TUNE has completed another successful audit of its system and organization controls, assuring the availability, processing integrity, security, confidentiality, and privacy of customer data. This latest audit marks another year that TUNE has earned both SOC 2 Type 2 certification and SOC 1 Type 2 certification. 

What Is a SOC 2 Audit? 

SOC stands for System and Organization Controls, a suite of services provided as part of the reporting platform of the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA). 

Essentially, a SOC 2 audit examines and evaluates the operational controls of a business. This audit requires a company to document and adhere to comprehensive information security policies and procedures, among other responsibilities. The resulting report gives interested parties, such as prospects and customers, additional information and insight to make a decision about working with that business.  †

What Is a SOC 1 Audit? 

SOC 1 audits focus on user entities, testing their relevant internal controls over financial reporting system design and operating effectiveness. We view SOC 1 audits and other periodic third-party reviews as a valuable resource to help enhance our current product and operations, especially when they address both the TUNE platform and TUNE Pay, our payments system. 

What Is a Type 2 Report?

To earn a Type 2 report, a company must undergo testing over an extended period of time. Type 1 reports, on the other hand, test only a single moment in time. TUNE’s usual audit period for SOC 2 and SOC 1 covers 12 months, demonstrating our ongoing effort to uphold the Trust Services Principles. 

TUNE has always voluntarily pursued the more demanding and comprehensive Type 2 report rather than the Type 1 report. Type 2 reports for both audits signal that our customers can expect high standards across TUNE’s operational, data security, and privacy practices, as well as stringent change management controls throughout our software development life cycle.

Our Commitment to Our Customers

Using an independent third-party to audit these controls is an investment companies do not take lightly. A SOC audit is, by design, an intrusive, time-consuming process designed to test a company on a variety of levels, necessitating active employee engagement and diligence across a broad swath of the organization. It’s a difficult process with a valuable payoff for our customers, and therefore one we are proud to undertake. 

As with our prior SOC audits, TUNE’s auditors determined that our controls were effectively designed and followed throughout the audit period. We intend to sustain our investments in customer-centric compliance in the years to come to protect both our business and the businesses of our customers.

Relevant portions of both reports are available upon request to security@tune.com for TUNE customers as well as prospects under a current non-disclosure agreement. 

Photo by Nesa by Makers

When it comes to performance marketing, one of the biggest questions you can ask yourself (or your advertiser) is what kind of conversion tracking protocol you want to use: pixel tracking (client-side) or postback tracking (server-side). There are benefits and disadvantages to each, and it’s important to distinguish between them if you wish to be successful. So, let’s break it down.

First — definitions:

Pixel Tracking

Also called client-side, cookie-based, in-browser tracking. This method relies on the user’s browser to track conversions by placing a cookie on the click that is called again on conversion to authenticate the session and attribute the conversion to the correct affiliate. Pixel-based offers use cookies to track because they can store the session values in the cookie, and with the way pixels are designed to track, can extract this information from the browser easily. As a result, setting up an offer to track using pixels is very simple and only involves placing the HTML offer pixel on the conversion page.

Use pixel tracking when:

TUNE’s general recommendation is to use pixel tracking as little as possible, as pixel tracking only works for non-mobile web traffic where cookies can be stored. Additionally, major browsers like Safari, Chrome, and Firefox are moving away from allowing tracking-related cookies even for first parties.

As the last resort, use pixel tracking if the following are true:

The offer’s advertiser is unable to send server-side conversion notifications.
The offer does not involve mobile app installs.
The offer’s desired end users are on browsers that support tracking-related cookies.

For more information, check out this TUNE support article explaining implementation of pixel tracking.

Postback Tracking

Also known as server-side, server call, server 2 server (or server-to-server), s2s and, mistakenly, server pixel tracking, relies on the advertiser’s servers to track sessions generated on clicks to attribute conversions.  The servers record and then pass the transaction ID back to TUNE. This method is independent of the user’s browser. Postback tracking can be thought of as two separate processes: what happens when a user clicks on an offer and what happens upon conversion.

Leading up to the conversion:

1. User sees an offer.
2. User clicks on the offer.
3. Click goes to a TUNE server. The server records the click, then generates and records the ID for that session (in most cases the transaction ID).
4. TUNE immediately directs the user to the offer’s landing page, including ID for that session in the offer URL.
5. User sees offer’s page on advertiser’s site. Advertiser’s site handles recording that session’s ID however it deems fit, such as storing it as a variable in an e-commerce site or SDK in a mobile app.

