Virality Boost is the original influencer content syndication network, helping brands to increase visibility, spark interest, inspire action, and drive purchases at scale. They focus on crafting syndication strategies that cover the entire customer journey and aim to break barriers in influencer marketing that traditionally haven’t worked for advertisers. Their approach is researched for maximum viral impact and cross-platform actions, leveraging the natural customer journey to deliver incremental performance.

Q: Can you give us a high-level overview of Virality Boost?  

A: Virality Boost is a transparent influencer content syndication network, specializing in large-scale influencer campaigns. We deliver campaigns that impact the bottom line and help brands achieve larger business objectives with quality, category-relevant influencers and advanced social strategies that leverage social media algorithms to increase visibility and impact.

Q: What are the top ways you promote brands?  

A: We run 25, 50, to 100 or more influencers in a single campaign within a specific time window to drive virality — demand and awareness for the brand across two platforms, depending on brand — Facebook, X, Instagram, Youtube, and TikTok.

Q: What is the total reach of your audience?  

A: Over 30 million.

Q: Can you share some insights about your audience and demographics?  

A: They span 23 categories: both male and female influencers in lifestyle, web3, auto luxury, fashion, sports, travel, auto lifestyle, family, personal finances, kids under 10, kids over 10, and more!

Q: Which verticals perform the best with Virality Boost?  

A: It depends on the brand, but generally wellness, fashion, beauty, lifestyle, unique offerings and products, sports, watch TV, and more.

Q: Can you tell us about a successful campaign you ran in the last six months?  

A: SenseofSelf.Life – we’ll have a case study ready in a couple of weeks. See a sneak peek below.

Q: What’s something unique about Virality Boost?  

A: Each campaign is spearheaded by our influencer captains. These captains are experienced influencers themselves, representing various niches within the influencer community. We diligently test our strategies, placing a strong emphasis on achieving measurable results. 

Q: Any industry trends or insights to share with brands?  

A: In today’s rapidly shifting digital landscape, where third-party cookies are being phased out, brands must prioritize and refine their attribution strategies to make well-informed budgeting decisions. Google is enhancing its AI-driven ads and testing Google’s Circle on Android, all to master social media imagery. Amazon is not lagging behind, with its decisive move towards influencer collaborations and image search features. Meanwhile, Meta’s robust pixel technology continues to set a high benchmark.

For businesses focused on driving growth and seizing market share, understanding the customer’s journey across diverse channels and platforms, particularly social media, is critical. Brands must focus tirelessly on stimulating demand, elevating awareness, and nurturing purchase intent. Clear attribution allows companies to allocate their resources effectively, ensuring each touchpoint resonates with their audience and contributes to a coherent brand narrative that fosters business growth.

In short, investing in full funnel campaigns and solid attribution models is not just about adapting to the new cookie-less era — it’s a fundamental approach to sustainably capturing consumer interest and propelling your brand forward in a competitive marketplace.

TUNE customers who would like to work with Virality Boost can request an introduction directly via TUNE Network.

Questions? Click here to chat with one of our experts.

Paylode is a leading customer perks platform helping companies launch and manage perks programs without the burden and expense of building one in-house. Paylode is like having an entire partnerships team in your corner. They vet and pre-negotiate thousands of perks offers from top consumer brands, and provide easy, no-code tools to save companies massive amounts of time and overhead. Perks programs increase conversion rates, retention, engagement, and satisfaction, while also unlocking a new stream of revenue for your company. Read on to find out more about this TUNE Network Partner and how their perks platform could benefit your brand.

Q: Can you give us a high-level overview of your company?  

A: Paylode is a powerful perks platform driving customer action and retention. It’s the fastest way for companies to launch, manage, and monetize a customer perks program that rewards customers who engage.

Q: What are the top ways you promote brands?  

A: Brands are invited to apply to our marketplace and if accepted, they join 1,000+ other household names and local businesses. We then work with our clients to promote right-fit perks that are exactly what their audience wants and needs. Brands can be featured in our persistent perks centers, as well as in client-specific marketing campaigns.

Q: What is the total reach of Paylode’s audience?  

A: Our clients have a total of over 23 million users in the United States and Canada (with some of our audience in Australia, South Africa, Indonesia, and Portugal). Interestingly, nine out of 10 perk redemptions are from customers who start and end their journey within the Paylode perks center, indicating that perks customers are not coupon hunters but rather shoppers and browsers.

Q: Can you share some insights about your audience and demographics?  

A: We work with a wide range of companies, but the ones that get the most value from the system are the ones who have a lot of customers and want to give them reasons to take action — whether that’s to complete a purchase, sign up, or any other action that’s valuable to your company.

Q: Which verticals perform the best with Paylode?  

A: We focus on verticals such as insurance, residential real estate, travel & hospitality, fintech, utilities, membership apps, and e-commerce. Each of these niches come with their own audience and nuances of reaching them.

Food, travel, and home furnishings offers do well with Paylode perks customers. Users browse and search from hundreds of offers and select what’s right for them. We also match offers to campaigns, to gift customers the best deal on the web in exchange for their engagement.

Q: Can you tell us about a successful campaign you’ve run in the last six months?  

A: There’s no campaign too big or too small — there are infinite ways to use perks. One hospitality brand created a perks page specifically for pickleball tournament goers, adding another way to thank audience goers with a creative bundle of deals specifically for the pickleball fans.

We’re working on an upcoming movie launch with a themed perk center for the main character’s biggest fans. Collectibles, merchandise, and movie ticket deals all promote the movie.

