Let's Start Planning for Q4

Vol. 160: It's been a minute, but I'm back again.

Jul 12, 2024

HelloZ

Hi friendZ! I know it’s been a minute, and I’m really quite sorry about that. [Insert all annoying life crap that’s been happening, but also insert realizing the show must go on and bills have to be paid and friendZ need to be nurtured and so here we are.]

I think (hope?) that I’m more than making it up for it today with a SUUUUUPER long post filled with fun goodies and some PR & Affiliate Insights about Q4 planning that I’m making FREE FOR ALL. Yay! Hope you enjoy!

Ask Zlata Anything

While I’m slightly nervous to book a new AZA (how many times can I cancel?!), I really want to follow through with that because SO many people showed interest. That being said, the new date will be Wednesday, July 17 at 1pm EST.

If you’re in PR and looking to put some oomph in your affiliate results or have questions on how to pitch, this is for you!

If you’re a brand looking to manage your own affiliate program, this is for you!

This Q&A session is open for all subscribers

🚨Sign up here for the AZA and share your thoughts ahead of time!🚨

NewZ and ShowZ

Will Forte has boarded Netflix comedy “Four Seasons” as a series regular. He joins Tina Fey, Steve Carell, Colman Doming, Erika Henningsen and Kerri Kenney-Silver in the remake of the 1981 Alan Alda film.
Actor Martin Mull died June 27 after a long illness. He was 80. Mull had memorable roles on “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman,” “Fernwood Night” and “Roseanne,” among others.
Netflix renewed dating series “Perfect Match” for a third season. The show pairs singles from other Netflix unscripted series.
“American Godfathers: The Five Families,” executive produced and narrated by actor Michael Imperioli (“The Sopranos”), airs across three consecutive nights beginning Sunday, August 11 at 8p on The History Channel. The six-hour docuseries explores the inception, rise, and fall of New York City’s five Mafia families.
Ricky Gervais has planned a tour, “Ricky Gervais: Mortality,” that will run through the end of 2025 and wrap with a Netflix special, his fourth for the streamer. “We’re all gonna die,” said Gervais. “May as well have a laugh about it. Mortality looks at the absurdities of life. And death. Bring it on.”
Verizon unveiled a brand refresh – complete with a new logo – as well as new the way people live, work and play. The new logo features a red V with a yellow glow, which anchors in the Verizon name - Veritas (truth) and Horizon (the future of possibility).
Amid calls for him to drop out of the presidential race, President Joe Biden will have a one-on-one with NBC News anchor Lester Holt on Monday, July 15 – the first night of the Republican National Convention. The interview is slated to air as a primetime special at 9p, with highlights on “NBC Nightly News” and NBCNews.com.
Dating show “Too Hot to Handle” returns to Netflix for season six on Friday, July 19.
New social media app noplace hit the top of the App Store the first week it launched out of invite-only mode. Aimed at younger users – “calling all NPCs, main characters, swifties, barbs, nerds, and stans,” reads the app’s description – noplace allows users to post text updates to their friends, like X, but is built around profile pages that are customizable, with the option to add information like what users are watching or listening to.
Halle Berry and Glenn Close have joined the cast of “All’s Fair,” the Hulu drama series starring Kim Kardashian. The pair also will serve as executive producers for the series – described as a “glossy and sexy procedural” – along with Ryan Murphy and Kardashian.
NBC announced premiere dates for its fall season, kicking off September 23 with “The Voice,” featuring new coaches Snoop Dogg and Michael Bublé, followed by freshman scripted series “Brilliant Minds” Starring Zachary Quinto. The season finale of “America’s Got Talent” will air September 24, while all new episodes of One Chicago will return September 25. The second annual “People’s Choice Country Awards” airs live from Nashville on September 26 on NBC and Peacock, while new episodes of “The Irrational,” “Law & Order,” “Law & Order: SVU,” and “Found” begin the week of September 30. Reba McEntire comedy “Happy’s Place” debuts October 18; “St. Denis Medical” launches November 12 and all new episodes of “Night Court” return November 19.
ABC announced fall premiere dates, kicking off Tuesday, September 17 with “Dancing with the Stars” at 8p, and new crime procedural “High Potential” at 10p. “The Golden Bachelorette” makes its debut Wednesday, September 18 at 8p, and “20/20” is back Friday, September 20 at 9p. Thursday, September 26 brings “9-1-1” at 8p, new drama “Doctor Odyssey” at 9p, and warhorse “Grey’s Anatomy” at 10p. “America’s Funniest Home Videos” starts season 35 on Sunday, September 29 at 7p, followed by “The Wonderful World of Disney” at 8p. “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune” — hosted by Pat Sajak! – and “Press Your Luck” return Monday, October 7 at 8p and 9p, respectively, while “Abbott Elementary” slips into its new time slot on Wednesday, October 9 at 9:30p, followed by docuseries “Scamanda” at 10p. “Shark Tank” is back for season 16 on Friday, October 18 at 8p.
Podcast entrepreneur and comedian Joe Rogan will launch his first stand-up comedy special in six years – “Burn the Boats” – which will air on Netflix August 3 at 7p, according to Variety. The live special will be filmed at the Majestic Theater in San Antonio.
After sitting out a season while “The Golden Bachelor” took up franchise space, “Bachelor in Paradise” has been renewed by ABC for season 10. The next installment will arrive in 2025.

