Affiliates: Why Affiliate Marketing is a Key Strategy for eCommerce Brands in 2024 with Chikay Lo, Lo Digital (episode 185)
by April Buencamino-dyChikay Lo spent 7 years running Growth, Partnerships, and Performance Marketing at Cult Beauty, where she was named one of the Top 50 Industry Players in Performance Marketing by PerformanceIN. In 2022, she founded Lo Digital to support luxury and beauty brands to maximise growth in a sustainable and efficient way through affiliate performance marketing.
Listen now for free:
Subscribe to Keep Optimising on your favourite Podcast App
Dive in:
[03:15] Chikay Lo’s start in performance marketing.
[07:35] Relationships is a huge part of affiliate marketing success.
[12:13] Increased competition leads to rising advertising costs.
[16:12] Diversify partnerships to spread risk and innovate.
[19:17] Editors and writers now tasked with affiliate targets.
[21:59] Chikay’s Insider Tips!
Balancing Relationship-Building and Analytics
Both analytics and relationship-building play roles in successful affiliate marketing. Chikay estimates that 40% of success is attributed to building strong relationships with publishers and affiliates. She also emphasizes her positive experiences with agencies and the value of superior account management services.
Chikay adds that affiliate marketing is not limited to low-quality sites or voucher partners. The affiliate channel is adaptable to various brand goals, whether luxury, premium, or volume-focused. This reinforces the idea that successful affiliate marketing involves a blend of analytics and relationship dynamics.
Opportunities in PR + Affiliates
There’s a growing trend where editors, writers, and journalists are now tasked with affiliate targets. This presents a unique chance for brands to collaborate with publications. They can incorporate affiliate links into editorial content for visibility and revenue generation. Brands can leverage this trend by developing robust affiliate programs. This collaboration is a way for brands to increase visibility, drive sales, and enhance their marketing strategy.
What’s working in affiliates in 2024
In 2024, successful affiliate marketing strategies revolve around the following:
- Diversifying partner portfolios to spread risk
- Exploring closed user group platforms for discreet discounts
- Embracing partnerships with content creators, press, and PR.
D2C brands new to affiliates need to stand out from multi-brand retailers. They can do this by highlighting what makes them unique and building strong connections with affiliates. It’s important to improve and adapt based on data-driven insights to succeed in the changing world of affiliate marketing.
Plus hear Chikay’s Affiliate Marketing Insider Tips in the episode right now
Interview Links
PLUS Chikay’s social media
Sponsored by…
Get Genie Goals free Affiliate Marketing for Beginners Guide!
What to understand more about affiliates but don’t know where to start?
Genie Goals have launched a free “affiliate marketing for beginners” guide – available to Keep Optimising listeners/readers without even having to complete a form – just go here to get it.
So you can finally get to grips with the channel, in a painless, jargon free way. While knowing you’re learning from the award winning, eCommerce experts who launch programmes for all business sizes, from the likes of Scamp & Dude and Only Curls to Karl Lagerfeld.
