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It’s Q4. Buckle Up!
It’s showtime. Q4 is here and the online holiday shopping season is about to kick into high gear.
There are definitely a lot of unknowns for the fourth quarter. An uptick in COVID cases from the new variant could cause closures or restrictions, lingering supply chain and shipping issues, a labor shortage, and the rising prices of goods – will all be big factors for Q4.
Despite the economic uncertainty, the forecasts for the early outlook for the 2021 holiday season are solid.
eMarketer is predicting that total 2021 US holiday retail sales will rise 2.7% to $1.093 trillion, while the season’s ecommerce sales grow 11.3% to $206.88 billion. Ecommerce is expected to account for a record 18.9% of total holiday season retail sales.
The National Retail Federation predicts that retail sales for all of 2021 will surpass the $4.4 trillion mark – an increase of at least 10% year-over-year. Online sales are also going to surge, with an 18% year-over-year increase. By year’s end, ecommerce is expected to account for at least $1 trillion of total retail sales.
Last year, COVID-19 changed people’s holiday shopping habits and behaviors which resulted in the biggest online shopping season ever. That set the tone for this season and most industry watchers predict that online consumers will expect more than discount offers and free shipping.
Availability and Shipping
However, product availability is top-of-mind for consumers this holiday season, with supply chain strain remaining an issue around the globe. Manufacturing shutdowns in Asia in early 2020 set off a ripple effect throughout the industry as raw materials became scarce and some manufacturing stopped. Factories continue to be at risk of closing and many retailers are desperately seeking alternative plans to produce or source merchandise.
The challenges don’t stop once the product leaves the factory floor. The global shipping process is being slowed not just by delays, but also by steep prices, which are likely to be passed on to the consumers.
This is expected to drive consumers online earlier than usual in the season to find the products they want and ensure they are delivered on time or available for in-store or curbside pickup.
Some predict that means that online shopping will be more spread out over the period from September to December, rather than concentrated in a few of the traditional landmark holiday shopping days – like Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
It’s hard to know exactly how this will shake out, but the best way to successfully navigate the holiday and Q4 shopping season is to start with a solid marketing strategy and to begin planning now, if you haven’t already started. Creating a detailed schedule of all marketing initiatives, tests, promotions, budgets, and 2021 competitive trends can make the difference between year-over-year growth or flat (or even declining) performance.
Affiliate Marketing: Under the Influence (Part 3)
Influencer marketing is red hot, but does it actually drive sales? As we discussed in the previous posts, influencers are great for brand exposure, but conversion rates for influencers using a commission-based structure do not always live up to the extensive hype or the return on investment.
Mini-Case Study
Here’s an example of the time and resources it can take to bring a single influencer on board:
A large merchant with an established affiliate program wanted influencers to be recruited into their program. They had specific influencer criteria. As part of our ongoing overall recruiting efforts, we were consistently reaching out to appropriate influencers.
In mid-April, we began communications with a large media/content influencer about a potential partnership with this merchant.
To date (more than 3 and half months later) there have been 47 emails back and forth between our agency and the influencer – along with emails between our agency and merchant to clarify details, terms, approvals, payments, etc.
The merchant paid $2,500 to the influencer (this included negotiations for products and services along with social amplification of content posts). The original deal was for 1-day homepage exposure along with a 1x push notification to the influencer’s email list of more than 30K subscribers. The influencer ended up including the merchant in 2 other relevant content posts that were round-ups of services in the merchant’s vertical.
The initial campaign went live the first week of July. According to tracking in CJ, there have been more than 1,300 clicks to date. And according to an email from the influencer, they reported that as of August 5, there have been 89,178 impressions (a 5.75% click-through rate) and 3,842 engagements (a 4.31% engagement rate).
But there have been NO conversions.
What is Success?
That depends on the criteria being used to evaluate it.
We were successful in finding an influencer that met the specific criteria of the merchant and successfully negotiated a better deal for the merchant than originally proposed by the influencer.
The merchant received a lot of clicks and brand exposure. But not a single sale (to date) has resulted out of the partnership.