ThingZ I Love

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Preparing Your Affiliate Program for Q4

It’s very stupid that it’s time for Q4 planning already in the year 2024, but time slows for no one and march on we must. Welcome to the wild ride that is Q4 prep! As marketers, we all know that the final stretch of the year is jam-packed with opportunities and activities (AKA chaos and anxiety, my besties). Indeed, this is your chance to shine, but you’ve got to be ready to handle those high seas, matey. This comprehensive checklist arms you with everything you need to crush your Q4 goals, impress your clients, and end the year on a high note.

Ready to roll? Let’s get started!

Q3 Retrospective and Technical Planning (August - September)

Before Q4 officially starts, we’re getting our ducks. The first ducks:

Review Q3 Performance: What worked? What sucked? What surprised you? Analyze Q3 with a fine-tooth comb and organize your key learnings.
Goals: Define your goals for Q4. Yes, it’s cliche. Yes, it’s necessary. Is your success going to be measured in sales? Engagement? Brand awareness? Blockbuster Rewards? All of the above? Figure them out and write them down.
Budget: Do the math and make sure you have a clear budget for all planned activities, including promotions and marketing campaigns (more on that next!). If you don’t, now is the time to upsell your client and expand that budget, baby.
Housekeeping: Take care of your website. Work closely with your developer now to make sure your website is ready to handle all those shoppers and cha-ching you’re sending its way! Mobile and desktop should be firing on all cylinders. Do this now so you know it’s good to go when things get cooking. There should be absolutely NO, N-O, NO, NO, NO web development planned for Q4.

Promo Calendar and Content Planning (Early to Mid-September)

Plan Major Campaigns: Outline key dates for major sales events. Remember, Q4 is the season of Halloween, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, holiday promotions, and generalized anxiety. You need to have your shit together before October 1.
Content Creation Timeline: Work backward from launch dates to set deadlines for content creation. Theoretically, deadlines will give you peace of mind that all assets will be drafted, edited, polished and ready to rumble well before they’re needed. Of course, as any great procrastinator knows, that’s not always how deadlines are managed. Put your best foot forward anyway.
Cross-Channel Coordination: Ensure consistency across all channels, aligning social media, email marketing, website, etc.

Recruitment/Publisher Planning (by September 30)

Early Bird Gets the Burn: Most publishers aren’t taking on new partnerships in Q4, so you really need to iron out who you’re working with before October 1.
Identify Key Partners: Research and shortlist potential publishers and influencers who align with your client’s brand. It’s okay to cast a wide net but maintain discretion. I’ve discussed the importance of partnerships in a post you can read here.
Outreach Strategy: Develop your outreach plan and perfect your pitch, allowing ample time for negotiations and agreements.
Collaboration Planning: Discuss campaign goals and content requirements with your partners to ensure alignment.

Logistics and Business-y Things (September - October)

Inventory: Verify that you have adequate inventory to meet increased demand during the height of Q4 chaos.
Logistics Planning: Coordinate with fulfillment partners to avoid any disruptions. You do not want to have a Wacky Widget promo only to learn that the factory in Iowa where they make your Wacky Widgets is closed for a month to accommodate the state fair. I took that too far, but it’s already there and we’re not deleting it. The point here: No surprises!

Program Planning (by October 15)

Update As Needed: Review your current program and update anywhere it is needed. Check your profile image, brand logo, T&C’s, PPC policy, data feed, etc. to make sure it’s all current and seasonally relevant.
Finger on the Pulse: This is not specific to Q4 planning, but you should be regularly reviewing your pending validations and monitoring performance reports.
Verify Tracking and Access: Ensure tracking is working properly and that all relevant users have access to your account.

Marketing and Communication Planning (by October 15)

Develop Messaging: Remember those goals you slayed? Bust them out. Create compelling messaging that ladders up to all that greatness you’re planning to achieve. A lot of this can happen in line with your promo planning.
Email Marketing: Before Q4 hits fast and furious, now is the time to tidy up your email campaigns, including segmentation and personalization strategies. Or get an intern who just finished Marketing 101 to do it for you.

Other Q4 Stuff That Should Be On Your Radar

Once Q4 gets underway, we shift from planning to execution and optimization.

Campaign Launch: Execute your planned campaigns according to the promotional calendar with all the goodies you’ve so diligently created and organized since late July.
Performance Monitoring: Track key metrics and be ready to adjust strategies as needed.
Partnership Analysis: Who’s knocking it out of the park? Keep a Top Performers portfolio and give these partners extra love and support.
Regular Inventory Review: Review inventory on a regular basis to avoid promoting out-of-stock products. If you do run into stock issues, play up the urgency with re-stock messaging when your stock levels go back up again.
Competitor Analysis: Conduct a Q4 promotional analysis of your competitors. Make sure your program is competitive in the marketplace and that the competition isn’t out here showing you up.

And boom! Just like that, you’re smarter than everyone you know. Hope this helps you and your team! If it does, share me with your friendZ!

Refer a friend

Have the best weekend!

-Z