Thanks for listening in to the Affiliate Marketing Podcast. This week, Lee-Ann is joined by Digital Footprints Managing Director, Sharon McFarlane, to discuss the crossover between the influencer and affiliate aspect of the marketing industry and the changes that have shaped it today.
Listen in here for all the insights.
Sorting our terminology
The problem with affiliate marketing is that everyone tends to get tarred with the same brush. If you have a following (or are trying to gain a following); engaging in digital marketing in any way, then people within and beyond the industry tend to interchangeably call you an “influencer” and “affiliate”, a “content creator” or “brand ambassador” without necessarily recognising the nuances of those titles.
Sharon explains: “I think there’s a few titles that are used interchangeably and maybe not always understood. So, we’ve got brand ambassadors, influencers, and content creators. Content creators are people who create content specific for their audience. They tend to be very specific about the kind of content that they push out because they’ve spent years, potentially, of long and unpaid hours to kind of build-up that following and that fan base.”
“Influencers, we sort of like to think of them kind of as affiliates to be fair, because you can negotiate those same types of deals and build longer-term partnerships within.”
Lee-Ann goes on to conclude, “Then obviously brand ambassadors. Well, they might have to change the way that they’re going to be promoting shortly because of some of the new FTC guidelines that have come in to play.”
Is TikTok growing up?
Have you noticed that TikTok has grown up drastically since its musical.ly days? We’re not only referring to the fact that its owner has sat in front of Congress but that people of all ages and backgrounds seem to have found some merit in it – even business brands.
Sharon comments: “Instagram and TikTok are my favourite just now. The reason I’m a massive fan of TikTok, I think the algorithm within it is so clever. It’s incredibly clever and I think that when you use the right influencer and you have the right content in place, I think that you can have a campaign that can go viral within minutes.”
She explains further: “The age gap’s getting smaller and I think specifically with TikTok, it was previously viewed as a really young platform. It’s like the demographic has aged with the app, if that makes sense? I’m not sure if it’s because when people didn’t have anything to do in Covid, but you know, that older demographic is starting to push forward.”
The only limit is imagination
Influencer and affiliate marketing do allow for a lot of freedom, which is proven when you take a glance through your For You Page and realise just how much people are trying to market something.
Lee-Ann points out, “It really is on a case-by-case basis. There’s no one size fits all program here in terms of gifting or freebies, or actually just asking them to purchase the product or at a discounted rate?”
Sharon responds, “But I think that’s the beauty of influencer marketing in that it’s not like a cookie-cutter approach. You can be as creative as you want and you can create the kind of partnerships that you want to, as well.”
“It’s like the only limit is just imagination, effectively. I love that.”
If you are interested in discovering more about affiliate marketing insights, and tips – sign up to our newsletter or search our blog for all the latest news and advice. Or for a more personalised approach, book a free call with a member of our agency team. If you’re looking to launch an affiliate program for your business, we can help you navigate and fast-track your program to success.
Listen to find out more about:
- PR and influencers crossing over
- Rewarding loyalty effectively
Key segments of this podcast and where you can tune into go direct
[10:00] – Influencing is a self-taught gig. Is there something managers can do about that?
[20:00] – The process of hiring the right agency
[30:00] – The marketing benefits of TikTok
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