Maximize Your PR Campaign
The world of Public Relations is constantly evolving and agencies for brands have needed to adapt and keep up with the ever-changing landscape. The Push the Envelope team is no stranger to this evolution, being in the game for over 16 years. We’ve witnessed and lived through the rise of social media, content creation and digital marketing, all while being experts in traditional and classic forms of PR. In this article, we’ll talk through a unique form of earned media that benefits both brand and publisher alike – Affiliate Marketing.
We’ll talk through what it is, the benefits behind integrating affiliate marketing into your PR strategy, why it’s a win-win for all, and how the PTE team can serve as an excellent resource to get started for your next campaign.
WHAT IS AFFILIATE MARKETING?
This is a performance-based marketing model that incentivizes a publisher for promoting a product or service. A blog, website, editor article, television segment, gift guide, social channel or influencer that helps drive traffic to the brand are known as publishers. When a consumer converts and purchases through an affiliate, the publisher earns a small commission for their efforts. For instance, when you’re reading an article or watching a segment, you may see a small disclaimer mentioning that when they click their link to shop, they are earning affiliate commission. In the last decade, it’s become a common form of marketing that PR agencies are integrating with key campaign strategies.
WHY AFFILIATE IS EFFECTIVE
TRACEABLE ROI
Each publisher is provided a unique link and does the heavy lifting in promoting the product or service. Over time, you see how these links perform as a result. With affiliate, you’re earning ROI on 3 key areas – media coverage, sales, and consumer data. With each affiliate link, you can track metrics, primarily sales conversion, to know how effective the campaign performed. Most importantly, you get data to find and understand who your target audience is, allowing you to adjust for future campaigns.
SECURES EDITORIAL COVERAGE
While editor must-have lists, gift guides and features come from an authentic point of view, now more than ever, it’s become essential for a PR agency to include affiliate links in their pitches. Editors are more likely to feature your product in their round up if they have an opportunity to monetize and earn a commission when name dropping a product they adore.
FLEXIBILITY AND EASE
Affiliate is an easy way for any brand to mobilize their strategy no matter their budget. You can start a campaign with as many affiliates as you’re comfortable with and continue to scale as you learn and grow your brand. There are countless types of affiliates that can suit your needs varying in cost so you’re able to pick and choose with little to no risk.
WHAT ARE THE COSTS?
The best part about affiliate marketing is that it’s a win-win situation. While an advertisement involves spending up front, with affiliates, you only pay publishers a commission when they make the sale. While commission costs vary between 5-30%, publishers are creating the content that is tailored in their authentic voice to their target audiences. Additionally, the longevity of the affiliate links can motivate a publisher to continue to promote the product, whereas ads and media need constant renewal and a sustained budget. There is low risk with high reward for both parties when approaching this perspective of marketing.
WHY A PR AGENCY FOR AFFILIATE MARKETING IS ESSENTIAL
While there is an ease and flexibility with affiliate marketing, there are nuances to understand which is why you can’t go about it alone. Coverage is never guaranteed and by partnering with a PR agency, you’re invested in the connections and expertise to identify the appropriate publishers to partner and pitch to, creating a laser sharp focus. PR agencies and their established connections can also help you negotiate a reasonable commission to publishers, helping your bottom line.
HOW WE CAN HELP
Push the Envelope PR is a trusted PR agency with experience in the affiliate space. Our relationships with editors across the industry have garnered many publications and editorial features for the clients we serve. We work with your brand and vision to help craft the perfect PR strategy that integrates affiliate, digital and brand marketing through a variety of services. Want to get started or learn more? Shoot us a message and we’re happy to take your brand to the next level.