And though it seems small, the most impactful way we help companies is by helping their customers save, both on things they need every day and in that current moment.

For example, our residential real estate clients create move-in bundles for new tenants that can help them save hundreds on moving costs like truck rentals and cleaners, making it a little easier to settle into a new place. Our insurance clients provide auto supply deals and discounts that help their policyholders save, showing them gratitude even when it’s not renewal time.

Q: What’s something unique about Paylode?  

A: “Every single company right now is figuring out how to retain their customers while driving down costs, especially in this economic environment,” said Leo Polovets, Founding Partner at Susa Ventures. “Paylode’s approach to perks programs not only addresses the rising challenges of customer acquisition costs but also provides a seamless solution for businesses to drive deeper engagement and unlock additional revenue streams.” 

Q: Any industry trends or insights to share with brands?  

A: We live in an incentive-driven economy. Customers expect rewards and personalization in 2024. Working with Paylode means taking your customer engagement program to the next level in terms of both. Paylode is building a product based on the core value of delivering measurable impact to companies for a fraction of the cost it would take to do it in-house.

Q: Why should brands want to work with your company?  

A: The magic is where we link together brands and customers at scale, and we’re adding new and better no-code features every day to enable any marketer to run a perks campaign. We have a team of 15 industry veterans and engineers building the platform, many with a decade or more experience in the partnerships, affiliate marketing, and rewards industry.

TUNE customers who are interested in working with Paylode can request an introduction directly in the platform via TUNE Network. Questions? Click here to chat with one of our experts.

DontPayFull is a technology company operating a global coupon website, providing online shoppers with coupons and discount offers for over 30,000 stores and brands. In addition to its website, DontPayFull offers two complementary products: Amazon Discount Finder, a tool that allows consumers to find coupons and discount offers directly from the Amazon website; and DontPayFull Automatic Coupons, a browser extension that automatically finds and applies coupon codes at checkout. Read on to discover more about this TUNE Network Partner and how they could benefit your business.

Q: Can you give us a high-level overview of DontPayFull?  

A: For more than 12 years, DontPayFull has been one of the leading online platforms in the coupons industry space, a beacon for smart shoppers seeking to optimize their online purchases. We provide an extensive range of coupons, discount codes, and promotional offers spanning a multitude of retailers worldwide. Our primary goal is to enhance the online shopping experience for consumers, enabling them to secure the very best deals and manage their budgets efficiently. To this end, we’ve crafted a user-friendly interface and offer dedicated customer service, ensuring a seamless, rewarding experience for all savvy shoppers looking to further stretch their dollars.

Q: What are the top ways you promote brands?  

A: At DontPayFull, we truly believe in the power of collaboration and the potential it has to unlock unimaginable possibilities. We have positioned ourselves as a bridge connecting millions of shoppers with thousands of brands worldwide, facilitating a vibrant marketplace that is characterized by mutual benefits and growth.

Our story revolves around creating value for both consumers and brands. For consumers, we offer an opportunity to save more with exclusive coupons, while for brands, we provide an expansive platform that heightens visibility and boosts engagement.

We deploy a variety of strategic methods to achieve this. At the forefront, we harness the power of exclusive coupons, shared across entire carefully selected store categories, capturing a wide audience rather than only targeting those looking for specific brands. Organic traffic monetization is a significant part of our strategy, where our constant search engine optimization efforts attract a large audience seeking deals and coupons, and direct this traffic towards the brands we promote.

We nurture a committed team that’s focused on performance. Our team members invest their time and passion to augment the growth of the brands we work with, by carefully crafting experiments, analyzing data and continuously optimizing the storefronts. Their efforts ensure that every brand we promote gets the best possible exposure and reach.

Last but not least, we also capitalize on content marketing via our compelling blog section, generating high engagement and conversion rates by featuring appealing offers during peak events as per our defined shopping calendar.

Q: What is the total reach of your audience?  

A: At the moment, the total reach of our audience is 20 million unique visitors last year, 366,000 social media subscribers, and 480,000 email subscribers. On average, we have over 1.2 million unique users and more than 1.5 million sessions every month, with significantly increased traffic during the months of November and December. This exposes our more than 15,000 partners to 100% organic traffic.

Our year-on-year steady growth and strong organic reach stand proof of the trust and loyalty of our audience, which is a key factor to our continued success.

Q: Which verticals perform the best with DontPayFull?  

A: In alphabetic order, our most visited and best performing categories are: Accessories, Beauty, Business & Services, Clothing, Electronics, Health, and Home & Garden.

Q: Can you tell us about a successful campaign you ran in the last six months?  

A: We can certainly share some insights about one of our most successful campaigns in the last six months. It’s quite a noteworthy one, because it is in the financial industry category, a sector that isn’t typically a top performer for a coupon aggregator website like ours. We’ve partnered with a financial institution on their financial education offering, and we’ve managed to generate an impressive sales growth of over 350% during the period by strategically placing the brand’s most appealing offers inside our specially tailored categories and optimizing their storefront sections to coincide with the peak shopping season. We shifted the extra need for material resources of our audience towards a more financial conscious mentality during the yearly spending spree. This approach allowed us to connect the right brand with the right audience at the right time. As a result, we saw a significant uptick in engagement and conversion rates of financial education products, reaffirming our beliefs in the power of optimized strategic content marketing, enabling them to collect more than $450,000 in revenue in January 2024 alone.

We believe this success can mainly be attributed to our team’s ability to understand, adapt and innovate. They have demonstrated a remarkable ability to swiftly identify the trend, adjust our system to it and comprehend industries that are not typically considered mainstream in the coupon aggregation domain.

