Finding new customers with affiliate marketing

The world of affiliate marketing is full of untapped potential. With many brands focusing their efforts on voucher codes and cashback sites, it’s easy to forget that a great affiliate marketing program isn’t just about closing sales – it can also be a fantastic way to bring new customers to your website.

By embracing creative content campaigns and strategic influencer outreach, you can optimise your investment and reach new audiences. As a leading global affiliate and partnership marketing agency, we’re experts at maximising budgets and helping you tap into the affiliate channel for new customers.

Content is king

A traditional affiliate marketing program relies heavily on lower-funnel activity, such as discount codes and cashback partners. This is great when it comes to turning interest into sales, but it’s not always an ideal way of getting in front of new eyes.

Brands are now using influencer marketing to raise awareness and generate brand advocacy. It’s all about working with the right influencers: those that operate on the same platforms as your customer. Instagram is often the first platform to come to mind when you think of influencers, but YouTube, Facebook, Linkedin and even Twitch.tv are also home to influencers with highly engaged audiences.

We’ve worked with retailers in a number of different industries to reach new audiences through the power of influencer marketing and content generation. When we started working with HelloFresh, the subscription meal-kit company was experiencing a lack of brand awareness, particularly in smaller regions. The market in the UK, Canada and Germany was becoming increasingly competitive, so we knew that time was of the essence for HelloFresh’s global takeover.

The recipe for success relied heavily on creative content campaigns and influencer outreach, while affiliate codes allowed us to track sales and understand where the activity was most effective.

HelloFresh saw fantastic results in just a short time. We supported a lifetime value increase of 300% and we even managed to significantly reduce the average publisher cost per acquisition (CPA). The brand is now a household name in 11 territories and has tripled subscription in the UK alone. For HelloFresh, it was all about working with the right people on the right platforms to create content their target audience will love.

Optimising commission

Often brands don’t have extra budget to spend on top-of-the-funnel marketing activity, especially when a large part of the budget is dedicated to attributable affiliate activity, such as voucher codes and cashback schemes.

With this in mind, we work with brands to optimise their commission structure, so they can get more for less. While managing the affiliate partner program for Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) Tickets, we encouraged the brand to move away from third-party affiliate networks and reevaluate the commission structure.

Through the implementation of tracking pixel variables, we didn’t lose any data of attribution knowledge and saved over £200,000 in commissions and network fees. This allowed us to re-invest the budget, which was previously focused on the sale of tickets to West End shows, into a more regional approach – taking ticket sales to the masses.

Targeting

Many brands fall into the habit of targeting the same audiences over and over again. However, the rise of social media and smart targeting enables you to get a better understanding of who your audience is – and you might be surprised.

Competitive research and site analytics can give us invaluable insight into audience behaviours. We can identify customers’ areas of interest and niche publications, so you can get in front of new audiences that are likely to engage with your branding.

All in all, it’s about staying ahead of the curve and never resting on your laurels. We’re experts in taking data and transforming it into powerful audience targeting. From here, we’ll identify ideal affiliate partners and create great content your partners want to share.

With over 15 years’ experience managing affiliate marketing programs for international brands, including N.Peal, Charlotte Tilbury and Lily’s Kitchen, we can help you grow your brand and boost your sales via the affiliate channel.

Need help getting in front of new eyes? Get in touch, and we’ll get the ball rolling.

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