Affter: getting ahead and staying on top of the affiliate space

Creating a sense of luxury and splendour is an appealing feature of any product or brand for both consumers and businesses across the world, and this is the primary function that drives the inner workings of Affter on a day-to-day basis.

The invite-only affiliate program, which officially broke cover in August 2023 and will proudly take its place on the showfloor of the SBC Summit in Lisbon, strives to ensure that the selective nature of its overarching concept delivers well above and beyond the expectations desired.

Regarding its participation in the Portuguese capital, Head of Affiliates Maxim Makovetskyi comments: “This is an excellent opportunity to connect with the Affter team and discuss any questions you may have in person. 

“Join us at the conference in September to engage with our experts and learn more about how Affter is leading the way in the affiliate space.”

Despite admitting that this imposes its own set of limitations on the company, Makovetskiy noted a critical positive of being selective with who they opt to work alongside.

“We approve an average of 30% of applications to our affiliate program, gathering background information, which adds extra workload and responsibility to our team that processes incoming leads,” he says.

“As a result, there’s a chance we may not onboard a potentially significant affiliate, but we do this consciously in favour of quality management and maintaining a strong relationship with the remaining partners. 

“The combination of trusting relationships with our partners and a proactive affiliate team allows us to adapt and stay in tune”

“This approach gives our affiliate managers the resources to fully immerse themselves in the process of scaling campaigns together, exploring the nuances and specifics of each case.”

Despite only boasting a maiden 12 month period of operation, the ultra competitive landscape of affiliation demands that you hit the ground running in order to achieve ultimate success.

Helped by an accumulated experience of 10 years in affiliate marketing and operating in high-risk markets, Makovetskiy points to the “core of our team” as being the one remaining constant through changing markets and product names and brands, as well as significant shifts in the structure of traffic sources.

“Our affiliate team is key to staying on top,” he adds. “The second indispensable element is our partners. 

“The market constantly changes for both us and our partners, and we strive to be a reliable support, as the operator usually holds a more stable position due to traffic source diversification.”

However, working within an ever changing landscape can pose an array of challenges, but confidence is stressed that a brand and program described as “a new luxury” and “exclusive and limited” can stay ahead of the curve.

Subsequently, Makovetskiy moves on by touching on how Affter anticipates, and crucially reacts in the correct manner, to remain competitive.

“The combination of trusting relationships with our partners and a proactive affiliate team allows us to adapt and stay in tune with the market,” he says.

“We are working on integrating AI solutions to assist our support team in providing faster and more efficient responses”

“Of course, we have an internal R&D department that conducts market research and tests various hypotheses, but I believe it is our focus on building trust with our partners that enables us to remain adaptable and weather the ‘storm’ together.”

Working within a wider ecosystem that prides itself as being at the forefront of technological advancements is no mean feat, and this is certainly not lost on the affiliate space.

Continuing the conversation, the Head of Affiliates discusses what he would identify as having been the major evolutions within this landscape during recent times.

“The instability of key traffic sources has led affiliates to consider diversifying their revenue streams and automating their approaches,” he notes.

“Some partners have even contemplated running their own operations, to which the market responded with several B2C companies transitioning to B2B solutions for affiliates and other clients.”

One of the major talking points over recent times when casting glances towards the future has undoubtedly been that of artificial intelligence. Unsurprisingly, Makovetskiy also signalled this as the backbone of significant developments that could impact the affiliate space moving forward.

“When talking about the future and the ‘common ground’ everyone is discussing, it’s undoubtedly AI,” the conversation continues.

“AI is being used for writing website content, creating visual photo and video creatives, and campaign moderation. 

“We are working on integrating AI solutions to assist our support team in providing faster and more efficient responses to our partners. The algorithms will continue to improve and become more sophisticated.

“Personal relationships and reputation are important everywhere”

“There is also a clear trend toward the unification and legalisation of both operating markets and traffic sources. Blackhat approaches by affiliates will always exist in the market, but it will become increasingly difficult to compete with whitehat and systematic solutions.”

As the conversation drew to a close, conversation turned to the primary differences that can be taken by those such as Affter in approaching, and aiming to cement its place on, the global market.

In looking at the contrasting qualities of working with SEO vs CPA affiliates, Makovetskiy first of all stressed a desire to narrow down the scope of audiences.

This saw SEO affiliates divided into large, established companies from Malta, Scandinavia, and the UK, and smaller companies or solo webmasters from the CIS.

“Each of these groups requires a different approach,” he explains. “Personal relationships and reputation are important everywhere, but while one group might need a series of formal white contracts with multiple legal reviews, others are fine with a simple message in a messenger and the assurance that all agreements will be honoured. At Affter, we successfully combine both approaches.

“A common trait among SEO webmasters is that it is critically important for them that the affiliate manager understands at least the basics of SEO and clearly recognises that SEO has its own specificities, which are radically different from, for instance, Facebook traffic. 

“SEO partners tend to be more attentive and demanding regarding the T&Cs of an affiliate program and often require maximum transparency in the formulas used to calculate affiliate rewards.”

In summary, Makovetskiy discloses that SEO partners value rule transparency, the competence of their affiliate manager in SEO, and the strength and trustworthiness of the brand in the target market. 

“By understanding these specifics and providing affiliates with what they need to work with us consistently, we scale within the SEO partner cluster,” he concludes.

“Regarding the original question, it’s not entirely accurate since many SEO webmasters are open to working with operators on CPA or hybrid models. Therefore, these terms are not mutually exclusive.”