Last fall, we hosted a digital event covering the ins and outs of affiliate marketing with insights from the media side. Now, we revisited the topic to focus on a prominent practice within this realm: how to successfully engage influencers in affiliate marketing campaigns. We heard from LTK's Reesa Lake, VP & Head of Creator Expansion & Agency Partnerships, and Ally Anderson, Director of Strategy & Insights, Brand Partnerships, as well as Cynthia Andrew, the content creator behind @simplycyn, on affiliate marketing best practices from both the brand side and the influencer perspective.

The takeaways: 

• Creator marketing is here to stay
• 75% of surveyed marketers intend to dedicate a budget to influencer marketing, and 90% believe influencer marketing is an effective form of marketing
• The definition of “winning” in creator marketing is different for every brand (goals could be to generate content, target a new demo, drive sales, etc.)
• Creators on affiliate platforms often search by commission rates; if your brand goes on a platform like LTK, think about what will incentivize a creator (is your rate comparable to another brand’s/retailer’s?)
  • The standard offering from brands is about 13-15% 
• Provide creators with the tools and data they need to see the user journey (did they click a link but the item was too expensive?) in one place
• Creators are doing so much and working across so many platforms, they prefer an all-in-one platform (like LTK) over joining another platform for a specific brand’s affiliate program
• When setting up your creator framework, start by deciding KPIs, and make sure to vary them, i.e. include goals across performance, awareness, reach, sales, etc.
• Analytics are key: how will you know how to pivot and shift your program if you don’t know your results?
• Be strategic in your influencer casting process
• Gen Z partnerships are a top priority for brands: 92% of this group make purchases based on influencer recommendations
• TikTok tip: brands could increase chances of generating ROI (since direct links/other tools not available there) by working influencers that have a strong following on other platforms, or a very similar audience on TikTok as they do on other platforms
• 2020 saw an influx of users spending even more time on social platforms, which made it financially rewarding for creators; people felt bonded to/gained trust in creators on recommendations, etc. This sentiment has remained 
• Focus on what platforms people are spending their time on. This is where people are getting their inspo from (travel, food, fashion, etc.) and if there’s an easy affiliate link (like on LTK), audiences buy 
• Advice for brands looking to work with creators on affiliate marketing or other campaigns: 
  • Do your homework - creators respond better when they feel you understand them, their content and their audience 
  • Creators prefer longer term (at least six months) projects versus one-offs, as they feel more authentic and natural, not just transactional 
  • Be careful who you select from the beginning, and make sure you appreciate them and they appreciate your brand
  • Audiences feel like they have a relationship with content creators and they trust them, so let creators do what they do - they know what their audiences respond to