This campaign has been a learning experience for us. We are excited about this growth, and we are looking forward to leveraging these learnings to launch even more successful campaigns in the future.

Q: What’s something unique about DontPayFull?  

A: One aspect of DontPayFull we consider unique in this landscape is our emphasis on win-win partnerships. We constantly and consistently prioritize the needs and feedback of our main stakeholders — the platform users and our partners. By attentively listening to their requirements via our dedicated customer service channels, we are able to curate innovative solutions that meet their needs. At our core, we are a technology company, driven by a mission to save our users time and money. This sets us apart as not only a platform for securing the best online deals but also a progressive tech entity that uses innovative strategies for the benefits of our users and partners. 

Q: Any industry trends or insights to share with brands?  

A: A key insight in the current landscape is that consumers are becoming increasingly savvy and selective in their online shopping behaviors. They don’t merely seek discounts, but also value a seamless end-to-end user experience with a significant trend around exclusivity. Consumers are showing an increased preference for unique, exclusive deals, and coupons tailored to their shopping habits. Brands seeking a competitive edge should consider this shift in consumer behavior when developing discount strategies. It’s clear that deals and coupons that feel exclusive to the consumer are influential in shaping their purchasing decisions. As a platform, our goal is to stay ahead of these trends and use our insights to serve our users better and provide an effective platform for our partners.

TUNE customers who are interested in working with DontPayFull can request an introduction by navigating to the TUNE Network section of the platform. Questions? Click here to chat with one of our experts.

Every day, something crazy and new happens in the world of affiliate marketing. But who has time for that? We’re backing up a few steps to take a wider look at the industry in 2024. With two months down, what big trends and topics have emerged to lead us through the rest of the year? We asked colleagues at TUNE and around the industry to share their top predictions with us. Here’s what they said.

2024 Affiliate Marketing Trends

AI Expansion Will Continue

This is a no-brainer, which is why it’s first on our list. The AI expansion into every corner of the digital world continues following the explosive introduction of ChatGPT in January 2023. According to recent surveys, when it comes to marketing, generative AI has seen the most growth in content marketing, sales enablement, business intelligence, video marketing, and chatbot applications. We don’t see this trend slowing anytime soon.

“In 2024, integrating AI in affiliate marketing programs and strategies will grow in popularity — for content creation, content promotion, analysis, and much more.”
—Yakir Gal, Head of Sales, EMEA & APAC

“AI is going to be big, big, big this year. I see lots of discussion ahead on how partners will use it to optimize ROI for brands, and how brands use it to identify new opportunities and automate their ongoing evergreen ads. And beyond partners and brands, will groups like Publisher Discovery use AI to keep better hygiene and pull in new, unique traffic sources? We’ll have to wait and see.”
—Matt Miltenberger, Head of Sales, East Coast

Brand-to-Brand “Barter Marketing”

We see plenty of pairing up in brands’ futures for 2024. By partnering to promote each other to their respective audiences, brands that barter can save money and access new markets that are a solid fit. And once a relationship proves successful, there’s no telling how far it could take both brands.

“I predict that brand bartering will become more of a mainstream partnership type this year. With costs rising across the board, brands can explore promoting non-competitive brands with similar demographics by essentially ‘trading’ placements, for example, on each other’s email newsletter list.”
—Dan Buontempone, Business Development Specialist

Influencers and Creators Catch Fire

Influencers are still a hot trend after rising in popularity over the last several years. Content creators and social influencers, especially those with small but engaged followings, are proving just how valuable they can be for brands trying to cut through the noise. And yet, many advertisers are still confused on the best ways to attract and reward them.

Luckily, we’ve got just the thing to help: our newest e-book, Influencer-Affiliate Blueprint: Building High-ROI Creator Communities. Created in partnership with growth agency ZeroTo1, it’s a guide on why and how to add influencers to an affiliate program. Download it here to learn how to create your own community of brand ambassadors.

“The rise of creator-affiliate and influencer-affiliate programs as a brand’s foundational channel. Influencer-affiliate is a wellspring that can feed most other channel marketing efforts, all while spinning off new revenue streams.”
—Meredith Singer, VP, Marketing & Operations at ZeroTo1

Customer Experience Will Evolve

In addition to incorporating AI tools into their customer service platforms, brands in 2024 are changing the way they interact with customers by meeting them where they are: in their chosen communities. Social platforms like Reddit and TikTok are thriving thanks to the self-made niche communities found there, where like-minded users gather for advice, entertainment, and authentic connections. Smart brands are joining and participating in these communities to engage with their users — not to sell to them.

Accurate Data for Optimization

Without optimization, there can be no improvement. And without accurate data, there can be no optimization. We’ve heard recently from some marketers and partners who are starting to distrust the accuracy of their data on traditional platforms. Whether this is a result of changes to how web browsers collect and report data, like GA4’s transition to data-driven attribution, or because traditional platforms tend to move slower when it comes to advanced tracking methodologies, remains to be seen. Either way, having access to accurate, reliable data remains top of mind for marketers in 2024 (as it should).

“Right now, everyone is focused on optimizing resources and excluding unnecessary costs. Thus, I foresee marketers optimizing their programs in 2024: cleaning up, keeping only highly performing partners and influencers, and focusing on Tier 1 markets.”
—Iana Starostovich, Head of Customer Success, EMEA

Privacy and First-Party Data

Speaking of accurate data … first-party data and privacy-centric practices are no longer optional for marketers in the performance space. It’s the way of the future, period. We’ve already seen efforts around SEO make a big comeback in 2024 thanks to AI and the proliferation of sub-par content splashed across the web. Any business that doesn’t make an honest effort at upholding consumers’ privacy and security while they look to improve their digital presence won’t be in business for long.