When the user converts on that offer:

1. The advertiser’s server sends a signal to TUNE (a.k.a. fires a postback) that includes the ID TUNE initially supplied. The user is not directed back to TUNE in any way.
2. TUNE records the conversion for that session.

TUNE has another great support article explaining postback tracking.

Use postback tracking when:

You have the technical resources available to implement the server-side calls (see below for details on implementation).

Pros and Cons of Pixel Tracking

Pros:

• Pixel tracking is extremely easy to implement. Because it’s just copying and pasting code into the HTML of your website, you don’t need to be a developer to set up tracking. Along the same lines, the learning curve for implementation is not as steep.

Cons:

• Pixel tracking doesn’t work if the conversion occurs on a mobile device. That means conversions on mobile web, in the app stores, and in apps will not register. (Mobile devices and smartphones usually have cookies blocked as a default setting, so a cookie will never be placed on mobile in the first place.)
• Pixel tracking is much more prone to fraud. As you can imagine, because the tracking is done in the browser, it would be fairly easy for a tech-savvy affiliate to fire pixels without an actual conversion occurring.  
• Sometimes, pixels just don’t fire and you won’t know why. A possible reason for this could be that the user cleared their cache between click and conversion, but occasionally the reason is unknown. Reporting will be of little help for troubleshooting, because you won’t have server logs to utilize.
• For all of these reasons (and others), pixel tracking is highly inaccurate.

Pros and Cons of Postback Tracking

Pros:

• Much more reliable because all tracking is done server-side, so you’re leaving a lot less up to chance.
• Much easier to troubleshoot, using TUNE’s server logs.
• Less prone to fraud, and many more options available to mitigate fraud, like adding an offer whitelist, advertiser security token, or hashing the postback URL. Read more about preventing postback fraud.
• You have the option to set up a global postback (on a per advertiser basis), where a single postback implementation can register a conversion for all offers for that advertiser. Pixels don’t have that option.
• In general, postback tracking will allow more options for conversion firing beyond when the user is on the webpage. Instead of being limited to a simple page load, you can have your advertiser send back the conversion URL whenever they please. This will become helpful if your advertiser doesn’t want to register conversions until after an order has shipped, or a lead has been qualified, for example.
• Postback tracking works on mobile devices! Remember, pixel tracking will not work on a smartphone or mobile device.

Cons:

• Postback tracking is harder to implement. It requires direct communication between the network and the advertiser to make sure that the ID is passed into the correct parameter, and then it requires technical implementation on behalf of the advertiser to store and pass back the value. The advertiser will need to have someone with server-side HTTP experience in order to code the requests.
• Implementation time varies widely. Postback tracking could be set up in a matter of minutes, but for some advertisers, it could take an entire day to code the database to store the IDs.

Want more information? Check out our blog series on digital tracking methods, or download the full e-book: How to Become a Track Star: Your Guide to Tracking for Performance Marketing Campaigns.

This article was originally published in 2016 and has been updated with new links and information.

It’s no secret that financial services affiliate marketing is on the rise. From 2011 to 2017, affiliate marketing spend by the big four banks rose from 11.7% of overall digital ad spend to 14.1%. And overall spend on affiliate marketing is expected to reach nearly $12 billion in 2025 — and that’s just in the United States. Even with regulations that slow progress in the financial industry, fintech brands are catching up to the times. They’re launching and acquiring apps, leveraging influencer marketing, and starting loyalty programs. And it couldn’t be a better time to do so.

In this blog post, we outline how financial services companies can use affiliate marketing to acquire customers, reach new audiences, and grow affiliate programs.

Best Partners for Financial Services Affiliate Marketing

In essence, affiliate marketing for financial services is about leveraging different kinds of partners — publishers, bloggers, influencers, content creators, TikTok stars, Twitch streamers, and so on — to promote a product, service, or company to their audiences. As a model based on performance, affiliate marketing can be a sound investment for financial services and fintech companies. But that doesn’t mean brands should be careless with marketing budgets or throw anything at the affiliate wall just to see what sticks.

