, online ads, and social media. It ensures efficient distribution of these leads among affiliates, ensuring fair allocation and maximizing conversion opportunities.

Ping Post Software for Dynamic Lead Distribution

Ping post software is a dynamic lead exchange solution that swiftly matches and dispatches incoming leads to the most suitable buyers, ensuring rapid and efficient lead distribution in real-time.

Affiliate and Publisher Collaboration

The platform facilitates communication and collaboration between affiliate marketers and publishers. It often includes features to track the performance of different affiliates, their lead conversion rates, and commissions earned. It can also include builders for publisher forms and APIs for integrations.

Tracking and Attribution

An affiliate-focused platform emphasizes accurate tracking and attribution of leads and sales to specific sources — either individual publishers or campaigns across channel sources. This is crucial for calculating commissions and compensating affiliates accordingly.

Conversion Optimization

The platform may offer tools to help affiliates optimize their lead conversion strategies. This could include A/B testing, landing page optimization, and other techniques to increase conversion rates.

Real-time Analytics

Real-time reporting and analytics are often essential components, allowing affiliates and the organization to monitor lead performance, track campaign success, and make data-driven decisions.

Customer Relationship Management System

A CRM system enables you to systematically arrange your sales leads, document insights, and monitor engagements as you guide each lead through your sales journey. 

While you likely have a grasp of what a CRM entails, it’s worth emphasizing that CRMs lack features related to buying and selling leads, and additionally tracking multiple sources of traffic from affiliates, publishers, and other channels. 

Usually, a lead’s final destination resides within the CRM of the service provider. Consequently, advanced lead systems often seamlessly integrate with various CRMs.

Customer Data Management

A CRM system manages detailed information about individual customers or prospects. It tracks interactions, communication history, preferences, purchase history, and other relevant data.

Sales and Marketing Automation

CRMs automate and streamline sales and marketing processes, such as sending follow-up emails, tracking sales opportunities, and managing customer segmentation for targeted marketing campaigns.

Pipeline Management

CRM systems help manage the sales pipeline by tracking leads as they progress through various stages of the sales process, from initial contact to closing a deal.

Customer Service

CRMs often include customer support features to manage and track customer inquiries, complaints, and support tickets. This helps ensure timely and effective customer service.

Forecasting and Reporting

CRMs provide tools for sales forecasting, performance analysis, and generating reports to assess sales team performance and overall business health.

Integration with Marketing and Sales Tools

A CRM system may integrate with various marketing automation tools, email marketing platforms, and other sales-related software to provide a comprehensive view of customer interactions.

• Limited scope: While lead tracking systems excel in monitoring individual leads’ interactions, they lack the comprehensive capabilities required by affiliate marketers for managing affiliates, tracking multiple channels, and analyzing overall campaign performance. Conversely, a CRM system is designed to holistically manage customer relationships, encompassing lead nurturing, sales processes, customer support, and more.
• Lack of affiliate-specific features: Do the unique requirements of your affiliate network necessitate specialized features, such as commission tracking, affiliate recruitment tools, and performance reporting? If so, keep in mind that a lead tracking system typically lacks these affiliate-specific functionalities, making it unsuitable for meeting the diverse needs of an affiliate marketer.
• Inadequate commission management: Affiliate marketers must accurately attribute commissions to individual affiliates based on their referrals and conversions. Lead tracking systems often lack the granularity required for precise commission tracking and attribution, leading to disputes and dissatisfaction among affiliates.
• Limited reporting capabilities: Comprehensive reporting is crucial for affiliate marketers to analyze the performance of different affiliates, campaigns, and channels. Lead tracking systems may offer basic reporting functionalities, but they may not provide the level of granularity and customization required to gain valuable insights for optimizing affiliate marketing efforts.

The Role of Tracking Solutions in an Affiliate Network’s Overall Infrastructure & Tech Stack

• Centralized Performance Tracking: Affiliate tracking solutions are the backbone of an affiliate network’s tech stack, providing centralized performance tracking for all affiliates and campaigns. These solutions capture data on clicks, conversions, and revenue generated by affiliates, offering real-time insights into campaign performance. The ability to track and analyze data from various sources empowers affiliate marketers to make data-driven decisions and optimize their marketing efforts effectively.
• Affiliate Recruitment and Management: Tracking solutions facilitate affiliate recruitment and management, allowing affiliate marketers to onboard new partners seamlessly. With affiliate-specific features like referral link generation and registration tracking, tracking solutions simplify the process of enrolling affiliates into your program.
• Advanced Attribution Models: Tracking solutions offer advanced attribution models that go beyond last-click attribution, such as multi-touch and first-click attribution. These models provide a more comprehensive view of the customer journey, ensuring your affiliates receive fair credit for their contributions throughout the conversion funnel.
• Real-time Analytics and Reporting: Affiliate tracking solutions equip marketers with real-time analytics and reporting capabilities, enabling them to monitor performance, identify trends, and respond quickly to changing market dynamics. With intuitive dashboards and customized reports, affiliate marketers can gain insights into the efficacy of their affiliate program and optimize their marketing strategies accordingly.

While lead tracking systems serve a particular purpose in monitoring individual leads, they fall short as a comprehensive CRM solution for affiliate marketers. The unique demands of affiliate marketing require a specialized tracking solution that offers affiliate-specific features, commission management, and comprehensive reporting capabilities. 

Looking for ways to maximize your affiliate marketing performance? Get your enterprise-grade affiliate marketing software suite, or book a free consultation to learn how Phonexa can help you harness the power of automated performance marketing solutions.