Why Is Affiliate Marketing Important For PR Success?

Oh, how the PR game keeps changing! It was once recommended only two years ago by editors to have your products commissionable when pitching for editorial consideration. Now, especially looking towards the holiday season, it is basically required. How can you help your brand rise to the opportunity? Get on board with affiliate marketing.

Affiliate marketing is a performance-based marketing strategy in which a brand or business rewards affiliates (publishers or influencers) for promoting their products or services and driving traffic or sales to their website. Affiliates are typically provided with unique tracking links or codes that they use to promote the products, and when a sale or conversion occurs through their referral, they earn a commission. Examples of affiliates are ShareASale, SkimLinks, Impact, and more that are integrated into your direct to consumer site, but retailers like Amazon, Nordstrom, and Target also have their own networks that editors have relationships with, as well. The benefit of your own network is controlling the commissions, which can have sway (for example, offering 20% on your site is going to be much more attractive then 7% on Amazon, other factors excluded). Ideally, you have both!

Here's are several reasons it's important for brands to make their products commissionable:

Increased Exposure: By allowing affiliates to promote their products, brands can tap into the affiliate's existing audience and reach new potential customers who might not have been aware of the brand otherwise.

Cost-Effective Marketing: Affiliate marketing is a cost-effective strategy as brands only pay commissions for actual sales or conversions. This can be more efficient than traditional advertising where brands pay upfront for ad space without guaranteed results.

Performance-Driven: Brands can track the performance of their affiliate marketing efforts through specific metrics like clicks, conversions, and sales. This data allows them to optimize their marketing strategy and focus on affiliates that drive the most valuable traffic.

Builds Relationships with Influencers: Affiliate marketing allows brands to build mutually beneficial relationships with influencers and affiliates. Since affiliates earn a commission, they have an incentive to promote the products genuinely and creatively.

SEO Benefits: Affiliate marketing can also contribute to improved SEO efforts. When affiliates link to the brand's website, it can lead to increased organic traffic and better search engine rankings.

Now, let's discuss how affiliate marketing can help with pitching products for review to the media:

Incentive for Media Partners: When brands offer an affiliate program, it provides an additional incentive for media outlets and reviewers to feature the products. If the media outlets can earn a commission from the sales generated through their reviews or features, they are more likely to promote the products.

Expanding Reach: When media outlets promote affiliate products, it can lead to increased exposure for the brand. Reviews and features published by media partners can reach broader audiences beyond the brand's immediate reach.

Third-Party Credibility: Reviews from reputable media outlets carry significant weight with consumers. When media partners promote and review the products through affiliate marketing, it adds third-party credibility to the brand and its offerings.

Measurable Impact: Brands can track the performance of media partners through their affiliate links. They can see which outlets are generating more sales or conversions and tailor their media outreach accordingly.

Long-term Relationships: Affiliate marketing can help build long-term relationships between brands and media partners. As the partners continue to earn commissions, they may be more inclined to feature the brand's products in future content as well.

Affiliate marketing is a powerful tool for brands to expand their reach, improve marketing efficiency, and build relationships with influencers and media partners. By making their products commissionable, brands can incentivize affiliates to promote their products effectively, including pitching them for reviews to the media, which can result in increased exposure, credibility, and potential sales. FACTEUR can help. Get in touch!