Done right, financial services affiliate marketing can bring in big benefits:

• Open untapped audiences for incremental growth
• Access high-quality, engaged, and/or niche customers
• Improve ROI versus traditional (non-performance-based) advertising
• Target and pay only for desired results

Before you can reap the rewards, however, you have to find the right finance-minded affiliate partners to bring them in. Below, we present five of the best kinds of partners to help financial services companies raise the bottom line.

Comparison Sites

Comparison sites like Credit Sesame, Policygenius, Finder, FinanceBuzz, and Bankrate help consumers sift through a variety of financial products to identify which are right for them. These products can include credit cards, mortgage rates, loan options, and insurance companies. As the name implies, comparison sites compare different interest rates, annual fees, and incentives to open new accounts, and link directly to these resources when a consumer finds an option they like. Comparison partners are one of the most common financial services affiliate sites you’ll see.

Community and Content Publishers

With over 200 million ad blockers installed across browsers everywhere, consumers are more resistant than ever to in-your-face advertising. Luckily, publishers and blogs lend themselves nicely to content that consumers actively seek out, looking for everything from expert information to personal recommendations. Personal finance affiliate sites like The Penny Hoarder, Money Crashers, Business.com, The College Investor, Finance Girl, and personal blogs provide articles, reviews, offers, and recommendations about financial products and services.

Content affiliates are incentivized to promote financial services companies in exchange for commissions. Depending on budget and offering, there is a wide range of how banks and other finance institutions pay bloggers. Bank of America, for example, reportedly offers $120 per credit card approval; Discover pays $115, and TurboTax gives 15% commission per sale.

Influencer Affiliates

They say 2021 was the year of influencer marketing. While it might take some time to find the right affiliate influencer, financial services companies can also capitalize on the trend. Research your industry to find famous gurus, or niche experts, who might be willing to promote your brand on social media. Check specialty websites that rank influencers by vertical, engagement, location, and cost. Find out which affiliates your competitors are working with, and how other fintech brands grew their influencer relationships. Or just find an agency that specializes in influencer marketing, and have them do it all for you.

Remember: Word of mouth is still one of the most potent forms of marketing. Customers who follow a specific influencer will be more likely to trust their recommendations over any review site full of strangers.

Deal and Coupon Partners

Deal and coupon sites like The Smart Wallet, RetailMeNot, and Brad’s Deals incentivize readers with coupons and discounts. These can be applied when opening new personal banking accounts, enrolling in new financial courses, and taking advantage of credit card offers, for example.

Deals and coupons are growing increasingly popular for financial services affiliate marketing.

Loyalty and Rewards Affiliates

Loyalty and rewards affiliates offer cash back, points, or other types of rewards for using a product or service. Companies like Rakuten (formerly Ebates), TopCashback.com, and Swagbucks offer paid gift cards and points for taking surveys, signing up for new subscriptions, or watching videos. Like deal and coupon partners, loyalty affiliates are an excellent option for financial services companies to keep in mind. After all, physical and digital rewards have been found to increase brand exposure and conversions by more than 400%.

How to Start Financial Services Affiliate Marketing

Finding the right partners is only one step in successful financial services affiliate marketing. Finance and fintech brands must also determine goals and budgets, set metrics, document marketing policies, implement compliance controls, and manage technology to pull it all together. 

If you’re ready to launch a financial services affiliate program, download our Ultimate Guide to Partner Marketing for a step-by-step breakdown that will put you on the path to success. Or, if you’re not ready to jump in just yet, get an introduction to the industry and vertical-specific tools with our two-page Financial Services Playbook.

What other affiliate partners do you work with as a financial services or fintech brand? Let us know in the comments!

This article was originally published on PerformanceIn.com in January 2020 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

It has been another productive year for the TUNE Product Team as we continue to focus on our mission to help digital marketers build personal relationships and trust. 

2024 Product Updates and Releases

TUNE Marketplace 

2024 started off with a reintroduction of the TUNE Marketplace and a number of improvements to help make relationship building between brands and affiliates even easier through the Marketplace experience. This included the addition of a robust notification system to help keep brands and affiliates in the loop when key events take place, such as initial inquires. The system also sends reminders when a brand or affiliate may be waiting for a response. Relationship building requires timeliness, and these updates aim to keep the process moving in a positive direction.  

Google Ads integration 

A great relationship requires transparency. To help cement that concept from a tracking and compliance perspective, TUNE has become certified as an official Google click tracking partner. Customers utilizing the Google Ads platform can integrate with TUNE for a seamless link generation experience to ensure compliance with Google and industry standards.  

