Episode 29: holiday check-in & bonus programs
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Monica: [00:00:00] I've been comparing different bonus programs on different affiliate platforms. Have you seen the differences between them yet?
Michelle: No, I saw the one that you sent me for Howl, and then I know that in general, Mavely has a pretty good one.
Monica: So I thought so too, until I compared the two side by side.
So backtrack, now that it's holiday, the affiliate platforms are starting to run bonus programs incentivizing you to really leverage this high converting shopping time and. every platform right now is doing bonus programs, whether they're available to all creators or just some that's where the difference is going to lie.
But Maverly and how they're doing bonus programs that as long as you're on the platform. You can be a part of it. And one other
Michelle: thing, talking about this like [00:01:00] holiday time and it being a really high converting time. One, these platforms are incentivized to do that because chances are they're going to make more money than other times in the year because everyone's just shopping at this time.
Monica: Yes. It's so true. It's so true. So these bonus programs, they're like, they're no joke. So how you can get up to a $10,000 bonus and on Mally you can get up to a $200,000 bonus, which if you, but that's, that, that's like the shiny object. It sounds like that's the better program. But if you look at it, so on maly to get $50 bonus.
You have to hit a sales goal of 2, 500 in one month, okay? Now, if you hit 2, 500 in one month on Howl, you get a 250 bonus. And then [00:02:00] 5K on Howl is a 500 bonus versus 5K on Mavely is 100. So yes, Mally says up to $200,000, but to get that 200, you have to have $10 million in sales in one month, . Whereas to get the 10,000 bonus on how it's a hundred thousand dollars in sales during the holiday period.
So I think how has the better program there agreed. The one that's more. Achievable as well. I think their program is it's very realistic. It's not like throwing these sales goals that you're like, I'm not gonna sell 10 million. Mavely's is a little like it's giving MLM because it also says our bonus program now includes a trip to an all inclusive Cancun resort.
And I don't [00:03:00] love that. It, I don't, there's something about once you throw in the like, and you're going to get a trip to Cancun. It's like the quality, not, I don't know what the right word is. And this is probably me being such a snob, but I'm just like, I would rather have a higher bonus and go on a trip where I want to go.
And I don't know what resort you're choosing in Cancun.
Michelle: That's frustrating because we've talked quite a bit about how, like, this needs to be treated as more of a business. And if you think about another business reward, it wouldn't be like, win a trip to like, it would be like higher bonus or more paid time off or something [00:04:00] like that. It kind that reward.
In a way, de legitimizes the industry a little bit.
Monica: I agree. I, a hundred percent. That's, it gives me an ick because of that. Yeah. Yeah.
Michelle: What? And yeah, I don't think everyone wants to go to, I'm sure it's like an all inclusive. Yeah
Monica: it's just questionable in Cancun. You can either get a really great one or you could get a really awful one, right?
And the chances of getting an awful one are a lot higher. You have to do your research when it comes to that. Yeah. I don't know. And it also says it includes airfare. And then that's the same thing. Like airfare on what airline? Because there are airlines that I'm not flying to Mexico.
Michelle: Yeah. And also if it's, is it the full airfare?
Is it part of the airfare? There's, [00:05:00] and it just does seem that's more of a
Monica: Oh, you can
Michelle: win this trip. That's what it's been every day.
Monica: Who would it? I feel like a middle aged man came up with the idea of throwing that in. Yeah. Give them a free trip.
Michelle: I'm sure that the intention was very good.
But we need to Be thinking about a deal. Influencer would probably
Monica: like that. Yes. Yes, people ask you more to maybe anyway, so to give them that that is their audience anyway. Yeah,
Michelle: but yeah, I would much rather more money. I'll take my own trip. Or I'll put the money to something that I actually want
Monica: exactly and more achievable goals like, I really think how structures very realistic [00:06:00] and not just realistic, but they're not starting you at just a 50 dollar bonus, they're already.
There's something about getting like a 15 bonus where you're like, do I really even care? Like, Am I really motivated to get an extra 15 when another option is going to get you to 250? Bonus so much faster because that's also for the creators who have employees that any bonuses that they're getting through these programs are bonuses that they can also give to their employees For the holidays too, I don't know, there's just so much more, and I'm sure it has so many stipulations behind it you can only do it between March and August, and you have to make sure it's, I'm sure there's just so many restrictions behind it.
Michelle: With the 200, 000, right? Selling 10 million, [00:07:00] that's just also...
Monica: In one month, not the holiday season.
Michelle: That's I don't want to say cruel, but why would you market something like that, especially because Mavely touts itself as like the everyday creator, like micro creator, all of that.
Someone that has 5, 000 or 30, 000 followers. Is not going to be bringing in a 10 million. So it's like, why would they even lead with that? Obviously we talk a lot about being discerning and making sure that like you are reading the fine print and you're doing your own research and you're not getting thrown by all of these shiny things that pop up literally every two hours in this industry.
