It is essential for advertisers to understand how different affiliate models can be combined to enable them to find and influence new customers throughout the customer journey, from discovery to conversion.
Publishers should have the knowledge which allows them to understand how they can enhance, extend and further monetise their offering, building deeper relationships with existing advertisers and attracting new partners.
Rakuten Advertising data shows sales driven by the affiliate channel have a 15% higher AOV. It is clearly playing a key strategic role in marketing strategies, and to help inform advertisers and publishers about this, Rakuten Advertising has produced a five stage blueprint to design high-performance affiliate marketing programmes.
The blueprint is based on input from members of the Rakuten Advertising International Collective (RAIC) – representatives from affiliate marketing specialists around the world – and includes insights from leading advertisers and publishers, including Harvey Nichols, Microsoft, Reward, Beyond China, RetailMeNot and others.
How can the blueprint help?
The blueprint defines the key steps to building a high-performance affiliate programme aligned to commercial objectives:
Stage 1: Aligning affiliate KPIs to business objectives
Stage 2: Making the best use of the available data
Stage 3: Aligning affiliate strategies to the customer journey and brand positioning
Stage 4: Integrating existing and emerging affiliate models
Stage 5: Analysing, learning, testing, optimising and proving
Wherever you are on your affiliate journey as an advertiser, or if you’re a publisher looking for new ways to monetise your platform and deliver value to advertisers, the 5-Stage Blueprint for High-Performance Affiliate Marketing will inspire and inform in equal measure.
Rakhee Jogia, Managing Director, International at Rakuten said: “Our goal in creating The Rakuten Advertising International Collective was to bring together some of the leading thinkers in the affiliate industry, was to unlock insights and best practice that would be of benefit to the broader marketing industry. The fact that the first global meetings of RAIC provided the basis for the blueprint has already proven its value.”