CPC First-Click Attribution 

Building on the transparency theme, TUNE has improved our session tracking tools to ensure cost-per-click (CPC) offers only pay out on the first click. For customers utilizing server-based postback tracking, this greatly reduces the risk of overpaying. Read more to understand how TUNE achieves this process.  

 Advanced Device Detection 

While Chromium has begun limiting the amount of information returned as part of its agent string, there may still be instances where marketers want to target audiences based on the operating system or device model they use. TUNE’s Advanced Device Detection feature gives marketers this additional insight into their audience. Once enabled, this additional data is available in reporting as well as the Advanced Targeting features. 

Microsoft Azure SSO Support 

Last year, TUNE introduced new security and trust features, including support for organizations that manage user access through Okta. In 2024, we expanded single sign-on (SSO) support to include Microsoft Azure. This helps IT staff maintain tighter controls and best practices when managing users and their access to third-party platforms. 

Additional Improvements 

Several smaller feature improvements made their way into the TUNE platform in 2024, including the ability to filter reports by partner status for more granularity when seeking program insights. 

TUNE’s Proactive Click Fraud Prevention system now surfaces deeper insight into the reasons behind potentially fraudulent activity. This includes fraud reasons from bot generated traffic to IP addresses being spoofed via VPN. 

We expanded promo code functionality to allow management via the TUNE API. This provides customers a more programmatic path to managing promo codes when integrating with systems outside of TUNE. 

Looking Ahead to 2025 

For the last several months, the TUNE Product Team has been reevaluating our core feature set and workflows with an eye toward improving the overall experience when interacting with the TUNE platform. We have spent a lot of time prototyping, asking customers for feedback, and getting a deeper sense of how our users operate day-to-day. (Thanks to everyone that has talked with us!)  

As a result, we are close to opening a beta version of a new offer experience that we believe will be more intuitive, and faster to navigate. In the end, we want customers focused more on marketing and less on the vagaries of the tools. Keep an eye out for an opportunity to help test that new experience very soon.  

Cheers to 2024 and here’s to an even better 2025! 

As we head into the madness of holidays, gift giving, travel, and possibly too much time with in-laws, it is also a time of reflection on all that has transpired in another crazy year.   

We’ve seen some big shake-ups in the affiliate world over the last 12 months. The changing economy has also changed consumer behavior, resulting in advertiser spend diminishing in certain areas and drastically increasing in others. Google has, yet again, stirred up some of the top partners in the industry. The third-party cookie survived another year. And it seems like the words “influencer” and “partnership” have been used no less than 50 million times to describe 100 million different business strategies.  

Once again, the only constant in the world of affiliate is that of ongoing innovation and evolution — or, in other words, change.  

2024: The Year of the Marketplace 

Here at TUNE, we’re happy to say we’ve been doing some innovating of our own!  

In 2023, we launched what was then called the TUNE Network based on advertiser, agency, and partner demand for a single place within the TUNE ecosystem to both discover and be discoverable.  

In 2024, we’ve seen that user base continue to grow and new partnerships take shape. We’ve also received lots of valuable feedback, which has helped us to hit a few milestones and release several enhancements and improvements over the past 12 months: 

• The number of advertisers and partners who have joined more than tripled in 2024, as did the number of active partnerships 
• Rebranded from the TUNE Network to the more apt TUNE Marketplace 
• Added carousel banners in the Marketplace and in-platform placements to drive greater partner awareness 
• Established a Partner Presentation knowledge sharing series, inviting top partners to present to our in-house teams 
• Onboarded key industry-leading publishers, networks, and brands 

It has been a great year, but we’re not done yet.  

What’s Ahead in 2025 

As we look to 2025, there are still some elite partners on our wish list (you know who you are!), and we’re eager for the next round of real-world user feedback from our Marketplace users. We are off to a great start, but we know that there is still some work to be done.  

For the advertisers out there: What does your ideal TUNE Marketplace look like? Do you prefer a more curated experience with less noise and only the partners you need? Are you hoping for more partners that best match your vertical, or perhaps your payout type?  

For the partners out there: What does your ideal TUNE Marketplace look like? More responsive advertisers? On-time payments? Easy to scale? We want to know, so don’t hesitate to send us feedback in the platform or email us your thoughts at partnerships@tune.com. 

