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When it comes to growing an e-commerce brand, we know that it’s not always all peaches & cream. The competition’s high, the customers demanding, and you sometimes might feel like your marketing’s not going how you want it to go at all.
So, we wanted to present you with an interesting hybrid strategy.
Influencer campaigns and affiliate programs are two strategies that can deliver impressive results on their own. But what happens when you combine them?
You get an influencer affiliate campaign, which gives you the power of visibility, engagement, and sales growth all in one! In this article, we’ll cover what it is and give you a step-by-step guide for getting started.
Let’s jump right into it!
This is the kind of program we mentioned just now, where you combine influencer campaigns and typical affiliate programs into one strategy. Let’s break it down:
An influencer campaign involves collaborating with creators who share content about your brand with their followers. These partnerships are typically short-term, focused on a specific number of posts or a set time period, and usually come with a flat fee.
Affiliate programs, on the other hand, are more sales-driven. Affiliates promote your products and earn a commission for every purchase made through their unique links or codes.
So, basically, affiliate influencers are influencers who are incentivized to promote
your brand because they benefit from the sale, too.
Influencer campaigns tend to outperform traditional marketing efforts, and working with them on affiliate programs is no different.
For starters, we need to mention that your revenue will grow faster. This is because influencers already know their audience well, so they know which content performs well, and they can drive quick results in terms of sales.
Affiliate influencers are also very motivated since they earn based on the sales they make; they’re naturally incentivized to keep producing content that converts.
Finally, it’s also worth noting that this strategy gives you access to a lot of content opportunities. Working with influencers, in general, gets you consistent stream content, so you have the space to test different styles, formats, and messages to see what works best.
The best thing about influencer affiliate programs is that they’re easier to launch than you might think.
To help you get started, we broke the process down into 5 steps:
Before jumping in, take a moment to assess whether this strategy is a good fit for your brand. To know for sure, you can start by asking yourself these questions:
Affiliates tend to perform better when they’re promoting clear offers, like specific products, bundles, or discount codes. Without a clear focus, it can be harder to drive traffic and conversions.
Running an affiliate program involves a lot of moving parts: shipping products, creating promo codes, tracking performance, and processing payouts. Make sure you have enough staff, tools, and money to handle these tasks.
Affiliates earn money based on the sales they generate. These payouts can be in cash or store credit, but you’ll need a system to track and manage these payments.
Successful affiliate campaigns are built on strong connections between brands and influencers. You’ll need to invest time in nurturing these relationships to see the best results.
If other brands in your space are running influencer affiliate campaigns, it’s a sign that this strategy works well in your industry and is worth a shot.
If you answered yes to most of these questions, you can proceed with the next steps!
Finding the right partners is key to any campaign’s success, especially one that depends so much on the influencer you work with.
Every creator has their own tone, audience, and type of content. For your first campaign, it’s a good idea to cast a wide net. Reach out to a variety of influencers and see who responds, and then you can refine your strategy after a few months of testing.
Here’s how to start:
If you’re a larger brand, aim for 75–100 micro- and mid-tier influencers for your initial campaign. If you’re smaller, go for a smaller number, and don’t be afraid to work with nano-influencers as long as they have a high engagement rate.
If a potential customer follows multiple influencers talking about your brand, they’re more likely to notice and engage with your campaign.
There are three main types of influencers who work well for e-commerce brands:
Your loyal fans are often the best ambassadors for your brand. They might not have massive followings, but they’re authentic and trusted by their audience. Plus, 56% of consumers say they trust recommendations from friends and family over other forms of advertising.
These creators typically have fewer than 150,000 followers, but their audiences are highly engaged. They’re often open to partnerships that include free products instead of cash incentives.
These are the big names, like celebrities or creators with huge followings. So, naturally, they offer broad reach but keep in mind that they tend to come with higher costs.
Once you know who you’re looking for, it’s time to start connecting. Here are some ways to find the right creators:
You can check Google and social media platforms to find influencers in your niche. Look at tagged photos, mentions, and even your DMs to identify fans who already love your brand.
There are tools available online that will let you search for vetted influencers so you can avoid creators who use fake followers or engagement.
Some platforms (like TikTok, for example) also have marketplaces where you can connect with creators who are specifically interested in affiliate campaigns.
If you want potential partners to come to you, you can also create a dedicated page where potential affiliates can apply. This lets you review applications and make sure you end up working with the right people.
To attract the right influencer affiliates, you need to create an irresistible offer.
This typically includes three key elements, which we’re breaking down in this section:
Sending free products to your influencer affiliates is a great way to kickstart the relationship. Think of it as a way to let them try your product, decide if they like it, and, hopefully, get excited about sharing it with their followers.
At this stage, the goal isn’t to demand sales or posts but to build a genuine connection and find out who’s a natural fan of your brand. Like we said, when an affiliate truly enjoys a product, the collab is bound to do better.
Your commission rate is what incentivizes your affiliates to keep promoting your brand. While 10%–30% per sale is a common range, the exact rate depends on certain factors.
One such factor is the Customer Lifetime Value (LTV), which measures how much your average customer spends over time. For example, if the typical customer spends $100, offering a $10 commission per sale is a fair rate.
Another thing to consider is your marketing budget. Only a portion of your budget should go toward affiliate commissions. Keep in mind the cost of free products, shipping, and other campaign expenses when setting your rate – but don’t be cheap, either.
Finally, you should also keep your competitors’ offers in mind. The safest way to go about it is to research what others in your industry are offering and try to stay competitive.
Pro tip: A tiered commission structure is a smart way to stand out. For example, start new affiliates at 10% and increase their rate by 5% after they bring in 20 new customers.
Influencers (and anyone else) love feeling like part of an exclusive club.
Offering access to private communities, events, or special opportunities can go a long way in keeping your affiliates engaged and excited to work with you.
How you structure your content requirements will depend on your campaign type.
For example, termed campaigns require a specific number of posts or mentions in exchange for a commission. For example, you can give $300 worth of free products and a 15% commission rate in exchange for two Instagram Story posts.
On the other hand, termless campaigns don’t have rigid content requirements. This works particularly well for macro-influencers, who don’t need to post frequently to generate traction.
If you’re unsure which to choose, find a balance between these two. You can set loose terms that give influencers flexibility while still encouraging them to promote your brand.
To make things easier, it’s best to give your influencers a content guide that helps them create posts aligned with your brand.
Once your campaign is up and running, it’s important to track results. By evaluating performance regularly, you’ll see what’s working and where you can improve.
Here are a few key metrics to monitor:
This tells you which influencers are driving the most sales. If someone is consistently performing well, you should consider investing more in your partnership with them.
Look beyond the number of sales and see how much revenue each influencer is generating. This helps you identify your most valuable partnerships.
Track how often each influencer is talking about your brand. Are they creating multiple posts and stories or just mentioning you once in a while? Remember – higher engagement leads to better results, but the numbers aren’t the only important factor.
As is the case with any other campaign, you should occasionally zoom out to see how much of your total revenue is coming from it. In this case, you’re asking yourself whether working with influencer affiliates is paying off in general.
If it’s not where you’d like it to be, it might be time to adjust your commission rates, try new influencers, or refine your campaign strategy.
Once the campaign goes live, track metrics like sales, revenue, and engagement rates to find top performers and improve your strategy.
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