Introducing Mike Currey
Mike began his profession in advertising within the music and leisure business earlier than working in media gross sales after which on the company facet at Razorfish. He’s since been working with associates on the model facet at corporations like T-Cellular and Blue Nile, alongside along with his present function at Quince, the place he leads their affiliate and show efforts. Mike was additionally just lately a speaker at PI Reside 2023 in Miami.
What are your day-to-day duties?
Oversee program technique, finance, operational build-out, a workforce of three, and ideate product build-outs inner and exterior. Collaborate with different inner companions to construct technique and attribution. Handle a subset of publishers exterior of content material commerce.
How did you get into affiliate marketing online?
I joined T-Cellular on contract to assist launch their show retargeting and handle a dormant associates program. After three months, I got here on full-time for an affiliate and handed on the show to a different new rent. That gig lasted nearly six years earlier than transferring into different consulting/manufacturers.
What are your most vital KPIs?
Specializing in retail — margin after which return charge. I can drive visitors and income all day lengthy however on the finish of the day, if the model just isn’t being profitable after media spend/commissions, then is the tactic working? Additionally, not all publishers are equal. Some have an viewers that likes to return merchandise however commissions have been paid out.
What’s your largest pet peeve in regards to the affiliate business?
Lack of higher management help. The affiliate technique has been round because the early ’90s and helped launch Amazon; Amazon appears to have labored out okay. There’s worth within the effort however lots of management solely sees it as a lower-funnel low cost channel. It does come all the way down to affiliate managers and businesses, too. Many load up packages with last-click companions, so that’s what management sees. We as an business should be extra accountable and diversify packages that present the worth of the channel. A lot collaboration with different inner media and cost fashions could be accomplished for the complete funnel. We simply have to include it into our packages and have seen many transferring into this with the adoption of PR into the writer combine.
What’s your preferrred accomplice combine?
The Quince model is younger, so getting the title out by product opinions is our present combine. I might say 80% of the companions are content material and 20% are a mixture of gated relationships by presents/rewards.
What have you ever accomplished within the final 6-12 months to enhance your affiliate marketing online efforts?
This system I walked into was beforehand managed by an company that loaded this system up with coupons, sub-networks, and toolbars. Management took discover and had the info scientists do a deep dive. The outcomes confirmed most of it was not incremental and began to maneuver away right into a content-based program. I got here on a few months later. Instantly I began to take away all the toolbars lingering, cleaned up our promo code construction for the corporate, shifted away from multi-use codes, and cleaned up publishers that have been hijacking hyperlinks, codes, and content material. That was the primary three months, so now I’m centered on constructing service reductions and offline methods.
“Affiliate” or “accomplice”?
I might lean in direction of “accomplice.” Affiliate has a little bit of taboo nowadays and a Wild West which means. “Associate” brings within the notion two persons are working collectively to construct a method collectively. Wild West versus one-to-one.
What’s the largest mistake you’ve made in affiliate marketing online?
Most likely not going to as many affiliate conferences over time. So many relationships have been cast there and I do know lots of people over electronic mail, however this business is so personable. In-person does make a distinction.
How vital is following the journey of a consumer after you (or your advertisers) first purchase them or after their first buy?
The journey earlier than and through checkout is vital to me. I need to know the media combine and which flows offline drive the best conversion charge. Even onsite, understanding what funnel by the writer by writer kind drives the very best conversion charge. This actually relies upon so much on the affiliate platform used, although.
Do you may have a selected technique for influencers?
The Quince influencer workforce builds model consciousness by partnered campaigns and UGC for different groups to whitelist. The affiliate workforce focuses on the natural facet by long-tail opinions. I wouldn’t say it isn’t a lot than different retail manufacturers.