The TUNE Marketplace is still young and agile, and our teams are eager to meet your needs. Help guide our product and process as we continue to build out the TUNE Marketplace to be the best solution for your business needs.  

AddShoppers was established in 2011 to create and acquire digital assets that save shoppers time and money, with the goal of creating a seamless connection between e-commerce brands and their customers. Their SafeOpt platform enables users to receive exclusive, verified offers from thousands of participating brands. It’s designed to enhance the shopping experience by providing time-saving solutions, eliminating the need to manually hunt for discounts.

Read on to see if AddShoppers could be the right partner for your business goals!

Q: Can you give us a high-level overview of AddShoppers?  

A: SafeOpt by AddShoppers is a revenue recovery platform specifically created to maximize conversions and decrease customer acquisition cost. By leveraging our proprietary network of 200+ million U.S. shoppers, we are able to identify more of your site traffic and serve verified offers directly to high-intent visitors that didn’t convert while on your site, even if they are completely anonymous to you. Each qualified shopper receives a SafeOpt email with a dedicated offer to help drive them back to your store. Ultimately, SafeOpt helps thousands of brands win back lost revenue and build loyal customer bases by turning browsers into buyers.

Q: What are the top ways you promote brands?  

A: Direct to inbox offers via email.

Q: What is the total reach of your audience?  

A: 200+ million U.S. shoppers in our platform.

Q: Which verticals perform the best with AddShoppers?  

A: We do really well for all traditional e-commerce brands that have a shopping cart on their site. Some of our top verticals are apparel and accessories, home and furniture, jewelry, and health and wellness.

Q: Can you tell us about a successful campaign you’ve run in the last six months?  

A: Here are three case studies:

• Software Case Study
• Apparel Case Study
• ​​Beauty + Cosmetics Case Study

Q: What’s something unique about SafeOpt by AddShoppers?  

A: SafeOpt by AddShoppers takes on a lot of ownership on behalf of the brand. When we send out our offers, they come from our domain instead of the brand’s, helping to keep their internal emailing strategy separate and intact from unsubscribes or spam complaints.

Q: Any industry trends or insights to share with brands?  

A: Average conversion rates continue to float in the neighborhood of about 2%. This means 95–99% of all site traffic fails to convert. Typically, only 3–5% of site visitors sign up to receive brand emails.

This is the current gap we see in the market and in most brands’ tech stacks. Brands are looking for a way to get directly to the inbox of unknown and anonymous visitors while staying compliant. SafeOpt wants to help fill this gap for them!

TUNE customers interested in working with AddShoppers can request an introduction directly in TUNE Marketplace.

SmarterTravel, with over two decades of industry experience, is a trusted partner in the travel sphere. They are a team of writers, editors, and developers who love to see the world and share what they find.

With a network of 5 million dedicated email subscribers, SmarterTravel offers a personalized touch to partnerships in a competitive industry. Their audience is eager to explore the globe, with a primary demographic of US-based travelers aged 25-54.

Keep reading to discover how SmarterTravel can help your brand connect with engaged travelers ready to embark on their next adventure.

Q: Can you give us a high-level overview of SmarterTravel?  

A: SmarterTravel is a leading online travel media company dedicated to providing travelers with inspiration, deals, and expert advice.

Q: What are the top ways you promote brands?  

A: Dedicated email, sponsored editorial articles, onsite advertising, and sweepstakes.

Q: What is the total reach of your audience?  

A: We have 5 million email subscribers and 2.7 million monthly visitors.

Q: Which verticals perform the best with SmarterTravel?  

A: Travel, Travel Finance, and Lifestyle.

Q: Can you tell us about a successful campaign you’ve run in the last six months?  

A: Our Travel Finance dedicated emails perform strong — high click rates and conversions. Sponsored editorial articles that introduce a brand followed by a series of dedicated emails also perform well.

Q: What’s something unique about SmarterTravel?  

A: At SmarterTravel, our clients’ success is our success. Our most valuable assets are our clients and our audience. We carefully select partners whose brands align with our audience’s interests. As a small and agile team, we are committed to working tirelessly with our partners to optimize their campaign. We view our campaigns as true partnerships. We believe in open and honest communication, understanding that one size does not fit all.

TUNE customers interested in working with SmarterTravel can request an introduction by navigating to the TUNE Marketplace section of their platform.