However, the goal of the merchant going into the partnership was that this large media partner would drive sales. So, while many facets of this partnership were successful, the merchant’s objective, in this specific case, were not acheieved,
Takeaway
Based on this example and dozens of others with similar outcomes, it’s clear, in our experience, that influencer marketing is still in its early stages. And despite the very successful efforts of our agency to deliver on the types of influencers and deals that merchants express they want, most influencers have failed to produce any conversions and are much more successful in providing brand exposure.
While these influencers are now more open to diversity in their own monetization models – embracing affiliate marketing as well as pay for play – most still lack the knowledge to truly be successful with commission-based structures. And until they do, merchants must be aware that growing an affiliate program should be predicated on a diverse group of affiliates as well as recruiting and nurturing affiliates that will consistently promote the merchant’s brand over time.
The Bottom Line
Influencer marketing in the performance space works well when done properly by focusing on the right grassroots base of influencers that are overall supportive of the brand with like-minded consumers/target audiences. But influencer marketing is not the immediate launch pad some have been led to believe. Relationship building is the cornerstone and that takes time, resources, significant effort, and an understanding that the return is incremental.
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Affiliate Marketing: Under the Influence (Part 2)
Once you fully understand the landscape (see Part 1), you can put in place an influencer strategy that is appropriate for your brand’s unique needs and objectives – and works well with your existing affiliate program.
There are definitely a lot of things that make influencer marketing worth using as part of your overall affiliate strategy. However, there are other issues that have to be watched carefully or you may fall prey to some serious missteps.
What’s Working
Market Size
There’s been significant growth year-over-year and that is expected to continue.
- Influencer marketing grew to nearly $10 billion in 2020, according to a report from Influencer Marketing Hub (and could reach nearly $14 billion by the end of 2021).
- Influencer marketing more than doubled between 2019 and 2021, growing from $6.5 billion to $13.8 billion U.S. dollars in the three years alone, according to Statista
- Brands are set to spend up to $15 billion on influencer marketing by 2022, per Insider Intelligence estimates, based on Mediakix data.
Standards Emerging
Things are real when they need to be monitored, regulated and guidelines start emerging.
- December 8, 2020, The Association of National Advertisers (ANA) announced the creation of the Influencer Marketing Advisory Board. Priorities – industry-wide standardized measurement definitions to address the variance across platforms and the inconsistent usage and reporting by different partners in the social media ecosystem; increase trust and transparency in influencer marketing by reducing fraud, improving measurement, and spearheading industry commitments to advancing and improving the discipline.
- FTC regulations: FTC’s rules state that influencers must reveal their relationships with brands within their posts. Followers need to understand whether what they’re seeing is an ad or an organic post by the influencer. Violating the rules can lead to penalties, fines, and legal fees.
Branding and Exposure
Currently, this is the influencer’s wheelhouse and where they shine.
- Influencers can help with branding and exposure to a wider audience or a new audience segment.
- They can also help a merchant increase social reach, impressions, engagement, likes, comments, shares and website traffic
What to Keep a Close Eye On
Measuring Success
The customer journey as it relates to influencers is complex. The industry, as a whole, is still working hard to figure out more accurate and effective ways to measure influencer impact in the path to purchase.
- Influencer marketing efforts are not always being integrated into a brand’s attribution model.
- Many merchants don’t have established metrics and KPIs for measuring success and ROI for influencer marketing. Key metrics to look at when working with influencers: new vs. existing customers, average order value (AOV), clicks, cross-device interaction, the role of the influencer along the path to purchase, Cost per Engagement (CPE), and Cost per Impression (CPM)
- In a 2018 study of micro-influencers, only 11.2% of influencers said they prefer the success of a campaign to be measured by conversions, while a whopping 47.7% said they prefer using “reach” as their success metric.
- Many influencers are not willing to share data with their partners by giving access to real-time analytics that will help brands assess the true value of their influence and their content for the campaign.
- Influencers are often good for branding because of their reach but do not drive significant revenue and conversions.
- Influencers often account for a one-time spike that is not repeatable.
Expectations
Some brands view snagging big influencers as their ticket to huge sales growth. They fail to set realistic goals and objectives and make sure that the influencer aligns with their marketing efforts.
- Brands want bigger influencers, but a recent Upfluence report shows that engagement rates are higher for micro-influencers (fewer than 15K followers) than for influencers with more followers. Micro-influencers boasted the highest post engagement rates of all influencer types on Instagram (3.86%), YouTube (1.63%), and, in particular TikTok (17.96%). And, it appears that the more followers influencers have, the lower the engagement rates.