What’s Next

Whatever the rest of the year has in store, we’re betting that the trends and topics above stay in regular rotation. Good luck!

If you’re looking for new ways to scale your program while maintaining a strategic edge, we have news for you: the TUNE Network is now open to all customers! Read about what makes our network different from the rest in this blog post, or check out our website for more information on partnering through TUNE.

This isn’t your parents’ influencer marketing.

Say goodbye to flat fees and sponsored posts. Today’s top influencers are low-risk, results-driven partners who work closely with brands to promote the products and services that resonate with their highly engaged audiences.

Adding influencers to your affiliate marketing program can increase revenue and prove affiliate ROI — if you know what you’re doing. The Influencer-Affiliate Blueprint is your guide to making it happen.

Download the Influencer-Affiliate Blueprint

Knowing influencers and creators are a partner group unlike any other, TUNE teamed up with powerhouse growth agency Zeroto1 to develop an instructional e-book that doesn’t pull any punches. In it, you’ll read up on how influencer marketing really works, why and how it’s different from traditional affiliate marketing, and the steps you can follow to recruit and empower influencers in your program.

You’ll also learn from real-life use cases, including Zeroto1’s insanely successful launch and subsequent growth of the Instacart Tastemakers affiliate program. (Yes, they’re behind that Tastemakers, with TUNE technology driving the program.)

We don’t sugarcoat the tough stuff — like the fact that you’ll need to give up some control to get quality creative content. Or that no matter how hot your product is or how high your commissions are, some influencers just won’t want to work with your brand. What we do is provide you with insightful, actionable information to put you on the path to successful influencer-affiliate partnerships.

What Is Influencer-Affiliate Marketing?

There was a time when the term “influencer marketing” meant shelling out big bucks for celebrity sponsored posts; focusing on brand awareness and virality versus measurable conversions and KPIs; buying followers instead of engaging with them.

Not anymore.

Instead, today’s creators and influencers run the gamut from social media stars to niche role models. They have built up highly-engaged communities and loyal followings, with a deep understanding of what resonates and what feels inauthentic. They count on their audience for a living, so when they promote a product or a service, they’re confident it’s a fit.

This is why creators and influencers are embracing the performance-based model that is the foundation of affiliate marketing, resulting in a hybrid model: influencer-affiliate.

Why Are Brands Embracing Influencer-Affiliate?

As more influencers are making the change to a performance basis, more brands are embracing influencers.

Here’s why.

Most traditional publishers — in other words, your favorite websites and platforms — thrive on advertisers and networks. Their bottom line is tied to impressions, engagement, and clicks. This has led to many of them prioritizing these metrics over user experience.

As a result, across the digital ecosystem, the perception of engagement has become more important than actual engagement and quality user experiences. You can see it for yourself by searching on your laptop or smartphone for a topic you’re interested in. Increasingly, all that gets you is a confusing jumble of results, ads, and AI-generated answers to questions you haven’t asked, or links that lead to broken interfaces and frustrating interactions.

Brands, consequently, are moving away from platforms with shallow engagement and vanity metrics, following their target audience. People want authenticity and trustworthiness, communities where they feel engaged and accepted.

Influencer-affiliates are a bridge to these communities. They help brands build connections to them without the corporate side — the advertising ick — of marketing getting in the way.

Get Started with the Influencer-Affiliate Blueprint

Over the next few months, we’ll be exploring key chapters from the Influencer-Affiliate Blueprint here on the TUNE Blog. Check back often so you don’t miss out.

While we’ve barely scratched the surface of influencer-affiliate programs, you don’t have to wait for the rest of the blog series to come out. Download the full e-book now to discover:

• the four steps to success in influencer-affiliate marketing
• what makes influencers and creators different from traditional affiliates
• how to find and engage the right influencers for your brand
• the technology and teams you’ll need to get started
• real examples and use cases from everyday brands

The most successful influencers connect with their audiences through authenticity, honesty, and winning personalities. We hope to do the same.

Enjoy!

Download the Influencer-Affiliate Blueprint

As the world of influencers and affiliates continues to grow, we’re excited to see more partnerships making their way into everyday life. Below, we present a few of the standout collaborations that helped to take partner marketing mainstream in 2023.

Partnerships Spotted in the Wild

Roku + DoorDash

https://techcrunch.com/2023/02/07/roku-partners-with-doordash/

Roku and DoorDash announced a multi-year partnerships that provides DashPass free for six months. DoorDash merchants can also run shoppable ads via Roku.

Shopify + Program Partners

https://www.shopify.com/news/shopify-announces-multi-year-initiative-to-transform-partner-program

Shopify gave a peek into their partnership strategy when they announced a multi-year partner program initiative. They mention incentivizing growth as well as education & enablement as pillars of this initiative.

Apex Legends + Gaming Influencers

Apex Legends, a new battle royale console game, drove 25 million installs in 6 days without using any traditional marketing. The engaged 100 of the top gaming influencers and coordinated releases and live streams to garner a ton of attention.

Uber + Hopper

https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/10/23718072/uber-launches-flight-booking-tool-uk-travel-super-app

Uber started offering flight bookings for users in the UK which includes “taking a small commission of each sale,” effectively making Uber a travel affiliate.

Ibotta + Big Retail Publishers

https://www.adexchanger.com/commerce/why-ibotta-is-eyeing-retail-media-as-the-basis-for-its-future/

Ibotta rolled out their performance network semi-recently that allows for white-labeling Ibotta offers at different “publishers” like Walmart, Kroger, etc.

Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena + Hotels.com

https://www.expedia.com/newsroom/the-atlanta-hawks-launch-a-dedicated-travel-hub-with-hotels-com/

The Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena partnered with Hotels.com to provide a travel hub to fans attending or planning on attending games. Hotels.com will be promoted via more traditional sponsorship placements like being featured on large marquees as well as featured on StateFarmArena.com pages like “Plan Your Visit” and “Event Details.”

Amazon + Facebook and Instagram

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/11/09/meta-lets-amazon-users-buy-on-facebook-instagram-without-leaving-apps.html

Amazon has integrated a buying experience with Facebook and Instagram to allow Amazon users to make purchases from Amazon ads without leaving the Facebook or Instagram apps.

Barbie + Everybody

https://www.marketingbrew.com/stories/2023/07/13/counting-the-many-many-barbie-collabs

Barbie had maybe more partnerships than any brand in recent memory due to the Barbie movie, and Marketing Brew aggregated all the partnerships they came across throughout the year.

BetterHelp + Logic

BetterHelp partnered with Grammy-nominated rapper Logic, who has been a large mental health advocate over the years, to provide a month of free therapy sessions to his fans.

Peloton + University of Michigan Athletics

Peloton partnered with University of Michigan Athletics, one of the most prominent college athletic departments in the country. Peloton will provide Michigan-branded equipment, discounted student passes, and opportunities for student athletes to participate in Name, Image, & Likeness deals.

Instacart + Peacock

https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/peacock-instacart-plus-bundle-1235812499/

Instacart is offering all of their Instacart+ subscribers the Peacock streaming platform bundled in for free. It’s speculated that Instacart will pay Peacock/NBC a wholesale price for each subscriber.

Partner Marketing for the Masses

Start your own partner program with our Ultimate Guide to Partner Marketing, over 50 pages of insights, strategies, and step-by-step instructions on how to set yourself up for success in the world of performance-based partnerships.

Last year, I published a list of the 12 most talked-about industry articles shared in TUNE’s Slack during 2022. Well, I’m back with another list this year, but this time, I’m doubling it!

Every year, the TUNE team shares hundreds (if not thousands) of links to breaking news stories, LinkedIn posts, white paper downloads, and more across our company-wide messaging channels. The following content pieces were the most discussed and reacted to during 2023. They run the gamut from eye-widening and informative, to surprising and debate-fueling. So, without further ado, here are our picks for the top two affiliate industry stories from each month of 2023.

1. January
   • How This DTC Baby Brand Cut Their CPA By Over 40% Through 3rd Party Quizzes
   • Direct-to-Consumer Is Dying. It’s Time for a New Paradigm

2. February
   • What’s a good trial conversion rate for in-app subscriptions in 2022?
   • Roku partners with DoorDash to give users 6 months of free DashPass and shoppable ads

3. March
   • Meaningful metrics: How data sharpened the focus of product teams
   • Why Are You Seeing So Many Bad Digital Ads Now?

4. April
   • How 16 Companies are Dominating the World’s Google Search Results (2023 Edition)
   • Wirecutter tests new content on different platforms to increase affiliate revenue

5. May
   • How A Minor Apple WebKit Tweak Can Send Ripples (Or Trigger Tsunamis) Across Marketing Tech
   • The Perfect Product Page: Building a Best-in-Class PDP

6. June
   • Paid Content in Commerce: Driving Advertising Revenue through Affiliate
   • The Subscription Stack: Subscription Metrics

7. July
   • NIL at Two: Two Years of Name, Image and Likeness in College Sports (download)
   • FTC Updates Disclosure Guidelines for Affiliates and Influencers

8. August
   • Evite’s Post-Pandemic Marketing Pivot
   • One Year In, The Wall Street Journal’s Buy Side Is Fine-Tuning Its Affiliate Strategy

9. September
   • No, outbound links won’t help your content rank better on Google
   • How Wedding Giant The Knot Pulled The Veil Over Advertisers’ Eyes

10. October
    • Confessions of an MFA publisher
    • The State of Content SERPs: A 250,000 Keyword Analysis

11. November
    • Learnings from Leading Growth Marketing (YouTube video)
    • Under Review: The pros and cons of e-commerce verticals

12. December
    • The best place for product reviews is … Reddit?
    • AdExchanger Commerce Media Round-Up
     
    

Like every year before it, 2024 is sure to surprise and impress as we continue to watch our industry evolve. Thanks to all who keep us informed, and best of luck in the months ahead!

Last year, we introduced the TUNE Network and the benefits it offers over traditional choices. When you’re ready to hear more about what our network can do for your business, let us know at sales@tune.com or start a chat.

If 2024 is the first year you explore performance-based partnerships, check out 10 Mistakes to Avoid When Starting an Affiliate Program, a collection of advice from industry vets on what not to do when just starting out.

In the ever-evolving landscape of digital analytics, staying ahead of the curve is essential. The advent of Google Analytics 4 (GA4) has brought about significant changes, particularly affecting the harmony between your TUNE account and Google account. In this blog post, we’ll explore the key modifications in GA4 and how they might influence your affiliate program.

Understanding GA4 Attribution Changes

The transition from Universal Analytics to GA4 marks a paradigm shift. GA4 introduces a new property that departs from the conventional approach of tracking pageviews and sessions. Instead, it focuses on collecting events and user properties, offering greater flexibility in tracking and attribution. Behavioral and conversion modeling have also been integrated into GA4, setting the stage for a more dynamic analytical experience.

