Cristy Garcia is Chief Marketing Officer at Impact.com, a global partnership management platform. She leads and supervises Impact.com’s marketing, events, public relations and communications, demand generation, branding, website, design and social media.
Impact.com recently launched what it calls a Creator Platform designed to manage influencer discovery and influencer campaign management. I was eager to speak with Cristy about this new product and about issues related to influencers, affiliate marketing, and related topics, including:
- Why today’s influencers are working in a way very similar to the way that publishers work, creating content that educates and promotes products, often using affiliate links for monetization.
- Why education is often needed to inform brands about the nuances of affiliate marketing and hybrid payment models.
- Why brands should trust their influencer partners’ instincts on audience and content, balancing brand priorities with creative control.
- How influencers are recognizing the need to diversify their platforms to avoid relying on a single channel for growth.
- How micro and nano influencers are often seen by consumers as more trustworthy than macro influencers.
- How brands – which want authentic ambassadors and influencers that match their brand — may struggle with compliance issues when giving too much creative latitude to mid-tier and nano influencers.
- How technology can help automate messaging and discovery of creators, making it easier for brands to manage their influencer marketing campaigns.
- The resurgence of long form video content, with storytelling methodology and VSLs (Video Sales Letters) being the driver.
- Why brands must constantly test new channels, given that what works now may not work in the future.
- Why B2B marketers should target multiple contacts within an account, rather than just the mythical decision maker, to increase the chances of a sale.
- How AI will impact influencer and affiliate marketing and shape its future.
Impact.com’s Partnership Experience event will be happening in New York this June. If you have any involvement in affiliate/influencer marketing, or want to learn more about how it works, I’d suggest you attend. You can learn more here: https://impact.com/partnerships-experience/
