12 Things Your Affiliate Program Should Be Doing This Holiday Season

9. Even though you'll want to conduct sitewide sales, don't forget about promoting specific products. More specific offers are more effective at catching the eyes of buyers.

10. Don't push out site updates right before big shopping periods. It would be a worst-case scenario if new updates turned into big glitches during a time of heavy e-commerce activity.

11. Test your affiliate tracking, including mobile, in advance of these big shopping periods. If it doesn't work as it should, you could lose affiliates forever when they see that they didn't convert as they'd expect.

12. Consider free shipping and free returns to set yourself apart from the pack. It is the season of giving, after all.

The most important thing to remember is that while there are specific days over the course of the next few weeks known for their shopping activity, your affiliate plan should last through to the New Year to ensure that it's a holiday hit.

Meghan Schwartz Joseph is the vice president of performance marketing for Acceleration Partners, a digital strategy and performance marketing firm.