Data-Driven Attribution (DDA) Challenges

One of GA4’s standout features is data-driven attribution (DDA), designed to provide a more comprehensive performance overview. While this offers valuable insights, it introduces challenges when it comes to measuring and comparing affiliate activity.

Historically, last click attribution in Google Analytics aligned with TUNE setups. With the introduction of DDA, expect to observe more significant discrepancies in reporting between the two platforms.

Aligning Reports for Consistency

For those who prefer a more aligned reporting experience between TUNE and Google, there’s a solution within GA4. By adjusting the attribution settings, you can revert to the familiarity of last click attribution. This not only streamlines the reporting process but also ensures a smoother transition for those accustomed to the previous setup.

To adjust these settings, navigate to Admin → Attribution Settings in your GA4 account, and then select “Last click” in the first dropdown menu.

Benefits of GA4 in Multi-Channel Analysis

While navigating the discrepancies, it’s crucial to recognize the benefits GA4 brings to the table. GA4’s capabilities extend beyond just tracking; it provides a valuable tool for analyzing performance across various channels. Leveraging GA4’s features can enhance your understanding of user behavior and optimize your affiliate program accordingly.

Conclusion

As Google Analytics continues to evolve, understanding the developments becomes imperative for staying on top of your analytics game. By aligning reporting experiences and leveraging TUNE’s tracking capabilities, marketers can elevate their affiliate programs. In the ever-changing realm of digital analytics, TUNE remains the trusted companion, ensuring that all campaigns are tuned to perfection.

In the world of affiliate marketing, there are two main ways to work with your partners: through an affiliate network, and in a one-to-one relationship in your affiliate program. Affiliate networks and direct partners both play important roles and bring value to a program. However, they differ greatly in terms of how you collaborate with them and the dynamics of your relationship.

Over the years at TUNE, we’ve noticed that individuals who are new to affiliate marketing have the most difficulty understanding the direct partner side of the equation, whereas most people — marketers or otherwise — are familiar with the concept of an affiliate network. We believe both types of partners are beneficial, and working with a combination of the two is something we see across the most successful partner programs. To help more marketers leverage the best of both worlds, we’re explaining what it means to work directly with a partner in your affiliate program versus working with a partner in an affiliate network.

Affiliate Networks vs. Direct Partners

In some ways, direct partners are the opposite of affiliate networks. Understanding how you work with partners in a network makes it easier to understand how working with direct partners is different. So let’s set the groundwork by looking at the top characteristics of working with affiliate network partners.

Affiliate Network Partners

1. Intermediary Platform

Affiliate networks are intermediaries that connect you (the advertiser or brand) with their network of partners. These networks serve as a platform where businesses can find and recruit affiliates, and affiliates can find multiple products or services to promote.

2. Broader Reach and Scale

Affiliate networks provide you with a pre-existing pool of affiliates from various niches and industries, including a range of publishers, content creators, and marketers. This is beneficial if you want to reach a wider audience quickly. However, it may mean you have less control over who eventually promotes your products.

3. Standardized Agreements and Features

Affiliate networks often have standardized terms and conditions, commission structures, and reporting systems. While this can make it easier for you to get started, it doesn’t provide much flexibility and limits your ability to negotiate custom agreements.

4. Less Personalization

In affiliate networks, the relationships with affiliates tend to be less personal. You may have less control over how affiliates promote your business and might need to rely on the network’s policies to enforce brand guidelines. And because communication with affiliates in a network often occurs through the network’s messaging system, it often lacks a personal touch and a guarantee of privacy.

5. Network Fees

Along with tracking conversions and distributing commissions on your behalf, affiliate networks handle payment processing as well. Networks charge an additional service fee for payment processing, usually as a percentage of your revenue or your partners’ commissions. These fees vary and are set at the network’s discretion. While affiliate networks may be convenient, the fees associated with them can impact the profitability of your entire program and should be carefully considered.

Now that we have a baseline, let’s examine how working with direct partners in a strategic affiliate program differs.

Direct Partners

1. One-to-One Relationships

When you work with a direct affiliate partner, you establish a one-to-one relationship with an individual or entity (such as a blogger, content creator, influencer, or website owner) who promotes your products or services. You establish a business relationship with them independently, without the involvement of an intermediary or affiliate network.

2. Direct Communication

Communication with direct partners typically happens, well, directly — through email, phone calls, messaging apps, or other personal means. By keeping your communication private and confidential, you can better protect the strategic partnerships you discover and nurture, instead of sharing them with an affiliate network (and anyone who joins it).

3. Customized Agreements

With direct partnerships, you negotiate and agree on the terms and conditions of your partnership directly with the individual you’re working with. This allows for more flexibility in crafting affiliate agreements, commission structures, promotional methods, and more. Going direct lets you tailor every aspect of the partnership to suit the unique needs and capabilities of your partner and the specific goals of your business.

4. More Management and Support

Directly managing and supporting your affiliates may require more resources than you would need to manage and support them through an affiliate network. For example, you’ll need to supply the program infrastructure, tracking tools, and support documentation to ensure they can effectively promote your products or services.

5. Greater Control and Oversight

Working one-on-one with your partners gives you greater control and oversight over your entire affiliate program. This can help ensure that a partner’s promotional activities (like the kind of ads they run or the websites they run them on) align with your brand’s values and quality standards.

6. Higher Commissions

In some cases, direct affiliates can expect higher commission rates compared to those in affiliate networks. One reason for this is that partners outside of a network bear the responsibility of generating their own traffic and sales. Another reason is that brands can see a significant cost savings when high network fees and processing charges are taken out of the equation. By translating these savings into higher commissions, you can spend less overall than you would with a network and attract more affiliates to your program by standing out from the lower paying competition.