- Micro-influencers have smaller followings, but their engagement numbers trumped mega-influencers In 2018 research by SocialPubli.com, which surveyed 1,000 micro-influencers and analyzed internal influencer campaign data, found that, on Instagram, micro-influencers receive seven times more engagement than larger influencers.
- The bigger the influencer, the bigger the issues are around trust, authenticity, and believability. It is usually very clear when an influencer likes/loves a product and wants to share that with followers versus simply being paid to mention a product or service.
- Mislead by stats – data is being used to bolster the argument in favor of the value of using influencers. For example, Research by Neilsen found 83% of Americans somewhat or entirely trust endorsements and recommendations from people they know. But it is misleading when used in the context of influencers. Keep in mind that the majority of followers DO NOT KNOW the influencer. This stat really refers to word of mouth from friends or family or a trusted review source and is being used out of context.
- Almost all big influencers have a percentage of fake followers (it varies and is not their fault) but that can skew the reach brands expect.
- Brands don’t always set rules, guidelines, and objectives with the influencer (without over-reaching into the influencer’s creative process) and then are disappointed by the quality or message distributed.
- Some merchants often fail to provide additional product information or even vague ideas/guidance about the best way to promote products.
- There are often a lot of missteps. The influencer doesn’t follow through in the appropriate time frame. Some claim they never received items. They mispronounce product or even company names in video or give out incorrect information. Most times the influencer is not going to redo the video to correct errors. Very often, they fail to include the appropriate affiliate links.
The Costs, Resources, and Time
Often merchants underestimate the entire effort needed to bring influencers into an affiliate program. It goes far beyond just paying for content (or sending free products) and then reaping the benefits of sales from that posting. There are often hundreds of man-hours involved in overseeing the process from beginning to end.
- Merchants want to snag the biggest fish and are then shell-shocked by the huge costs associated with working with them.
- For many merchants, the expense of working with influencers can be cost-prohibitive and free products are not always compelling enough to entice large influencers.
- Costs can be confusing because influencer pricing can vary widely (from $25 to over $10,000 and some celebrities demand over $1 million) depending on the number of followers, platform, the number of posts, effort needed to create posts, etc.
- The average time to engage and take an influencer through the entire process is lengthy – find them, email back and forth on details and strategy, ship product (or pay a sponsorship fee), get the influencer to post about the brand, get the info back to the brand, measure success – can be lengthy (often up to several months).
- Most merchants do not have a staffer dedicated to dealing with influencers, so it falls to employees with other responsibilities – which can lead to further delays.
Long-Term Partnerships/Value
It’s paramount to build a real relationship with an influencer as their audience typically has a different purchase journey that takes much longer. One and done doesn’t seem to yield results.
- Successful marketing relies on frequency and consistency of message, but most influencers post episodically—or, in many cases, just once on behalf of a brand.
- Paying for Instagram stories or other social posts that disappear in a specific time frame doesn’t yield long-term value – or help with search. There is no long-tail value.
- Allowing the influencer creative freedom, but still having the message in line with the brand’s objective is necessary to have a good, long-term relationship.
- Not making the influencer feel special is sabotaging any chance of a long-term bond. When sending money and products, merchants often treat the influencer like a normal customer – not including any special items in the packaging, or additional information about what differentiates them from their competition. Even a hand-written note would go a long way.
Stay tuned for Part 3 where we provide a mini case study of one of our merchants and the results of an influencer partnership.
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Wellness Resources provides supplements from your every day energy boosters to thyroid support as well specific nutrients such as Vitamin C and B12. well+vita offers supplements to help you stay calm and focused as well as pre-workout formulas to give you the boost you need.
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Wellness Resources and well+vita Affiliate Program Benefits and Features:
- Commission Rate for Wellness Resources: 10%
- Commission Rate for well+vita: 25%
- 30-Day Cookie Duration
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Affiliate Marketing: Under the Influence (Part 1)
You’ve likely been inundated with how significant influencers are in boosting brands’ online marketing efforts. You want influencers to work with you. Your brand wants in on that high-profile influencer mojo. We get it. We like working with influencers and definitely see the benefits. But, much like gamblers in Vegas, not everyone hits the jackpot – or even wins big. Not everything goes viral. Not all influencer campaigns actually drive sales.
