"Las opiniones y testimonios dicen mucho" - Lee-Ann Johnstone, AffiliateINSIDER

Lee-Ann Johnstone, CEO of AffiliateINSIDER, joins the Affiliate Grand Slam affiliate club interviews

Lee-Ann Johnstone, is an award-winning digital marketing strategist who was also voted one of the 10 most influential women in iGaming. He tells us about AffiliateINSIDER, its culture, mission and training program, how to organize work and different partners, and why affiliate management is a rewarding career. Below, we tell you their story.

How did you get into the affiliate sector?

About 20 years ago I changed careers and entered the world of online marketing. I thought it was an interesting sector to explore. I had been working in the marketing industry for about five years and was looking for the next fad. At that time, the Internet was a novelty, a new and brilliant tool; I left my position as head of marketing at a small financial services company and joined an online media company and started my career again. I first focused on planning and buying media, then I moved on to working with ad networks, and finally I moved on to working with publishers and partners.

Since then, I have worked with agencies, networks, clients, and affiliates. So I have a 360-degree view of how the affiliate industry has developed from the beginning to where it is today and how we’re going to move forward.

in 2019, you were voted as one of the 10 most influential women in iGaming according to IGB Affiliate. You’re also an award-winning marketing strategist. What does it mean to you?

It means a lot because it is the result of a lifetime of work and learning. And that’s one of the reasons why I’m so keen to help others build their careers in this industry and why we at AffiliateINSIDER have created our AMPP training course, which stands for Affiliate Management Performance Program. I’m interested in helping people get into the industry and teaching them how they can build success in affiliate marketing, because I really believe that in the digital landscape, it’s one of the most interesting spaces to work in.

It also means a lot that in this position, which I am fortunate to hold, I help other people learn and develop their programs and careers as well. This also means being an ambassador for the sector. Obviously, it’s humbling to be seen as someone influential, but the main thing is that I want people to continue to know that they can come to me at any time and ask me questions.

That’s really the role I think I have here, to help the next generation of digital marketers learn, innovate, and grow within our industry based on the knowledge and experience I want to share.

How and when did AffiliateINSIDER take off? What is AffiliateINSIDER and what do you do at AffiliateINSIDER?

Well, that’s a bit of a loaded question, because I don’t think we’ve taken off yet. We are still starting, we have only been there for a few years. To be honest, I don’t do much. If you look under the hood of AffiliateINSIDER, my team is fantastic. They drive and move the business forward, but they are also an incredible support structure that allows me to step outside of day-to-day management and stay up to date with what’s happening in industry trends and contribute to the conversations happening within our industry.

At AffiliateINSIDER, I talk about affiliate marketing, help people understand affiliate marketing a little better, and support brands and partners who work with us to grow their affiliate programs. However, it’s not just me; it’s actually the entire AffiliateINSIDER team that contributes to that story.

Tell us a little more about AffiliateINSIDER’s culture, mission, and values.

At AffiliateINSIDER we have a culture of continuous development and learning. We encourage our team to continue learning and developing their skills because without learning, testing, iterating and optimizing those tests we can’t really help our clients grow.

Our mission is to evangelize the world towards affiliate marketing.

I think that’s pretty straightforward.

We’re passionate about this industry and making sure that people who want to use the performance model understand the strategy and planning metrics needed for that model to be successful in their business.

As for our values, we are honest. Honesty and straightforward approach are probably something clients expect when dealing with AffiliateINSIDER, whether working with a media team, our content team, or our agency team.

We also have a very strong teleworking culture that was obviously a result of the pandemic. I think what you can always be sure of is that you’ll get a straightforward and honest approach to whatever problem you’re trying to solve. So we work collaboratively with our clients to deliver the KPIs and support they need.

At AffiliateINSIDER, you organize training and coaching for managers. What can you tell us about the program? How does it help and benefit participants? Who is it ideal for? Can you give us an example?

The AMPP, which I created about two years ago, is something special and a little unique. It’s for affiliate program managers who really want to level up, who want to understand the frameworks that go into building a successful affiliate program, and for those who want to gain the confidence they need to present and market their brands in a better way. This program is a training program and it’s great for anyone who’s in an affiliate management role, you know one or two years, or even someone who’s been in it for five or six years and wants to move to the next level. We offer a mix of the frameworks and guidelines we offer our clients and our agency, but also help affiliate managers understand the environment in which they work and develop the skills they need to drive their programs forward.

I think that, in terms of the benefits for the attendees, the testimonials say it all. If you search on LinkedIn and type AMPP, one of the most beautiful testimonials we’ve received is from Rebecca Ciala, director of affiliates at Hollywoodbets.

She has been part of the course and loved it. She has posted very nice things about us on LinkedIn and why the course has helped her in so many ways.

Nowadays, many brands working with affiliates and organizing them all can be complicated. In your experience, how can brands successfully manage working with different affiliate partners? What strategies should they implement?

Yes, it’s true. Working in affiliate marketing is no longer so simple, simply because we have many different channels that partners act on, it’s not just about websites anymore. The development of social media has allowed more and more people to enter the affiliate and performance marketing space. Figuring out what your strategy is, because there’s no longer a one-size-fits-all program for all types of content, managers, and editors you can work with, can be quite tricky. The key is that brands have to understand how to work with different types of partners. They need to be flexible to allow those partners the space needed to try and try new things and to figure out how best to partner with the brands they work with.

