Why You Should Build a Diverse Partner Mix (and how!)

The industry’s most extensive affiliate marketing report is hot off the press. In impact.com’s State of Affiliate Marketing Report, we surveyed over 1500 marketers, publishers, and creators across 8 countries to determine what makes the industry tick — and how you can apply these principles to your business.

Across the digital marketing ecosystem, advertising costs are on the rise while return on investment falls short. Savvy marketers are looking for ways to drive growth while tightening their belts, and performance marketing remains the answer to this riddle.

One key strategy that revealed itself in the State of Affiliate Marketing Report is this: leading affiliate marketers know how to build a diverse portfolio of partners across the conversion funnel.

In this article, we’ll explore exactly what that means, detail some of the most popular portfolios, and offer tips on how you can apply these ideas to your affiliate strategy.

What is a diverse partner mix?

A diverse partner mix means adding a variety of partner types to your affiliate program. This diverse partner mix impacts buying decisions across the entire customer journey. While many affiliate managers may focus solely on partners that drive conversions, data shows that leading brands now incorporate partners that initiate brand discovery and awareness, or foster long-term retention.

What mix of partners can I include in my portfolio?

On average, brands collaborate with between 3-4 types of partners. Many begin with what we call the foundational affiliates. These include (but are not limited to) coupon or deal partners and loyalty affiliates. These partners influence buying decisions at the bottom of the conversion funnel and have a long-standing history of driving results in the affiliate sphere.

For targeting the top and middle of the funnel, consider working with Content Partners. These include everything from well-established lifestyle magazines to up-and-coming food bloggers and podcasters. Partners like these are fantastic at building awareness for your brand by crafting compelling articles, informative how-to guides, and well-researched product reviews.

Creators and social media influencers are another rising force to be reckoned with in the partnership ecosystem. These partners have strong relationships with highly engaged audiences on social media and are able to drive awareness and conversions. They show the largest projected growth of all partnership types, and many brands are turning more and more of their marketing budget towards creator campaigns.

How leading brands structure their partner mix

Below is a list of the most popular partner types and what percentage of brands work with them, taken from our recent marketing report. These numbers reveal how brands are thinking about full-funnel engagement, and how they see a multi-channel affiliate strategy as a huge opportunity for growth.

• Search and Media Arbitrage (40%) - for efficient conversion
• Loyalty and Rewards (38%) - for building lifecycle value
• Deals and Coupons (37%) - for price-incentive-based conversion
• Social media influencers (36%) - for discovery and awareness
• Network partners (36%) - for program management and scale
• Content and Reviews (34%) - for establishing credibility and trust
• Commerce Solutions (33%) - for on-site tools and services

Brands are striking the balance between partners that drive conversion with those who build awareness, establish trust, and provide a seamless buying experience — allowing them to scale their program and reach consumers at each stage of the buying journey.

Spot gaps and boost your affiliate program

Now that you know what a diverse partner mix is and you’re aware of the trend towards diversifying across the conversion funnel, let’s talk about how to assess your own affiliate program and tweak it accordingly.

Checklist for Evaluating Your Partner Mix

• Start by asking yourself which stages of the customer journey you are covering and compare it to the growing trends identified in the State of Affiliate Marketing Report.
• Ensure that your program covers all stages of the funnel — not just conversion.
• Finally, ask yourself whether your partner mix aligns with your specific goals. If your top priority is driving sales, make sure your program has performance-focused partners to help you secure conversions.

Once you’ve clarified your goals and existing program, it’s time to optimize it! We recommend our Desired Affiliate Partner Mix Calculator. It’s a free template that helps you list your partners by type, category, and the total percentage they make up in your program.

From this visualization, you can easily spot gaps in your program and compare it to growth trends in the industry.

Conclusion

The future of affiliate marketing is clear: a wide-ranging portfolio of partners who reach customers at all stages of their buying journey is the key to success. Get clear on your goals, align your partner mix with key trends, and watch your affiliate growth unfold in the years ahead.