The Free Toaster

E005 - Levers [Affiliate marketing]

Episode 005: Today, we discuss the marketing levers lenders have at their disposal to improve the performance of their affiliate marketing campaigns.
 
We’ll discuss levers in the following categories:
Eligibility
Impressions/placements
Click-through rate
Application rate
Approval rate
Funding rate
CPA/Payouts
 
Timestamps:
(00:54) Recapping previous episodes(01:50) A big misconception(03:02) Key levers(09:30) CTR(18:37) Application rate(21:35) Approval rate(27:09) Funding rate(29:49) CPAs / payouts(31:43) Conclusion and final thoughts
 
Where to find Carlos:
LinkedIn
Twitter/X
 
References:
Click-through rates by ad rank/placement on Google:https://firstpagesage.com/reports/google-click-through-rates-ctrs-by-ranking-position/
Outline of levers discussed in the show
https://medium.com/@newmarketgrowth/your-affiliate-marketing-levers-9f98092ab37b
 
Find Us:
Don't forget to subscribe to Affiliate Marketing for Lenders. If you’re interested in being a guest on the show (or if you have questions for a future episode), send me a note on LinkedIn, Twitter/X, or at carlos@newmarketgrowth.com.

E004 - Where To Play & Host Models [Affiliate marketing]

Episode 004: Today, we tackle two simple, but important questions. The first: “What affiliates should I partner with?” And the second, “Where should I host my targeting model?”
 
We cover:
How to build a list of potential affiliate partners
Why “getting in” isn’t an easy as you think
How to build a pitch for potential partners
Where to host your targeting model
Guiding principles for targeting model development
 
Timestamps:
(00:43) Outline of today's episode
(04:25) Building a list of potential partners
(09:25) Why getting into publishers isn't easy
(14:15) Crafting your pitch 18:18 Hosting your targeting model
(18:18) Hosting Your Targeting Model
(22:20) Targeting model platforms
(36:56) Guiding principles
(41:45) Wrap up / final thoughts
 
Where to find Carlos:
LinkedIn
Twitter/X
 
References:
Credit Karma Lightbox
https://www.creditkarma.com/about/commentary/credit-karma-welcomes-team-bitmatica
Monevo
https://www.monevo.com/us
Eagle Data
https://www.eagledata.biz/
https://medium.com/@carlos.ny/a-chat-with-travis-broad-ceo-at-eagle-data-a6409c6683a7
MoneyLion
https://www.insidermonkey.com/blog/moneylion-inc-nyseml-q1-2024-earnings-call-transcript-1299056/
 
Find Us:
Don't forget to subscribe to Affiliate Marketing for Lenders. If you’re interested in being a guest on the show (or if you have questions for a future episode), send me a note on LinkedIn, Twitter/X, or at carlos@newmarketgrowth.com.

E003 - Why Play [Affiliate marketing]

Episode 003: Today, we tackle a big, foundational question. “Why should I bother promoting my lending products in affiliate channels?”
 
We cover:
Size of publicly traded affiliate networks
How many consumer loans are opened per year on affiliate networks
Why your CMO, CPO, CRO, and CFO should care
A 60-second elevator pitch for your CEO
Timestamps:
(00:43) Why Invest in Affiliate Marketing?
(01:22) Affiliate Channel Scale From Public Filings
(05:08) What % Of Acquisition Volume Comes From Affiliates?
(06:14) Convincing Your Org to Invest in Affiliate Marketing
(08:01) Benefits for Different Departments
(13:06) Selling into your CPO or Strategy Head
(14:44) Selling into your CRO
(16:42) Selling into your CFO
(18:15) Building Exceptional Buying Experiences
(20:42) Conclusion and Summary Pitch
 
Where to find Carlos:
LinkedIn
Twitter/X
References (affiliate marketplace public filings):
 
Credit Karma
https://investors.intuit.com/_assets/_719de469f18090d69a0faddc62c8f705/intuit/news/2024-05-23_Intuit_Reports_Strong_Third_Quarter_Results_and_1188.pdf
Experian
https://www.experianplc.com/content/dam/marketing/global/plc/en/assets/documents/results-and-presentations/2024/experian-roadshow-jan-to-mar-2024.pdf
NerdWallet
https://investors.nerdwallet.com/news-releases/news-release-details/nerdwallet-reports-first-quarter-2024-results
Lending Tree
https://investors.lendingtree.com/static-files/6091a1b9-f0c2-4d4e-b6c0-990085edb7a5
QuinStreet
https://investor.quinstreet.com/static-files/726eb814-7f4e-47ee-9d01-5a200817a027
MoneyLion
https://investors.moneylion.com/news/detail/122/moneylion-announces-first-quarter-2024-results
 
Find Us:
Don't forget to subscribe to Affiliate Marketing for Lenders. If you’re interested in being a guest on the show (or if you have questions for a future episode), send me a note on LinkedIn, Twitter/X, or at carlos@newmarketgrowth.com.
 

E002 - The Game [Affiliate marketing]

Episode 002: In this episode, we describe affiliate marketing for lenders with tangible examples. From there, we talk through the dynamics of the affiliate game and how affiliate partnerships are structured. This provides a baseline 101 for anyone unfamiliar with the topic, and a recap for those who are more familiar with this space.
 
Additionally, we discuss:
What mindset to bring to the game
Our super-lever: approval rate
Notes for performance marketers new to affiliates
Timestamps:
(00:00) Introduction
 
(01:04) Exploring Affiliate Coverage In Google Results
(03:15) Behind the Scenes of Affiliate Marketing
(05:49) Affiliate Deal Structures and Dynamics
(10:40) Optimizing Conversion Rates
(17:09) Our Super-Lever: Approval Rate
(24:00) Cautions for Performance Marketers
(26:55) Recap and Final Thoughts
 
Where to find Carlos:
LinkedIn
Twitter/X
Find Us:
Don't forget to subscribe to Affiliate Marketing for Lenders. If you’re interested in being a guest on the show (or if you have questions you'd like me to address in a future episode), send me a note on LinkedIn, Twitter/X, or at carlos@newmarketgrowth.com.

E001 - How New Balance's CMO Turned Around A 15-Year Decline

What we learned about brand marketing from New Balance's turnaround.
 
TL;DR - For 15 years, New Balance watched its revenues decline. Consumers saw its sneakers as “dad shoes”—safe, comfortable, but uncool. Traditional direct-response marketing wasn’t reversing the trend. In April 2020, a new CMO, Chris Davis, arrived with a bold idea: flip the marketing mix from a 70% reliance on direct-response ads to a brand-led approach. It was a big gamble that took nearly 19 months to pay off, but when it did, New Balance emerged as a revitalized global brand.
 
Written version:https://www.thefreetoaster.com/p/how-new-balance-s-cmo-turned-around-a-15-year-decline
 
About Us:
The Free Toaster is a newsletter for at the intersection of marketing, lending, and fintech. We deliver news, data, and insights (like today's episode) to help you acquire more customers. Sign up to get it shipped weekly to your inbox.
 
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