On this week’s Affiliate Marketing Podcast, host Lee-Ann Johnstone is joined by Cindy Shen, Head of Account Management, EMEA at Everflow. With over 20 years of marketing experience, Cindy brings a unique perspective from traditional marketing to the affiliate space. Together, they explore how breaking down departmental silos and fostering cross-team collaboration can dramatically transform affiliate program performance and reputation.
Our thanks to Everflow.io as our sponsor, this season.
Talking points include:
- Why affiliate marketing is often misunderstood despite being a multi-billion dollar industry with consistent double-digit growth.
- The importance of centralised data tracking and cross-team collaboration for program success.
- How tracking post-conversion events creates deeper partner relationships and drives incremental value.
The Misunderstood Channel: Why Affiliate Marketing Struggles for Recognition
Despite being a thriving multi-billion dollar industry with consistent double-digit growth for over a decade, affiliate marketing often remains misunderstood at the C-suite level. Cindy explains this disconnect stems from CMOs lacking clear understanding of how affiliate partnerships contribute across all levels of the marketing funnel. “A lot of times they would spend time thinking about strategy, go-to-market plans, media plans, etc. But they really don’t connect affiliate as part of the channels who actually sit on every single level,” Cindy notes. Without proper attribution systems that demonstrate each channel’s contribution to the ultimate performance, affiliate marketing often gets relegated to “leftover budget” status despite its proven effectiveness.
Case Study: Breaking Down Silos Drives Explosive Growth
Cindy shared a remarkable two-year journey with a mobile app client that transformed their approach to affiliate marketing. Starting with just one affiliate manager focused solely on app installs, they evolved into a sophisticated cross-functional operation with five global affiliate managers across multiple countries. The key to this transformation? Centralised data that allowed different teams—CRM, brand, creative, and analytics—to access a unified view of customer journeys.
By establishing mutual KPIs rather than siloed metrics, teams could work collaboratively toward shared goals instead of competing for budget. This approach required significant effort, multiple meetings, and overcoming implementation challenges, but the results speak for themselves: rapid expansion, increased budgets, and dramatically improved performance.
Changing the Narrative
As Lee-Ann and Cindy discuss, affiliate marketing suffers from negative narratives that undermine its credibility. Both challenge listeners to counter this by regularly sharing success stories from their programs. “If we all collaborate together and become a movement… we can very easily change the narrative associated with affiliate marketing,” Lee-Ann suggests. This industry-wide effort to highlight wins, share learnings, and demonstrate value is essential for building broader understanding of affiliate marketing’s true potential.
#AffiliateWINS: Your Victory Lap Starts Now!
Time to flip the script: less calling out, more calling UP. Share your affiliate marketing triumphs, champion your outstanding partners, and spread the wisdom that’s working. Let’s make #AffiliateWINS the hashtag that dominates feeds everywhere!
Ready to brag? Share success stories like these:
- “Just closed our best Q1 ever with the partner who’s been in it with us since day one. Loyalty pays dividends. #AffiliateWINS”
- “Our affiliate just turned a shoestring budget into 5x ROAS using nothing but authentic UGC and love. Small spend, massive returns. #AffiliateWINS”
- “Here’s to the quiet achievers steadily driving volume without the spotlight. You’re the backbone of this industry. #AffiliateWINS”
Each week on the Affiliate Marketing Podcast, we’re showcasing why affiliate isn’t just a moment—it’s EVERY moment in your business. Share your #AffiliateWINS as we unveil an incredible lineup of guests and features, brought to you by our season sponsors at Everflow.io.
Join the movement!
Tell YOUR #AffiliateWINS story and help us rewrite the narrative on why affiliate marketing should be celebrated and integrated at every stage of your business growth journey! Use the hashtag to shout-out your wins and positivity on social channels or contact us directly with your stories.
Listen to find out more about:
- Why affiliate managers need to “get their hands dirty” to uncover program diamonds.
- The critical importance of sharing program success stories to change industry narratives.
- How traditional marketing experience shapes perspectives on affiliate strategy.
Key segments of this podcast and where you can tune in to go direct:
[04:30] Why affiliate marketing remains misunderstood despite its growth.
[09:20] Case study of successful cross-team collaboration in a mobile app company.
[19:50] Tracking beyond initial conversion to maximise customer lifetime value.
Get Your Questions Answered by Lee-Ann!
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