But. I would expect Meafly to do a little better than that.
Monica: Yeah. And I feel [00:08:00] like I've worked for people before who have the mindset of what this tiers they laid out are, where it's like, they want to be able to say you can get a bonus up to 200, 000. So then they create like this extremely No, I'm trying to show you.
Look. I was expecting five tiers. No, and I think there's so much more value sometimes in just breaking it out like, okay, there's six tiers, and these are the markers. And
also, to the point here, it's if you were making, let's say, a million in sales through one platform a month, I feel like that doesn't need to be marketed to the whole public of what that bonus is. You should have a dedicated person that you work with on that platform where you're working that out internally anyway.
I don't know, it's like at a certain point, it's, it feels a [00:09:00] little, I don't, what are the kids calling it these days? Pick me? It's try hard they're like, it's just like,
Michelle: it's kind of like, act like you belong here. Yeah. Yeah. And, I feel like I am, I don't do that a lot, and if I'm the one that's saying it It's, yeah, that is just, there is a certain level, maybe it's like a certain level of class, or just they're the high rollers you take care of that also don't over inundate people if you have that was 20 rows.
Monica: Yeah, and also it goes back to being a little more personable in the strategy with creators. So many creators are at different points in their journey. And these mass comms that these companies are sending out just don't make [00:10:00] sense. I saw a company this summer who did a mass email and It went to, like, all creators.
It was supposed to talk about something that did affect all creators from their technology standpoint. And the title was, how to use linking best or something like that. Or best practices for linking. And if you're someone who's extremely well versed and has been doing this for 10 years, are you going to open that email, even though it does have something important for you in there?
I wouldn't, and I'm not I'm not a successful creator I'm a successful influencer marketer on the industry side of it, but I'm not a top tier creator, and I'm still not opening
Michelle: that email. I wouldn't say you're not successful. I feel like success is measured in different ways, but I think you're
Monica: a top tier creator who's like, yeah, my, I'm not bringing in a hundred thousand in sales a month, [00:11:00]
Michelle: but you
Monica: know what you're doing even.
Opening that email there's even someone who's been doing this for 2 months probably is not opening up that email. Yeah. And so I think that there's a big need in the industry to. It doesn't have to be like, completely a personable where everyone has a point of contact, but at least better segmentation in.
Mass communication, right?
Michelle: I feel like there's often an effort to be like, oh we want to make sure that we're as helpful as possible, but then there is a level where it's just okay is this an employee that's been here for 3 months? And they think that they're being helpful, but this is helpful to someone that just signed up on the platform, and I do think that's where specialists in this industry are not very common. Yeah, you have a ton of people that are coming in from other industries. So for [00:12:00] them, they're like, oh, yeah, this is so important. But someone that's been doing this for even to your point, six plus months or whatever, they're just like.
No, this is not really helping me, but that is a big thing where you look at a lot of these companies and people are like, it's rare to find someone where for the past few jobs they've been in this space.
Monica: I think I'm a unicorn in this. A global unicorn it's nuts how, like, how very specific in this industry my experience has been.
I I forget that. I have to remind myself more. I was talking to my friend yesterday and she was like, and I was like, I'm having I don't know. I think about like where I'm at and then like other people and doing the comparison thing and she's in this industry as well.
And she was like, you are [00:13:00] literally one of the only people who have the background on your resume in the world. And I was like, Oh, yeah. You're right. She's one of the most well versed in the influencer marketing space than anyone. The difference being that a lot of these companies, they do hire people from outside the industry.
So someone from another industry has come in, but yeah, it's wild how rare it is to have someone who has had a decade of experience in this industry.
Michelle: Yeah, I always link and stalk a ton of people, and if I see someone that's they've been at Maverick, and then they were like impact and now they're at a shop.
My, that's been like no one, but let's just say that there's those things. I'm like, Oh wow. Like they've seen a lot of sides of this, but that is not common at all. So [00:14:00] I think there's some of that where is it tone deaf? To really what people that use your platform are going through, but then there is also the issue we're facing right now, where this space is just crazy competitive.
With Mavely, I can also see them being like, oh, 200, 000 dollars would be such a good bonus. And maybe we'll get a whale.
Monica: And no one else is talking about it. No one else is having a bonus that high. Yeah.
Michelle: So I can see that kind of coming into play too, but that's partially why we're doing this here is because there's a bunch of that basic information.
That's out there for people, but then if you want to get 1 or 2 tiers higher and be like, what does this mean for me? That is why we are here to [00:15:00] be able to provide that level of insight and we both. We both love data and the technical piece, but we both are constantly monitoring things and you see this.
Industry from the inside and it doesn't have those resources.