We don’t want to extinguish your enthusiasm about influencers – just help temper your expectations. There is a lot of hype surrounding influencer marketing and we’re here to help you sort through the facts and the fiction.
What You Read and Hear About Influencer Marketing
- For every $1 that brands spend on influencers, brands are getting an ROI of $5.78.
- Sponsored blog posts alone have proven to yield up to 11x more ROI than standard banner ads.
- 90% of marketers believe influencer marketing to be an effective form of marketing.
What We Hear Directly From Influencers
“We already have paid partnerships lined up for the next month and we are unable to accept product-only partnerships at this time.”
“There is a lot of work that goes into creating content, so our preference is to have a flat fee to cover the time it takes to create quality content.”
“I’d love to work together but I do charge a marketing fee for my content, copy, and time. I would need them to have a significant marketing budget ($3,000 to $5,000) to work with me.”
Understanding the Influencer Landscape
There are different thresholds and different names used when categorizing the size of influencers, but here’s a general rule of thumb:
Nano influencers (1K-10K followers) – They typically have a very engaged social media following and great engagement rates. Nano influencers can be vocal advocates of the brands and products they love. Their followers appreciate their authentic recommendations and commentary. They have a very close relationship with their followers and take the time to engage with their followers to cultivate those relationships. Best For: Small- to mid-size businesses with a limited marketing budget. They are a cost-effective option for getting started with influencer marketing and testing a new product or expanding into a new niche.
Micro-influencers (10K-100K followers) –This level is viewed as relatable to their followers and tends to have an engaged audience. At this level, influencers tend to specialize in a particular niche. They also typically have high engagement rates and a targeted audience. Best For: More focused leads. While they have the same close relationship with their followers as nano influencers, micro-influencers are more specialized so their audience is primed to hear marketing messages within that niche.
Macro influencers (100K-1M followers) – These influencers lean toward a broader audience and are typically internet-made celebrities. They are likely social media stars, bloggers, vloggers, or podcasters. They’ve often developed their audience over months or years of nurturing relationships. Because of their larger following they often have relatively low engagement rates. Best For: To bring brand awareness of products and services. They may help with increasing a brand’s engagement rates, reach, and reputation.
Mega or celebrity influencers (1M+ followers) – Mega influencers and celebrities have huge and very broad audiences. Best For: A brand awareness campaign. If a brand has a large budget, mega influencers can get products in front of as many eyes as possible.
Understanding the Costs
| Influencer | Followers | Instagram per Post | YouTube per Video | TikTok per Post | FaceBook per Post | Twitter per Post |
| Nano Influencer | 1K-10K | $10-$100 | $20-$200 | $5-$25 | $25-$250 | $2-$20 |
| Micro Influencer | 10K-100K | $100-$500 | $200-$1K | $25-$125 | $250-$1.25K | $20-$100 |
| Macro Influencer | 500K-1M | $5K-$10K | $10K-$20K | $1.25K-$2.5K | $12,5K0-$25K | $1K-$2K |
| Mega Influencer | 1M+ | $10K+ | $20K+ | $2,5K+ | $25K+ | $2,000+ |
Source: Influencer Marketing Hub
Essentially, there are three roles influencers play:
- Introducers: Those who introduce a brand or product into a consumers’ mind space.
- Contributors: Those who contribute and ensure that the brand or product remains top-of-mind as they contemplate their purchase decision.
- Closers: Those who close the deal and are the final point of persuasion that drives the purchase decision through.
Bigger Isn’t Always Better
Source: CrowdMedia
Check out Affiliate Marketing: Under the Influence (Part 2)
Check out Affiliate Marketing: Under the Influencer (Part 3)
Enjoy the Sights and Sounds with Rockville Audio!
We are thrilled to introduce the Rockville Audio Affiliate Program in Commission Junction!
Rockville Audio prides itself in delivering the best in audio and lighting by offering solutions for your home, car, boat and professional use..
From portable audio to karaoke machines, Rockville Audio offers world-class products designed to give you the most bang for your buck. Rockville Audio is your one-stop-shop for all things audio!
Why Buy From Rockville Audio?
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Rockville Audio Affiliate Program Benefits and Features:
- Commission Rate: 6%
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Never Lose a Dog Boot Again with Walkee Paws!