7. Payment Processing

When you run a direct affiliate program, you are responsible for managing and processing partner payments. This means you need to track the affiliate’s performance, calculate commissions, and pay them directly, usually on a predetermined schedule.

The Best of Both Worlds

In summary, direct affiliate partnerships offer more personalized, customized, and closely managed relationships with individual affiliates. In contrast, affiliate networks provide a broader reach and more convenience, but usually involve less personalization and control.

The choice between the two depends on your marketing goals, resources, budget, and the level of control you want over your affiliate program. Many businesses use a combination of direct partners and networks to achieve a balance between customization and scale in their affiliate marketing efforts.

At TUNE, we’ve seen the most successful programs run a mix of both direct partnerships and affiliate network relationships. That’s why our platform enables you to run a strategic partner program with direct partners and have access to top affiliate partners through the TUNE Network. You choose to use one or the other, or combine them in the way that makes the most sense for your business. In other words: It’s the best of both worlds.

If you’d like to find out more about running a program of direct partners and top network affiliates on TUNE, download our Ultimate Guide to Partner Marketing or start a chat with us.

I have a confession to make: Prior to the pandemic, I always dreaded trade shows.

When you’ve been in the affiliate marketing and partnerships space for as long as I have, you’ve most likely attended more trade shows than you can remember. You may recall the slow procession of conservative business professionals dressed in two-button blazers, tucked shirts, armed with tote bags full of tchotchkes and collateral from every single booth on the exhibition floor. A person would be seated at the table with either a big cheesy smile, or an incredibly bored look on their face. They didn’t quite understand the nature of their company’s business and couldn’t answer any questions. Instead, they gave you the business card of an absent VP or Director who might be able to assist you if you sent an email to the address listed in small print.  

On the positive side, I was always thrilled to spend time with my longtime peers and colleagues across the industry. I also enjoyed meeting new people and making positive connections. There were some moments requiring me to have unpleasant conversations with partners who didn’t exactly play fair, but those were relatively small in number and usually settled with an apology, handshake, and a check to make things right.  

Fast forward to Affiliate Summit Las Vegas, when shows cautiously resumed in November 2021. I didn’t care if the venues or crowds were smaller, nor did I mind all of the extra safety mask requirements and social distancing protocols. I was just so incredibly grateful to see familiar names and faces of everyone who survived the horrible ordeal we’d all gone through. 

I’ve enjoyed every show I’ve attended since that time. I’m still riding the wave of excitement following TUNE’s attendance at Affiliate Summit East 2023, which was also followed by the announcement of the brand new TUNE Network, which you can read about on our website. I also dig the fresh energy and style of the “new” business professionals, complete with tattoos, colored hair, and rad piercing jewelry.

Now more than ever, I see the increasing value and continuous need for trade shows. If you still need convincing, though, here are my top reasons why you should attend affiliate and partnerships trade shows. 

1). Catch Up on New Trends and Technology 

Trade shows provide SaaS developers and marketing experts with an open forum to unveil new products and solutions, helping big chain retailers and scrappy startups alike expand their knowledge and partner relations through a combination of innovative technology and affiliate marketing strategies. These new developments may include the use of ChatGPT and other tools powered by artificial intelligence.

Some publications are expecting the market value of the affiliate marketing platform industry to reach $36.9 billion dollars by the year 2030. If those projections are true, now is the is the time best time to take advantage of networking events and collaborative spaces requiring time and hands-on learning activities beyond a time-restricted video conference call.  

2). In-Person Meetings Improve Communication

In this modern age of mobile phones and remote workplaces, opportunities to physically meet prospective clients and partners aren’t always available. Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet have transformed coffeehouses and apartments into virtual offices. With a strong Wi-Fi connection, built-in device camera, digital background, and a reliable pair of noise-cancelling headphones, any place can be transformed into “the office.”

While these tools are convenient for managing routine daily tasks, the necessary follow-up can be a bit of a challenge due to environmental distractions, unplanned emergencies, or home equipment malfunctions. Nothing is worse than losing internet connection or having a frozen screen during a platform pitch or product demonstration with a big prospect. Instead of apologies and proposals to reschedule the call, meeting in person can get us to the finish line a little bit faster. 

It’s also worth mentioning the frequency of the common occurrence of regular contacts leaving companies or changing job roles. You may you see an announcement on LinkedIn, but most of the time, seeing them at an industry event with new company and team solves the mystery of why your last six emails went unanswered.  

3). The Old-School Practices Still Work 

Technology and innovation underscore the affiliate marketing industry without question, but people still pull the levers and push the button. Scheduling apps, QR code scanners, and text messages may save time with calendar organization and meeting requests, but none of those work without the name and contact information for the person(s) involved in the decision-making process. That’s why physical business cards, notepads, and ink pens remain the quintessential tools of the trade. They are an absolute must-have at every Meet Market table and exhibit booth, and it is considered a rookie move by industry veterans for anyone to show up at a networking event without them.  

Why, you ask?  

• People lose, forget, or replace their phones. 
• Batteries die at the most inopportune moments. 
• No immediate access to a charger or wall outlet. 
• Business cards, paper, and pens ensure the accuracy of notes and those involved in the conversation.  
• Post-show action items, including CRM pipeline and sales cycles, can be tracked and closed with more efficiency.  

