In a rapidly evolving e-commerce landscape, affiliate marketing continues to be a game-changing channel for brands looking to drive revenue, especially in the gifting space. Recently, our founder and CEO, Bridget Johns, sat down with Melissa Feimster, Co-founder of Team Bespoke, to discuss how brands can leverage affiliate marketing to grow their gifting revenue and overall business. To&From builds technology that powers the gifting experience online and Team Bespoke is a brand growth agency, helping to unlock untapped revenue channels like affiliate. If you’d like to watch the entire interview, it’s available here.
We have mapped out some of the key takeaways from this conversation with hope that anyone looking to get into the affiliate business can see how impactful and ever changing the industry is.
What is Affiliate Marketing?
Affiliate marketing is a trackable partnership channel that allows brands to compensate partners based on actual sales rather than impressions or clicks. This model ensures cost-effective spending and maximized ROI. It also provides an avenue for brands to engage with various partners, including publishers, influencers, and media houses, to drive sales and awareness.
How Can Affiliate Marketing Drive Gifting Revenue?
Affiliate marketing plays a crucial role in helping brands secure placements on curated gift guides, such as “Top 17 Gifts for a Third-Grade Teacher.” These placements often result from a combination of strong editorial relationships, proactive outreach, and strategic product gifting. By providing editors and media houses with firsthand product experiences, brands increase their chances of being included in these highly targeted lists. Additionally, many media houses and publishers rely on affiliate revenue streams, meaning that having an affiliate program with attractive commission rates can make a brand more appealing for inclusion. The more seamless and beneficial the partnership, the more likely a brand will be featured in these influential gift guides, ultimately driving sales and increasing brand awareness.
Do You Need an Affiliate Program to Get PR?
While an affiliate program is not mandatory for PR success, it significantly enhances long-term inclusion in media lists. If you’re a founder with strong press connections, you can initially gain traction without one. However, sustaining and scaling your PR presence typically requires a robust affiliate strategy.
Influencers and Affiliate Marketing
Influencer marketing has become a critical channel for brands. Affiliate programs can be integrated into influencer partnerships through:
- Gifting products and hoping for organic exposure
- Contractual relationships with scheduled content
- Commission-based incentives where influencers earn from each sale they generate
For small to medium-sized brands, a single affiliate platform can manage both publisher and influencer relationships. However, as the business grows, brands may benefit from using separate technologies to optimize their affiliate and influencer strategies.
How to Get Started and Ensure Success?
The key to success in affiliate marketing is generosity. Brands should actively distribute their products to influencers, media editors, and key community figures who have the potential to drive meaningful sales. The goal is to build authentic relationships that result in organic endorsements and increased visibility. Rather than limiting outreach to a narrow set of brand-aligned individuals, businesses should embrace a broader approach—sometimes the most unexpected advocates can unlock new audiences and revenue streams. By ensuring their products are widely experienced and talked about, brands can create a ripple effect that enhances credibility, expands reach, and ultimately drives sales.
Setting the Right Commission Rates
Commission rates vary across industries, but here are some general guidelines:
- Basic Table Stakes: 15% commission
- Competitive Rate: 20-30%
- High-Tier Offerings: 40-50% on select SKUs with higher margins
By strategically adjusting commission rates, brands can incentivize partners to prioritize their products in gift guides and promotional content.
Get in Touch with To&From and Team Bespoke
For brands looking to enhance their affiliate strategies, Melissa and the Team Bespoke agency are available for consultations. Reach out via their website or contact Melissa directly on LinkedIn for personalized insights.
For brands looking to grow via gifting, Bridget and the team at To and From are available to strategize on how best to reach the gifting customer. Schedule time here.
A strong gifting strategy, combined with a solid affiliate marketing program,can significantly boost a brand’s visibility and revenue in the gifting market. Start early, be generous, and maximize partnerships to ensure long-term success!