Building Affiliate Partnerships

4 out of 5 CRO agencies I've worked with usually relied on 'best practices' to increase conversion rate. These practices include: - Adding badges like 'few left', 'bestseller' - Making reviews more prominent - Creating urgency with timers - Adding key product USPs - Leveraging offers While these strategies do give results, many tend to overlook a critical aspect. Which is UX/UI design. That’s likely the least spoken topic at a CRO agency. Despite its significant potential to increase conversion rates. In this example, using Nourish You India's PDP, I've implemented UX/UI and other changes that can increase conversion rates. Below are the 8 changes I recommend a/b testing - 1. Move the product name above the product image along with reviews+price. That way, the space between the images and the add-to-cart CTA is reduced, increasing the chances of adding to cart. 2. The primary product image should highlight key USPs. This would help the user to quickly understand why to buy this product and why from you. 3. Consider adding product image thumbnails. If your product requires education then use the image slider to provide that. Most important in consumables, personal care industry, and tech. 4. Consider adding 3 quick bullet points or USPs about the product before the user goes to add to cart. This way, they are educated about the product before they consciously think about purchasing from you. 5. Motivate users to add more quantity, increasing the AOV. Do this by highlighting savings when they buy in bulk or highlighting the cost per item if they buy a bundle. 6. Optimize the area around the add-to-cart CTA. Highlight the estimated delivery time, free shipping threshold and return policy. 7. Highlight key USPs to differentiate your product and brand from the others. 8. Add accordions that the user can click on to read more. This way they can find the answers to their questions quickly. Other 2 CRO changes I did: 1. Added 'Few left' once the user selected the pack they want to buy. This creates urgency. 2. Re-iterated price near the pack selection so the user doesn't have to scroll back up to see the price. Success lies in attention to detail. Found this useful? Let me know in the comments! P.S. The learning curve for UX/UI design is quite different from that of CRO. Some great resources to explore are Baymard Institute and Nielsen Norman Group to get started. #conversionrateoptimization #uxdesign

Big brands might have the budget but small businesses can have the heart. I see this every other day. In a market dominated by big players, it can be intimidating if you are a small business owner. But there is one thing that you have, which even bigger budgets cannot achieve - real, human connections. Think about it. When was the last time you walked into a small café or an agency and felt like you belonged? When the owner knew your name, your usual order, and asked about your family? Now, how often would you feel that way in a huge hypermarket? Genuine connections that are built on positive emotions are a small business superpower. Unlike big companies that rely on scripts and algorithms, small businesses can build genuine relationships - and that’s where customer loyalty is born. Yet, many small businesses get caught in the race to compete on price and efficiency, forgetting what their real strength is - personalization and emotional depth. 🤝 Here are FIVE strategies that I advise my clients who are small business owners, to build deeper emotional connection with their customers: 1️⃣ Be Personal, Not Transactional: Greet customers by name. Train your team to do the same. Remember their preferences. Ask how they’re doing. Small gestures create a big emotional impact. 2️⃣ Build Conversations, Not Just Sales: Instead of pushing only promotions, engage with customers on a personal level, whether in-store, on social media, or through direct messages. 3️⃣ Surprise and Delight (Without Breaking the Bank!): A handwritten thank-you note, an unexpected freebie, or even a genuine compliment can turn a one-time buyer into a lifelong fan. 4️⃣ Share Your Story: People buy from people, not faceless brands. Talk about why you started, your challenges, and what makes your business unique. Customers love supporting businesses with a heart. ❤️ 5️⃣ Treat Customers Like Family, Not Numbers: Unlike big brands, you don’t have to deal with millions of customers. Use that to your advantage. Create a community where customers feel valued, heard, and respected. The Bottom Line: You don’t need massive marketing budgets to create customer loyalty. You just need connection. In a world of automated responses and brand detachment, your ability to make customers feel special is your biggest competitive edge. That's your zone. Make it big! What’s the one way that you build an emotional connection with your customers? I’d love to hear your thoughts! #CustomerExperience #CustomerLoyalty #CustomerCentricity #EmotionalConnection #VinayPushpakaran

I was recently commissioned to build and deliver a partnerships workshop for a $500M ARR company. Here's why they chose me. When I design a partnerships workshop, I focus on delivering an engaging session AND focused on proving the value it created. Partnerships often get sidelined because they’re seen as “fluffy.” Without clear metrics, it’s hard to justify investment, scale, or even a seat at the table. To change this, I focused on two things: Tracking outcomes: From participation to application, we measured how the workshop impacted real business goals. Speaking the language of executives: Instead of anecdotes, we used data like LTV:CAC and partner-driven ROI to showcase the tangible impact. If you want partnerships to be seen as a core GTM strategy, you need to back your work with hard numbers. Start here: Measure your partner-sourced vs. influenced revenue. Track the full partner lifecycle to identify what’s working. Tie your initiatives to company-wide goals. Partnerships thrive on relationships, but they scale with data.

