INSIGHT
keeping them on board , and rewarding them for their efforts .
In the gambling sector , the last click model is essential , especially on rev-share programmes . This means that a lot of their influence can go completely unrecognised and unrewarded . For example , if you have a sports journalist who believes a certain outcome is a good tip – a horse for example , the recommendation may come from their Twitter account to back this horse with the best odds from a certain bookie , the audience may then know they can get a voucher code or cashback or go to an odds portal to check against competitors – any one of these routes does not give credit to the influencer who initiated this wager .
One way we can work with influencers on the affiliate channel is by offering appealing or exclusive content , competitions , offers , etc . This may create an environment where influencers can be rewarded fairly within the affiliate channel , as their audience has more reason to complete their journey rather than complete it via another channel or different affiliate . It ’ s also necessary for more flexible commission structures , with payments for influence becoming an integrated part of a programme ’ s framework . The value of influence cannot be underestimated , as this side of the channel is rapidly growing and forming a channel of its own . Data insights will be key when it comes to understanding the value of influencers on your programme , with the quality of traffic and consumers being an important metric .
The pirate model ( Aarrr ) is a brilliant way to review the effectiveness of an influencer campaign and here are some points to consider .
Acquisition : the initial content visible to audiences , be it through social media , a blog , landing page , external widget , etc . Here is where we need to focus on views , likes , clicks , shares and any form of engagement .
Activation : the second stage of reviewing your influencer campaign is tracking signups and depositing customers from the influencer ’ s audience .
Retention : while this mostly remains out of the hands of influencers , it is still possible to integrate retention methods into your campaign , through time or event specific offers / communication sent strategically from both sides .
Referral : this is particularly interesting for services that already offer a refer-afriend scheme to reward players . If you are working on a campaign with an influencer whose audience is very engaged and passionate , they are likely to be : a ) good converters ; and b ) more likely to refer your product to others .
Revenue : ROI is always top of any affiliate marketing strategy , and while compromise and flexibility may be required with influencers , ultimately they still need to generate revenue to maintain value , particularly if they are able to provide loyal consumers . A rev-share model is an ideal way to work with some influencers as they have more to gain on a performance basis .
The new rules While looking at different ways to reward influencers , it ’ s also important to understand the guidelines in place for brands and agencies working with influencers .
Recently the Committee of Advertising Practice ( CAP ) issued revised guidelines for brands and agencies working with influencers — at the core of these revised guidelines is the transparency of affiliate marketing to consumers . The need for transparency on social media , vlogs , blogs , news sites and voucher sites was particularly highlighted , after a recent survey highlighted concerns that over three-quarters of consumers are unaware of what # sp means and just under half did not know the meaning of # ad . With image-based Instagram becoming one of the main drivers in influencer marketing , CAP has advised that ‘# ad ’ should be included on the image itself or written before any other text so consumers know the post is for advertising .
One of the most important things to influencers , their audience and brands is the authenticity behind the advertising – influencers are generally passionate about the things they promote and enjoy sharing things with their engaged audience . However , following these guidelines means that some of that authenticity may be lost as consumers are more likely to lose trust in a product if they see it as advertising and not a genuine recommendation .
The true impact of these new guidelines will become clearer once more brands have implemented this strategy when working with influencers on campaigns and reviewed results . One thing is for certain , influencer marketing is growing at an exceptional rate , with increased budgets and more attention from agencies and brands .
The recent news about PerformanceIN launching an influencer marketing show connected to PI Live this October shows how much the industry has recognised the importance of these relationships . Even Google jumped on board by purchasing an influencer platform late last year . If not already in place , now is the time to devise a strategy to work with and reward existing influencers on your programme and recruit new influencers to work with .
MARIE CLEMENTS began her career in affiliate marketing at Awin , working across a range of clients , before a move into the betting industry at Marathonbet , where she headed up PR and advertising . She joined Digital Fuel at the start of 2017 as an affiliate account manager .
50 iGB Affiliate Issue 62 APR / MAY 2017