Measuring the true impact of affiliate marketing is something that’s long been seen as a challenge. Traditional attribution models, for example, are often borrowed from paid search, and fail to account for the long-term influence of partnerships. This can lead brands to significantly underestimate their affiliate programs’ real value.
That’s one of the reasons why Impact.com has decided to launch its highly anticipated Incrementality Playbook, a comprehensive guide to rethinking partnership measurement.
This report features expert insights from our very own Lee-Ann Johnstone, CEO and Founder of Affiverse, alongside marketing leaders from brands like Zenni Optical, fuboTV, and Brand Collective. They share new strategies for proving affiliate marketing’s true revenue contribution that go a long way beyond last-click attribution.
Lee-Ann Johnstone on why incrementality matters
As one of the leading experts in the affiliate marketing industry, Lee-Ann brings decades of experience in building and scaling high-performance partnership programs.
In the playbook, she reveals the biggest measurement blind spots that brands face today—and offers practical solutions to optimize tracking, reporting, and partner relationships.
Some of the key takeaways she, and other experts share in the report, include:
✔️ Measuring true incrementality – How to identify sales that wouldn’t happen without affiliate partnerships.
✔ ️ Tracking partner influence across the full customer journey – Moving beyond last-clicks, in turn, uncovering hidden value.
✔️ Unlocking long-term revenue from content partnerships – Proving that content continues to convert for months or even years.
✔️ Why paid search metrics don’t apply to affiliate programs – And how using the wrong models is costing brands money.
✔️ How leading brands are transforming their approach – Defending and growing budgets using straightforward data-driven insights.
Using these techniques, for example, one featured brand saw a 50% MoM revenue increase by shifting their focus to underutilized influencer partnerships.
— Sounds good? Get your copy here.
The shift to smarter affiliate measurement
For years, affiliate marketers have relied on last-click attribution and legacy tracking models, but, unfortunately, these methods are outdated, and fail to capture the full scope of partner influence.
Content partnerships, influencer collaborations, and strategy-driven affiliates don’t just drive conversions instantly—they focus on building awareness around their brand/product, generate rapport with their prospects, and produce long-term revenue streams.
By understanding the difference between conversions that would have happened anyway versus those directly influenced by affiliates, brands can:
- Justify increased budgets for high-performing partners.
- Optimize commissions based on true performance value rather than just attributed sales.
- Discover underutilized content and influencer partners who drive lasting results.
- Improve forecasting and reporting with data-driven insights on incremental revenue.
Get the Playbook and start measuring what matters
By incorporating these strategies and techniques, all brands can begin to scale their affiliate programs with confidence—knowing they’re investing in partnerships that drive real, results-driven growth.
Curious to learn how? Then download The Incrementality Playbook so you can learn from industry leaders like Lee-Ann and start measuring your affiliate success the right way.