Paid & Organic Social Media. How to Integrate Both into Your Strategy? 1️⃣ Strategic Use of Paid Ads: While paid advertising can be powerful, it's crucial to discern when to invest. Reserve paid promotions for specific campaigns aligned with your key performance indicators (KPIs) and business objectives. Remember, organic content can also generate significant engagement and reach when well-crafted and strategically shared. 2️⃣ Boost Successful Organic Posts: Identify high-performing organic content and amplify its reach through paid promotion. This strategy leverages existing engagement to attract new audiences and potential customers. Regularly analyze metrics to pinpoint top-performing posts worthy of boosting. 3️⃣ Optimization through A/B Testing: Before committing to significant ad spend, conduct thorough A/B testing on various elements such as visuals, copywriting, and CTAs. By experimenting with different versions among smaller audience segments, you can refine your content for maximum impact and cost-efficiency. 4️⃣ Targeted Ad Campaigns: Utilize data from your organic audience to inform targeted ad campaigns. Leverage insights into demographics, interests, and behaviors to create tailored content that resonates with potential customers. Platforms often offer features like lookalike audiences, enabling you to reach individuals similar to your existing followers. 5️⃣ Retargeting for Enhanced Engagement: Implement retargeting campaigns to reconnect with users who have previously interacted with your brand organically. Whether they visited your website or engaged with your social profiles, retargeting ads serve as gentle reminders and encourage further engagement or conversions. 6️⃣ Data-Driven Analysis and Optimization: Regularly monitor and analyze the performance of both organic and paid content. Utilize social analytics tools to gain actionable insights and measure ROI. Adjust your strategies based on real-time data to optimize campaigns for better results. By integrating these strategies thoughtfully, you can harness the combined power of paid and organic social media to strengthen your brand presence, engage your audience, and drive meaningful results!

🌍 Every successful business that I helped with growth scaled significantly by launching into new regions. This is a step-by-step guide (with a bonus at the end): ✅ Market Analysis: - Identify the target market (segmentation, size, growth potential) - it might be different from the market in your “main” region - Competitor analysis (major players, their strategies, SWOT analysis) - Analyse any regulatory, legal, or cultural differences that may affect the business (!this is one of the most important aspects. I have seen startups that, even with a solid expansion plan, failed because they didn’t understand the culture of the new region. Things are done differently, and you have to understand the differences and adapt if you want to thrive) ✅ Entry Routes: - Direct entry (establishing a local presence, subsidiary) - Indirect entry (using intermediaries, i.e., distributors, agents, or resellers) - Partnerships (leveraging existing partnerships and exploring new strategic partnerships in the new region) - Licensing / Franchising ✅ Financial Planning: - Develop revenue and cost projections based on market analysis and the entry route you chose (this is important, work with an expert if you are not confident with numbers) - Identify possible funding sources (investors, loans, grants) ✅ Risk Assessment: - Analyse potential risks (e.g., regulatory, legal, financial, operational) - Develop contingency plans and mitigation strategies if you see any risk ✅ Strategy Design & Execution Plan: - If you launch directly, you are no one and you will go nowhere unless you have a detailed Go-To-Market strategy for the new region that is clear on: messaging, which media channels you will use, how you will create a marketing and sales funnel (including clear strategies to convert). This is important, get help if you are not confident  - Define key performance indicators to monitor progress (review, adjust if off track) 👉 This is a very high-level blueprint just to get you started when you’re thinking about your international expansion. There is much more to be said. Ask me questions in the comments if you want more details 👉 BONUS: When you have to start thinking about costs you will incur, I created a high-level cost planning document to give you a sense of what cost items you will have to consider. Link in comments 👇 #startups #founders #gotomarket

