Skimlinks Connect: A celebration of insights and innovation

We were delighted to host the first Skimlinks Connect Event in Sydney last month. 

Our Australian team put together a fantastic event, connecting a dynamic mix of industry experts for an afternoon filled with inspiring discussions, valuable insights, and fantastic networking opportunities.

 

Diving into commerce content: expert perspectives

The event featured an engaging panel discussion on “Winning with Commerce Content in 2024,” led by Jade McDade, Skimlinks APAC Director. 

 

The panel included three industry experts:

• Eliza Sorman Nilsson, Head of Content at Mamamia
• Nicole Harnischfeger, PR & Partnerships Manager at Go-To Skincare
• Mel Wilson, podcaster, editor and author of Parenting in Progress

The panel shared their expertise, exploring the latest trends and strategies in affiliate content monetisation across various channels, including podcasts and social media.

 

Crafting data-driven content to boost revenue

Eliza highlighted the importance of data-driven content strategies, noting that commerce content articles involve more than just publishing. 

She recalled an experience where a highly-viewed article didn’t meet their expectations. “From an editorial perspective, it’s done its job and has served its audience,” she explains. But from an affiliate perspective, it hasn’t really done its job.”

Realising the need for deeper insights, she looked into Skimlinks data to understand audience intent – looking at what’s trending and revenue-generating across the network. And with this knowledge, her team crafted a new article focusing on their findings. Despite fewer page views, it outperformed the previous one in revenue.

This anecdote served as a powerful reminder of the nuanced relationship between content, audience behaviour, and revenue generation. “You’re looking at different data because it’s different types of audience and different audience intent.” 

 

PR and affiliate marketing synergy

Nicole highlighted the link between PR and affiliate marketing, emphasising the importance of understanding a brand’s affiliate strategy.

“PR is all about building relationships and maintaining consistent communication,” Nicole said. “Being able to communicate to editorial teams that, ‘You can tap into us via Skimlinks’ — and adding this sentence into an email allows us to be prioritised as a brand, which is so important.”

“One of the priorities for us, from a PR point of view, was getting a new serum to as many beauty editors as possible to trial it,” she explained, noting that this approach ensures genuine, first-person reviews that resonate with audiences and add credibility to their marketing efforts.

Additionally, when publishers include authentic reviews in evergreen content, brands gain continuous exposure and establish a positive reputation over time. By aligning with content that remains relevant and valuable over time, brands can extend their marketing efforts and consistently engage with their target audience. As a result, this approach leads to sustained visibility, fosters increased consumer trust, and ultimately improves performance metrics for affiliates.

 

Engaging employees as influencers

Nicole also highlighted the effectiveness of using employees as influencers, emphasising how integrating the faces behind the brand into social media content makes the brand feel more human and relatable. “I feel like our audience, our community, and our customers really love it. It makes us feel quite human, like people, not just a brand.”

Mel added that this strategy can build trust and authenticity with the audience, leveraging the existing trust employees have with their followers to create a more authentic connection with potential customers. 

Eliza mentioned that Mamamia values employee-generated content and has a content and marketing agency arm of the business, Squad, for off-platform influence and agency work. She noted that they utilise Mamamia’s podcast ‘Nothing To Wear’ as a medium to connect with their audience through personality-driven content. 

Combining employees as influencers with the power of podcasting, she says, “We know that when we put our face to something, the audience is more likely to buy it. So we like building up our talent as part of our success.”

 

Podcasting: an untapped revenue channel

Mel, who transitioned from being an editor to a successful podcaster, shared insights on growing and monetising a podcast, emphasising the importance of tapping existing networks and cross-promotional strategies. 

“The key idea was making sure that the amplification strategy was across every single platform that we have access to,” she said. This included writing multiple articles linked to podcast episodes, promoting them on social media, and featuring guests who would also share the content on their own channels. “It just has to be great content. And I think that’s something that, Mamamia has led the way with in terms of podcasting.”

 

 

Exploring regional performance trends and what lies ahead

In addition to the panel discussion, Jade provided a deep dive into regional performance trends and metrics across the APAC region. She highlighted the nuances and opportunities within the market, especially focusing on the recent Google algorithm changes and their impact and uplift on publishers hosting coupons. 

Attendees were treated to an exclusive preview of upcoming developments tailored for publishers in the region. John McDonald, Skimlinks’ Sr. Publisher Development Manager for ANZ, gave a glimpse of the company’s future offerings and features designed to empower publishers in optimising their affiliate revenue strategies.

A sincere thank you to all who attended and contributed to making this event a resounding success. Here’s to continued growth, innovation, and success in the affiliate marketing space!

Stay tuned for more updates and future events from Skimlinks as we continue to push the boundaries and set new benchmarks in the industry.