In anticipation of his upcoming Affiliate Management Days conference presentation, How to Champion (or Defend) the Affiliate Channel Through Incrementality, and his participation on the keynote panel discussion, 2016 Affiliate State of the Union, our very own Geno Prussakov interviewed Todd Crawford, Co-Founder of Impact Radius. View the Q-and-A below to learn Todd’s thoughts as well as see what’s in store for AM Days 2016.
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Question: If you were to emphasize one important issue that every affiliate manager should be paying more attention to, what would it be and why?
Todd: Every affiliate manager should have a good understanding of the value each affiliate partnership is driving as it relates to the business objectives and key performance indicators (KPIs) for their company. It is important to be able to demonstrate the value of a partnership and how it directly contributes to the metrics that a company values most. This empowers the affiliate manager to champion (and in some cases defend) the affiliate channel within the company.
Question: What was the most important marketing lesson you learned in 2015?
Todd: I think this is something everyone needs to remind themselves of periodically. Never be satisfied with the status quo. Always try new things – test and evaluate new opportunities. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes or fail. In order to be successful, you will have failures along the way.
Question: What do you believe to be the main areas of opportunity in 2016 – for online marketers, in general, and for affiliate marketers, in particular?
Todd: The biggest opportunity for marketers in 2016 is cross-device tracking/data. Just as we now rely on a cross-channel perspective across our marketing data, we will soon realize that unless we also include cross-device data, we are missing a big piece of the picture. Cross-device data will provide a more accurate view of their marketing data and allow marketers to better optimize their marketing mix, spend, and ROI.
Question: What do you believe to be the biggest challenge advertisers with affiliate programs face, and what steps could help them overcome it?
Todd: The biggest challenge I see affiliate marketers facing is the lack of cross-channel insights within their affiliate data. Affiliate managers are flying blind if they are still looking at siloed data that only shows last click wins in the affiliate channel. Here is a simple example to illustrate what I mean. If the affiliate channel represents 15% of total online results, then affiliate managers are looking at less than 15% of the data if it doesn’t include cross-channel data.
Question: Please give us 1-3 reasons why marketers should attend AM Days 2016.
Todd: Great content, networking, and learning opportunities in an intimate environment.
Question: If you were to leave online advertisers, merchants and affiliate managers with one piece of advice, what would it be?
Todd: Embrace data! You don’t know what you don’t know. Data can help you discover so much about your channel and business. The more you know, the more valuable you are to your company.
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Don’t miss Todd’s conference presentation, How to Champion (or Defend) the Affiliate Channel Through Incrementality, at Affiliate Management Days on Monday, April 4, 2016, from 10:15-11:00am. Click here to register for attendance.