5 conversion tactics to turn leads into loyal customers (without the struggle) As a Fractional CMO for B2B tech companies, I speak to a lot of founders and leaders of B2B tech companies that are REALLY struggling to convert their leads into loyal customers. While I can’t take on every potential client, I love that I can use this newsletter as a way to help such brand.  Here are 5 conversion tactics that have consistently worked for my clients: 1. Personalized communications: Be sure you’re tailoring your messages to address the specific needs and pain points of your leads. Personalization builds trust and shows that you care about them and their unique situation. 2. Multi-channel engagement: Never rely on a single marketing channel. Use a combination of email, social media, community, and/or other channels to build omni-presence that keeps your leads engaged, informed, and impressed. 3. Value-driven content: Offer free content that provides real value. This could include whitepapers, case studies, webinars, or long-form YouTube videos. This positions your brand as a helpful resource that actually cares about your customers. 4. Consistent follow-ups: Follow-up consistently, but without being pushy. Automated email sequences are a great way to stay on top of this without overwhelming your team. 5. Exclusive offers: Provide exclusive offers or early access to new products as a way to reward your leads and encourage them to become customers. These tactics have helped my clients (including several Fortune 100 companies) to achieve predictable, measurable results. If you're struggling to convert leads, try incorporating these tactics into your strategy. Want to learn more about how to implement these tactics effectively? Let’s connect and discuss: https://lnkd.in/g3pWZk3k #founderled #startupmarketing #personalbranding #marketing #branding

We made $1M from affiliates in two years. Sounds glamorous. It wasn’t. Here are the truths nobody tells you about running an affiliate program: 1. Affiliates are your early-stage lifeline. When you’re unknown, your words don’t matter. Other people’s do. At our peak, affiliates drove 40% of revenue. Without them, we’d have suffocated in obscurity. 2. The most expensive channel you’ll ever love-hate. To attract affiliates, you give a generous commission. Then you realize each customer costs you 20% of revenue. It’s growth, sure — but it’s also the priciest CAC on the block. 3. Forget the vanity metrics. Hundreds of affiliates might sign up, but 95% will generate close to zero. The top 5% carry everyone else. Stop entertaining the freeloaders and double down on the ones who actually move the needle. 4. Policies don’t build trust. People do. Tracking links break. Customers forget to click them. We decided: if an affiliate proved they brought in a client, they got credit. That simple. Pay fairly, pay on time, or watch your reputation disintegrate. 5. Affiliate hijacking is a thing. Some “affiliates” run ads on your own branded keywords. Translation: they’re not referring customers, they’re stealing them. We had to shut the program to approvals only. (Pro tip: Use Marcode to detect affiliate hijacking in time, thank me later). 6. Payouts will break you if you let them. Fifty affiliates. Dozens of payment methods. Endless mismatches. Manual payouts nearly cost us weeks of time until we automated the entire process with Tolt. Best decision we made! 7. Affiliates are also your market scouts. The first to sign up are growth hackers and early adopters. If many of them suddenly start signing up from Poland or Saudi Arabia, take note. That’s your next growth market waving a flag. Affiliates don’t just sell for you, they show you where to expand next. ------------------------------------------------------------- Affiliates didn’t just bring us $1M. They gave us early traction when nothing else could, exposed us to hidden costs that most founders underestimate, and revealed new markets before we even considered entering them. That’s not luck. That’s what an affiliate program really does when you run it right. Check our affiliate program here: https://lnkd.in/d2sUSpDw

"How I implemented web analytics reporting with Timestream" In this new post, I described how I enhanced my affiliate tracking system with analytics reporting. I explain how the system works, and why I chose RudderStack over Segment for data ingestion, and why I decided to use Amazon Timestream over DynamoDB. https://lnkd.in/ebFGprRD #aws #serverless

Just closing a sale is NOT enough. What truly matters is how you build a lasting relationship. You might not realize this, but: HOW you engage with your customers is more important than WHAT you sell. So, if you want to excel in customer relationships: ⦿ Focus on building trust ⦿ Provide consistent value ⦿ Foster ongoing engagement Here’s how I approach it in 9 simple steps: 1. Start by understanding your customer’s needs. 2. Personalize your interactions and communication. 3. Follow up regularly, not just when you’re selling. 4. Provide value through useful content and advice. 5. Address concerns promptly and effectively. 6. Show appreciation with personalized thank-you or rewards. 7. Listen actively and adapt to feedback. 8. Create opportunities for customers to give input and feel involved. 9. Use CRM tools to track and manage interactions. Great products or services can lose their appeal if they’re not supported by strong customer relationships. So, creating customers isn’t just important—it’s everything. Next time you engage with a customer, remember: You’re not just making a sale; you’re building a lasting relationship. Make it a meaningful one. 🤝 PS. Do you focus on customer relationships or just closing sales? Yes/No? #brandstrategist