Monica: To that point when it comes to deciding which bonus program you're going to use. Yeah. It can't be based off of which one looks shinier, and which one is like, Oh, but that one can be up to 200, 000.
And it's yeah, based off of your performance, which one are you gonna hit the higher goal? And really looking at, and, you still use that to push yourself have that goal. Of what, you can hit and then what would be like, like that reach goal, but you have to decide the program based off of your data [00:16:00] and your performance rather than which one has the high, the shiny or highest point.
Michelle: Yes, based off of your data and your current performance, and you also need to be realistic about what do you think that you can do? So if you are even let's just say that you are, you're making 100, 000 a month and you're like, oh, but if I can get the 10 million dollar one, that's not, I wouldn't say that.
Maybe even if you're bringing a million dollars in and you're like, oh, I think I can get 10 million. Are you going to be using data to optimize? Do you have your plan around how you're going to do that? Because expecting that you're just going to suddenly get a big performance boost is not realistic
Monica: either.
Especially during a time where everyone is posting heavily, like [00:17:00] the competition. I don't want to say competition, but there's just a lot more happening in front of a consumer's face, their phones so you're already have, you're not just quote unquote competing with yourself. You're also have a more crowded than usual time of year to do it because there's I think we talked about this on another episode.
You mentioned that there's some creators where like they really pop up during the holidays And then they're just quiet the rest of the year because they know like the holidays just their bread and butter so like those people are coming back to life to that you may be doing really well because Though some of those people like they aren't really that active, but you're extremely active But then now all sudden everyone's more on an even playing field
because it just is more crowded and that's we talked about In one of the earlier holiday [00:18:00] prep episodes, right?
Michelle: So we're now in early November. Things are coming up very Quick if you did want to try to take advantage of one of these bonus programs I wouldn't do both of them right because you need to still Look out what worked for you last year. What's worked for you recently, right? And have that plan, but then you also don't want to try a million new things during this time because of, like, all of the shine.
Monica: The other thing, too, if you know yourself and you know that. You really want to be linking just through one specific platform, but they don't have a bonus program that you've gotten an email about. I think you can't lose by emailing them. And [00:19:00] being like, where's your bonus program because there's different scenarios that could happen.
It could be like a pretty small program and that maybe you didn't make the cut off or. For whatever reason, didn't get on that list, but if you reach out and then they see you. Then they'll be like, Oh we can add you like you're just one more person. We can add you. So there's a scenario there.
There's a scenario where you're like the 100th creator who's reached out to them about a bonus program and they don't have it in there. Now they're like, Oh, my gosh, 100 creators have reached out to this. We need to create something. Don't just assume there's nothing that can be done.
Like you lose nothing by at least trying to reach out to your preferred platform.
Michelle: Yes. Treat your business like a business and advocate for yourself. You will never. Yes. And it's going to feel really uncomfortable at first, but like Monica said, [00:20:00] you can't lose anything.
Monica: No, the worst they can say is we're not doing it this year, but we'll make sure you're on the list next year.
And then you've. Then think, okay then I guess I am going to go use another person or another company and tell them that you're going to do that. Tell them that there's nothing wrong with lighting a fire under. a business that is your preferred use of how you are getting money and they're getting money because you're getting the money.
Like you hold more power than you might think you do. Yes.
Michelle: But one other thing too, is just because it's interesting, like with the Mavely one, right? You have to hit so much and you're getting like 50 bucks. Yeah. Just is that really also worth going to war over?
Monica: When like a platform that you use that, converts well, if you use LTK in a lot and the majority of your [00:21:00] sales come from the LTK app, is the 50 on Mave League really going to be enough incentive for you to spend less time doing more on what you already know works?
Michelle: And that is where the referral program can also make up for some of that, right? Because and different platforms have different ones. But if the platform that you're using has you get X percent of sales, if you can get some of your friends onto the platform during this time you could also get creative in other ways like that, because then.
You would get a share of what they're making and it would make up for a lack of a bonus program that you're a part of or something like that. So you can get a little creative too. But yeah, Monica, like you were saying, just if they don't have 1, you don't have to be like, I'm blowing it up, but do you ask
[00:22:00] cool. All right. Holiday is. When we publish this episode in about two and a half weeks. Yep. We're going to be sharing just some more content periodically, but listen to our holiday prep episodes. If you have not posted anything related to it, this is your sign to start. Yes start building things up so you can really be successful on those 2.
Peak days and honestly the weekend between and even times before and after cause like who knows? Sales are just bleeding all over the place
Monica: right now. I went to a website yesterday, and it said Black Friday sale And I was like, oh Look Friday's already here. Okay. I'll November 2nd. Got it
All right, thank y'all for listening don't forget to like rate [00:23:00] and review and Be on the lookout for our next episode. Thanks. Everyone.