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Walkee Paws help avoid those stubborn dog booties by providing both comfort and versatility in the form of leggings that secures with straps. No more slipping out or falling off, so your pup can roam freely and comfortably all while looking stylish.
Why Buy From Walkee Paws?
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Walkee Paws Affiliate Program Benefits and Features:
- Commission Rate: 10%
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Back to School – Making the Grade
Students are headed back to the classroom and that means they need all the gear to make the grade.
You can go to the head of the commission class by promoting back to school products or services from these A+ merchants:
Mini fridges, microwaves and other small appliances for decking out the dorm room are available at PriceWaiter (SAS, CJ). Thousands of brand name products and they are all new, in the box, and come with their manufacturers’ guarantees and warranties – and at better than Amazon prices.
Whether listening to music while studying, chilling out or taking a gaming break, exceptional quality headphones are essential for back to school – and everything in between. Audeze is among the preeminent brands for high-end headphones. The award-winning headphones are used by the top producers, composers, artists, sound engineers, gamers, and audiophiles. All Audeze headphones reflect cutting-edge advancements in technology, manufacturing, and user experience.
With kids constantly staring at screens and reading, it’s the perfect time for new glasses. Glasses Shop (SAS, CJ) has a huge collection of styles including all the trendiest looks – aviator, cat-eye, round, square, oval. They also have blue light-blocking glasses that help reduce eye strain and fatigue from looking at devices and screens.
It’s time to outfit kiddos with used custom-built laptops, monitors or PCs and Discount Electronics is THE place. They have all major brands at up to 70% off retail prices. All laptops and computers ship the same or next business day and all are warranted for 1-year directly with Discount Electronics.
A new school year means connecting computers and laptops, charging devices, as well as hooking up audio and video equipment. That means having the right cords and connectors for job. And GearIT has all the accessories, cables, connectors, and more to make every device operate properly in any environment.
College kids need their caffeine for late-night study sessions or just to make it an early morning class. And Gourmesso (SAS, CJ) is the leader in compatible coffee capsules for dorm room Nespresso and Keurig coffee machines. Gourmesso’s coffee is sourced from a premium selection of beans originating from Indonesia and South and Central America and they offer a line of coffee pods for Keurig that is 100% compostable.
And, if college students aren’t into coffee, they can indulge in tea from Ekön Tea. Their mission is to provide men the option of high-quality, pure, loose leaf teas blended to cater to their specific lifestyles and needs. With a wide variety of award-winning blends to choose from, Ekön Tea has the perfect tea for every man and it’s perfect for women too.
And for students that need a healthy, quick, and delicious way to make sure they’re getting what their body needs, Bumpin Blends has totally organic smoothies. Each packet of Bumpin Blends cubes is customized to the individual’s special nutritional needs. It’s blended, frozen, and packed in small batches every day – perfect for the dorm freezer. And the packaging is completely eco-friendly.
Every student needs a space that is conducive to learning. Office Designs know that whether they are studying are doing distance learning, handling homework, or cramming all night for a big test – having a functional but comfortable and pleasing study environment leads to increased productivity. Office Designs has modern desks and furniture from Steelcase, Hon, Humanscale, Haworth, Kartell, and more that let students study in style.
The teenage years can be confusing enough, but throw in all the physical changes of puberty and going back to school and it can be very trying for young boys to navigate. Prep U Products can help provide young men with what they need to grow up confident, informed, and to take control of their personal care regimen. Prep U understands the modern grooming needs of teen guys/young adults and the concerns of their clean-conscious parents. Prep U features active all-natural ingredients and makes sure that boys are clean, smell great and well-groomed.
Let’s face it, most of us grew up with a set of encyclopedias in the house. But now that seems so old school. Britannica Kids is the modern, online version of encyclopedias designed specifically for children. With a 250-year legacy of learning and curiosity, Britannica Kids offers safe, age-appropriate content that keeps kids focused while broadening their horizons. Britannica Kids strives to nourish the thirst for knowledge and incredible facts for the youngest of minds as well the entire family.
Make sure students get an A+ for their accessories. Showing off individual style when head back to class is important to students. ShopSonix has everything they need – iPhone cases, tech accessories, sunglasses, portable chargers, pouches, laptop clutches, and more.