In this episode of Masters of DTC, we dive deep into TikTok's affiliate program and its implications for e-commerce businesses.

Hosts Sandeep and Aashi share firsthand experiences and insights on why traditional TikTok affiliate marketing might fail, and how businesses can pivot to more effective partnership-led sales and marketing strategies.

Learn about the crucial differences between mere affiliate relationships and true partnerships, plus get practical tips for managing your business during the busy Black Friday season.

Whether you're considering TikTok for your e-commerce business or looking to optimize your existing partnership strategy, this episode offers valuable insights for DTC brands.

Keywords: TikTok, affiliate marketing, e-commerce, partnerships, DTC, Black Friday, digital marketing, influencer marketing

Duration: 22 minutes

Episode 2: Why Traditional Affiliate Programs Are Failing DTC Brands

Welcome to Episode 2 of Season 1 of Masters of DTC! In this episode, hosts Sandeep Bansal and Aashi Garg dive deep into why traditional affiliate programs are falling short of meeting the complex demands of emerging direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands.

They explore how the modern customer journey is anything but a straight line. With prospects discovering brands through a multitude of channels like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and more, tracking and engaging customers has become increasingly complex. The hosts discuss how traditional affiliate networks struggle to keep up with this multi-touchpoint landscape, leading to challenges in attribution and performance measurement.

Key Topics Covered:

• The Evolution of the Customer Journey: Understanding how customers interact with brands across various platforms and the implications for tracking and attribution.
• Limitations of Traditional Affiliate Networks: Why simple link distribution and cookie-based tracking are no longer sufficient in today's digital environment.
• The Need for Advanced Partnership Ecosystems: Making the case for a comprehensive, partnership-led sales and marketing strategy that includes affiliates, influencers, content creators, and more.
• Essential Features for Modern Affiliate Programs:
  • All-in-one influencer marketing platforms for discovery, management, and scaling.
  • Mobile-friendly partner onboarding experiences.
  • Support for Shopify collections to target niche audiences.
  • Brand benchmarking reports to measure performance against industry standards.
• Practical Steps for Brands: How to build a robust partnership ecosystem that can rival traditional paid media acquisition programs.

Join Sandeep and Aashi as they share insights and practical advice on transforming your affiliate program into a powerful growth channel. Whether you're a DTC brand looking to scale or a marketer interested in the latest trends in affiliate marketing, this episode is packed with valuable information.

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Tune in and let's master the art of DTC together!

In this timely episode, recorded on November 18th, we dive into the most critical two weeks of the year for DTC brands—Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM). Whether you're in the Far East, Europe, or North America, this is the season to maximize your efforts and capitalize on months of planning.

Join us as we share actionable strategies we're using with our clients to crush their BFCM goals. Here's what you'll learn:

🔑 Building Excitement: How to leverage last-call VIP list invitations and early access strategies starting as early as November 22nd.
🎁 Gift-Giving Ads: Insights into creating effective ad briefs and planning shipping cutoff creatives ahead of the holiday rush.
📋 Landing Page Optimization: Tips for testing end-to-end Black Friday flows, from ad clicks to VIP password-protected landers.
📊 Ad Campaign Prep: Why warming up your ad sets with $5–$10 budgets is a game-changer for peak performance during BFCM.
📧 Email & SMS Strategy: A breakdown of high-impact communication schedules, from VIP invitations to cart-prep emails and doorbuster announcements.

This episode is packed with insights to help you stay ahead during this competitive season. Tune in and gear up for a successful BFCM!

💡 Got a winning tip or strategy? Share it in the comments—we'd love to hear from you!