4). Party Like an Affiliate Rockstar 

Affiliate social events are legendary. Industry veterans and bright-eyed newbies love to attend award shows, exclusive parties, and the Affiliate Ball, which always features celebrity music artists and entertainers. Executive leaders, agency partners, affiliate managers, and publishers patiently wait in long lines outside of clubs filled to maximum occupancy. Many understand the crucial timing of arriving early enough to beat the crowd, but also staying late enough to be invited to the afterparties for a last chance to hang out with key stakeholders and decision-makers. Go big or go home, right? 

Just remember, people do business with those they like. Attending first-class, invitation-only events like TUNE’s rooftop lounge happy hour, which was co-hosted with entertainment media publishing giant Penske Media Corporation (Rolling Stone Magazine, Billboard, and Variety) and our trusted agency partner Klay Media, can certainly make an impression.   

5). Stay Top-of-Mind with Decision-Makers 

By the end of the second day, the shows begin to resemble a ghost town. If you spent your time wisely and took advantage of every opportunity to remain top-of-mind with peers, colleagues, and decision-makers, congratulations! The hard part is over, and the journey home begins.

In my opinion, it is always good practice to allow at least 72 hours after the show closes before sending follow-up emails. Some people may still be traveling or need extra time to organize their notes before continuing the conversation regarding next steps. It may be a good idea to use the time to update your own CRM data and pipeline with expected closing opportunities. With proper organization and detailed planning, you can get those deals over the finish line, although there may be some unavoidable delays. 

I hope you’ll consider these benefits and tips. If so, perhaps I’ll see you at the next affiliate trade show! 

Sheridan Marketing & Consulting is a boutique partner agency helping brands grow through active affiliate management and facilitating relationships with an eclectic group of top-notch publishers. Read along as owner and founder Devin Sheridan shares the details about his new company.

Q: Can you give us a high-level overview of Sheridan Marketing & Consulting?  

A: After 10 years in the affiliate and partner marketing space I recently decided to launch my own agency. My goal with Sheridan Marketing & Consulting is to continue doing what I do best — connecting advertisers and publishers and fostering meaningful, mutually beneficial partnerships. We match our approach to our clients, pride ourselves on white glove service and building long-term, lasting relationships. 

Q: What are the top ways you promote brands?  

A: We believe that one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to brand promotion. We pride ourselves on tailoring our promotional methods to complement a brand’s existing marketing channels, ensuring incremental growth. We work with highly curated partners across the marketing spectrum including programmatic display, rewarded traffic, email marketing, curated content creation, card linking, affinity marketing, CTV, retargeting/on-page abandonment, and more. 

Q: What is the total reach of your audience?  

A: While the specific number can vary depending on the project, our extensive network of publishers and partners allows us to tap into an audience of millions across various platforms and verticals. 

Q: Which verticals perform the best with your company?  

A: While we love working with clients across many verticals, we have the most experience in lifestyle products and apps, health and wellness, insurance, and B2B.

Q: Can you tell us about a successful campaign you’ve run in the last six months?  

A: We are a new agency — just launched in August — but already we have helped drive over 5,000 sign-ups for a large membership organization’s rewards program and helped a health food brand drive over 2,000 sign ups for their recipe newsletter. 

Q: What’s something unique about Sheridan Marketing & Consulting?  

A: What truly sets Sheridan Marketing & Consulting apart is our dedication to fostering authentic, meaningful partnerships. Our goal is to cultivate relationships that are both profitable and sustainable, ensuring long-term success for both advertisers and publishers. 

Q: Any industry trends or insights to share with brands?  

A: One noticeable trend is the diversification of affiliate marketing channels. Gone are the days when affiliate marketing solely revolved around blogs and coupon sites. More and more brands are expanding their affiliate strategies to include partnerships with content creators, CTV/OTT, podcasts, and on-page optimization partners. This diversification allows brands to reach audiences in more organic and authentic ways, leading to increased trust and stronger customer relationships.

TUNE customers can request an introduction to Sheridan Marketing & Consulting directly in the TUNE platform.

Reviewed, part of the USA TODAY Network, is a team of product experts (geeks, in truth) who put in the hard work of testing products so you don’t have to. We are pleased to welcome them into the TUNE Network. Keep reading to learn more about this popular publisher.

Q: Can you give us a high-level overview of Reviewed?  

A: We help people find the best stuff and love the stuff they already have. As for our requirements, we require 8,000-10,000 monthly searches for the brand’s keywords and editorial approval on all new partnerships. In conjunction with this, we also don’t cover B2B solutions, finance, CBD, gambling, crypto, sex toys, and health science-related brands. 

Q: What are the top ways you promote brands?  

A: Deals, consumer ed pieces, gift guides, listicles, featured articles, and paid and social boosting. 

Q: What is the total reach of your audience?  

A: 145 million monthly uniques. 

Q: Which verticals perform the best with Reviewed?  

A: Home, lifestyle, tech, sleep, and appliances.

Q: Can you tell us about a successful campaign you’ve run in the last six months?  

A: For a shoe brand in 2022: $12,000 in revenue, and after expanding their SOV (share of voice) in 2023, this resulted in $56,000 in revenue. 

Q: What’s something unique about Reviewed?  

A: Reviewed is an unbiased review site, not incentivized by financial incentives. 

Q: Any industry trends or insights to share with brands?  

A: Luxury jewelry brands are performing extremely well, and we are currently one of the leading publishers in the space for accessibility with a growth of 100% compared to last year. We defined accessibility as any products that would aid someone with a disability.

TUNE customers who are interested in working with Reviewed can request an introduction directly in the TUNE platform.

Questions? Click here to chat with one of our experts.