With so many exciting new marketing channels available today, it might be hard to believe that channels over 20 years old could still be relevant. Technology may forever be changing, and the list of new channels and tools for marketers to try may always be growing, but sometimes referring back to those old "tried-and-true" strategies is what ends up working the best.
Co-registration (or "co-reg") is an online lead generation channel where a user completes a registration form for a particular product or service on a publisher website, and is then taken to a path containing additional third party offers that they can choose to sign up for as well. Publishers benefit from co-reg by getting an additional stream of revenue from their website, while advertisers are able to quickly grow and enrich their database of real-time, opt-in leads.
Co-reg first started gaining momentum as an online marketing trend in the early 2000s, though the channel itself had been around even longer than that. Development began primarily in the North American market, but later expanded into Europe, Australia, Latin America, and Asia Pacific. Over the years, as newer marketing channels such as email, social media and mobile matured, co-reg began to become less popular... so much so that many advertisers today don't even know what it is, let alone how it works!
Interestingly though, co-reg has been making a comeback in recent years and seems to be growing steadily every month. As seasoned professionals in this marketing channel, we at Clench have been staying on top of the trend and wanted to share some reminders with you on why co-registration is such a great lead generation tool. Not only because it is growing, but also because it works! Here are our thoughts below, as well as some insights into what marketers who try co-reg can look forward to as things develop:
The answer to many current challenges in the online marketing industry.
The new regulations that the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) brought to the industry on May 25th this year have proven to be a challenge to many marketers. Not only do businesses no longer own user data, but they must also take the necessary steps to ensure that they are receiving consent from users before delivering their marketing messages.
Marketers engaged with co-reg won't experience any setbacks, though! Co-reg has always been a permission-based marketing method. Co-reg leads are opt-in, which means that users only sign up for the offers they are really interested in and consent to receive information from you before they even give you their name. There are also multiple segmentation options that you can implement for your co-reg campaigns so that offers are only shown to a specific demographic group who is likely to be interested. This means that co-reg leads are not only interested, but also highly targeted and qualified.
Low-tech involvement and easy to implement.
Co-reg is actually one of the least technologically-demanding lead generation channels. If you are an advertiser, all you need to get started with a campaign is your promotion headline/message, branding logo/image, data collection fields, targeting/validation requirements, and lead delivery preferences (whether real-time or batch file delivery). Most advertisers already have these things ready to go for their campaign, so very little work is needed on their end.
Other than their websites where the leads are generated, publishers should have a mid-path solution and access to sophisticated lead management software that can track and validate leads. A good system will also allow advertisers to log in and have access to their lead activity and campaign reporting. If you don't have a system of your own, there's no need to put in the resources to build one yourself (unless you want to, of course). There are several user-friendly options available on the market today, so look around and consider what you really want to be able to do with the system before making your final selection.
Economically speaking, it can't be beat.
Among lead generation strategies, co-reg is the most economical. Depending on your targeting, validation, and collection field requirements, a test budget of $3,000-$3,500 can get you around 12,000 leads at some of the lowest starting prices. That's cheap compared to mobile, search, and social media marketing. Also, co-reg offers a low-risk customer acquisition strategy. Leads are collected on a true pay for performance basis, which means that payment is always based on the valid leads delivered to you - not the invalid or unqualified.
Hidden benefits.
When considering co-reg, many marketers do not think about its ability to increase brand awareness. Co-reg gets your brand out there, reaching into new markets and giving you easy access to a fresh supply of high quality, opt-in leads that you can turn into new customers - all while keeping costs low and allowing you to maintain a targeted, permission-based marketing approach. Another benefit to co-reg that marketers usually don't consider is the opportunity to form lasting publisher/advertiser partnerships. If a co-reg collaboration proves successful, future beneficial collaborations will follow (on co-reg and other strategies), opening doors for you in the industry and beyond!
Over our 10+ years of experience in the marketing industry, we have seen lead generation channels come and go, but the benefits of co-registration have stood the test of time. That's why we think it is here to stay, and will continue to grow! What are your thoughts about co-reg? Feel free to leave a comment or get in contact with us if you'd like to find out whether it would be a good fit for your marketing goals.