There must also be foresight and planning. We live in a very unstructured environment; The Internet has changed a lot in a matter of two decades. It is very important that partners collaborate with the brands they decide to promote. It’s also important for affiliate managers to really examine the available data and use it to make informed decisions about how they want to work with their partners from a business perspective. That commission model or one-time remuneration plan is no longer enough to work with partners in a really attractive way.

So, keeping an open mind and maintaining business flow, supply and demand, and really only having open relationships with affiliates is incredibly important to make sure that your program is going to be successful.

Why do you find affiliate management a rewarding career choice?

If you want to work in an environment where no day is the same, affiliate management is your career. I always say that it is not a job, it is a vocation. Most people end up in affiliate marketing and management by accident, but the ones who end up sticking around are the ones who have a real passion for the industry. I think you either love her or hate her. However, if you’re lucky enough to learn from someone who is as passionate about the industry as you are, I think that sets you up for a successful career.

The fact that affiliate managers have to know a little bit of everything is also quite gratifying because, as I said, no day is the same. Today you can take care of a little administration, tomorrow you can be doing the business of your life and the next day you can be traveling to an event. There really is a little bit of everything, and you can experience many different types of digital marketing working in the affiliate space.

It is a rewarding career; It’s not an easy career because it requires a lot of skill. It’s not just about customer support, account management, relationship management, or sales. There are many different techniques that go into running. It is important that if you are going to enter this career, you understand that it is a full-time job. It’s not something you can try to get very good at quickly. It’s something you have to invest time and effort in, and develop and learn continuously because the industry is constantly changing.

What skills do you need to be a good affiliate manager?

It’s a very important question because there are so many different types of managers. There are managers who are incredibly good at looking at data, analyzing and optimizing campaigns based on numbers. There are those who are incredibly good at building relationships and getting new sales and deals. Both skill sets are very important to have on the team. Depending on the type of personality you have, you will opt for a different path of the program.

I think the ultimate skill set is a little bit of analysis, encapsulating digital marketing, the ability to build relationships from scratch, without having any kind of introduction or leads. I think being an extrovert is an advantage, but it’s not necessary because even an introverted person can be a very good affiliate manager. I think that specializing in a certain area of affiliate program management is quite important, because you can be someone very technical who deals with the advertising operations of an affiliate program or you can be someone who is very creative, who wants to create campaigns, deal with designers, create interesting content and maybe manage events. So, I think it’s very important to think about what your skills are and where you fit into your company and your program structure.

How can affiliate management be improved?

It’s a very easy question. I believe that the management of affiliates always improves when there is an open dialogue. I also believe that having transparency in your program and keeping an eye on your partnerships will improve the affiliate program. In addition, it is what the affiliates will want to do. I think there’s a lot of work to be done in the industry in terms of transparency and understanding of the data because we also work across multiple platforms and sometimes not all of them are available so that we can make informed decisions.

I’d like people to look at affiliate marketing and the results channel as a channel that requires less budget and more as an open business partnership. So, allowing affiliates to try new things and be a little creative and not just do things the way we’ve done before. You have to be open-minded.

How do you see the future of affiliate marketing?

The future is bright. I think we’re entering a very interesting time in the online world where things like the metaverse or crypto have come to the fore with NFTs.

I think it’s going to be very exciting to see how these areas are navigated and it’s certainly going to be interesting to see how technology is going to keep pace with these new trends. So, looking at how we’re going to be able to integrate these things into our day-to-day marketing strategies and how our partners are going to integrate and utilize these new channels and types of integration that we can have with our consumers.

I think the future of affiliate marketing is going to be incredibly interesting, but it’s going to be very fast. Therefore, keeping up with trends and integrating them into traditional marketing tactics is going to be very interesting. That’s why I think it’s a good time to join the membership space right now.

How has your experience been at SiGMA’s conferences?

We attend SiGMA every year because it’s a great opportunity to meet with partners, publishers, and affiliates. It’s also a great way to understand what’s happening in the industry. I had a great time in November in Malta, which is always a lovely place to visit. In November, I was a moderator on the panel titled “The Challenges of Localization for the Cross-Border Affiliate” and a panelist on “The Importance of a Gamification Marketing Strategy.”

We really enjoy going out and meeting with people in the industry so we can hear how other people are experiencing this space and learning and innovating in their businesses as well. It’s a great opportunity to network and keep learning. We love attending events and I’m a big fan of SiGMA.

Tell us a little about yourself: after all, business is done with people, not with companies. Your hobbies, your favorite book, favorite phrase, if you like the game, etc.

Oddly enough, I like the outdoors. I live very close to the coast. I love swimming and you’re always going to find me in the water. My hobbies are standing boarding and diving. I love being by the beach and I’m very lucky to live by the sea.

My favorite quote is an old African proverb: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go accompanied.” It means a lot to me because obviously I was born in South Africa, but it’s also very, very true. So, it rings true in affiliate marketing, where often to experience that growth you can’t go alone, you have to go with your partners.

My favorite book. It’s been a long time since I read. I read a lot of books on industry, thought leadership, and business talks. However, one of the best marketing books I’ve read is The Business Model Canvas, which is a great book for affiliate managers or digital marketers to read in terms of strategy and planning. That’s probably the last book that comes to mind.

I also believe that business is done with people. So, I’m quite approachable and I love meeting people at events and hearing what they’re doing and how they’re learning. I think I’m quite a sociable person by nature and at heart. I’m looking forward to meeting a lot of new people at events.

Read more about the SiGMA Affiliate Grand Slam here.

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