Introduction

For banks, insurance companies, loan providers, personal finance publishers, and other financial services brands, affiliate marketing has proven to be a valuable channel for generating leads and acquiring new customers. However, the cost of working through traditional affiliate networks can be a significant burden, as high network fees and hidden service charges eat into profit margins. Fortunately, by eliminating the middleman and managing affiliate partnerships directly, financial brands can both reduce costs and improve ROI.

In this post, we’ll explore strategies for cutting out unnecessary costs in financial affiliate programs. We’ll cover the advantages of taking a direct approach and actionable tips for managing partnerships, plus look at a few case studies from financial brands that have used these strategies to succeed.

Why Traditional Affiliate Networks are Costly for Financial Brands

High Network Fees and Service Charges

Traditional affiliate marketing networks serve as intermediaries between companies and their affiliates, facilitating relationships and managing payments. While these platforms simplify the process of running an affiliate program, they come at a high cost. Financial services companies like banks often find themselves paying hefty commission fees, typically ranging between 20% to 40%, on top of monthly service charges.

For industries with tight margins, such as personal finance or loan providers, these fees can significantly impact profitability. When you add in one-time setup costs and potential overage charges, the true cost of traditional affiliate networks becomes clear.

Lack of Control and Customization

Another downside to working through affiliate networks is the limited control over how your brand is represented. Since networks usually offer generic promotional templates and materials, it’s difficult for financial brands to create personalized, high-impact campaigns. The network interface itself is also restricted to the design and user experience set by the network, making it hard to stand out in a sea of competitors. This can lead to missed opportunities for matching with the right partners and optimizing messaging to capture the attention of a more targeted audience.

By managing affiliate partnerships directly, financial services brands gain greater control over every aspect of their affiliate marketing strategy — from the selection of affiliates, to the terms and conditions of contracts, to the creation of custom marketing materials tailored to specific customer segments.

The Benefits of Eliminating Middlemen in Financial Affiliate Programs

Increased ROI through Direct Affiliate Relationships

Cutting out middlemen offers immediate cost savings, but that’s just the start. Financial brands that manage their own affiliate programs can negotiate commission rates directly with affiliates, leading to more favorable terms. Without the network’s cut, companies have more flexibility to reward affiliates based on performance, which fosters better long-term relationships and incentivizes high-quality lead generation.

Additionally, direct relationships enable financial brands to monitor performance metrics more closely and optimize in real-time. This level of transparency can help businesses make smarter marketing decisions, improve conversion rates, and ultimately drive higher ROI.

Greater Flexibility in Commission Structures

When working with a traditional affiliate network, financial brands are often locked into a standard commission structure. By managing affiliate programs internally, you gain the flexibility to tailor commission rates to specific products or customer segments. For example, a bank could offer higher commissions for affiliates who successfully refer new credit card customers, while offering a different rate for mortgage leads.

This flexibility allows you to align your affiliate compensation with your broader business goals, ensuring that you’re maximizing the return on every dollar spent.

Customization of Campaigns and Messaging

Direct partnerships with affiliates also give financial brands the opportunity to develop custom campaigns that resonate with their target audiences. Instead of relying on the standard, cookie-cutter templates provided by networks, you can create tailored marketing materials that speak directly to potential customers. This is particularly valuable in industries like personal finance, insurance, and banking apps, where trust and credibility are critical to conversion.

Banks, for instance, might develop content specifically designed to highlight their commitment to security and data protection, while insurance companies could emphasize cost savings and personalized coverage options.

How to Reduce Costs in Financial Affiliate Programs

Eliminating middlemen and managing affiliate programs in-house might seem like a daunting task, but with the right approach, it can be both cost-effective and efficient. Below are some practical steps to get started.

1. Invest in Affiliate Tracking Software

Financial brands can leverage affiliate tracking platforms like TUNE, which provide the tools needed to track affiliate performance, manage payments, and automate workflows. These platforms are more affordable in the long run when compared to the total cost associated with large affiliate networks, and they give you the control you need to run a successful program.

2. Vet Affiliates Carefully

Take the time to identify partners who are truly aligned with your brand’s values and target audience. Focus on affiliates with established authority in the finance space, such as personal finance bloggers, financial influencers, or comparison websites for loans and insurance.

Look for affiliates who have a proven track record of generating high-quality leads, rather than relying on volume-driven, low-conversion tactics.

3. Offer Performance-Based Incentives

Rather than sticking to a flat commission model, consider offering tiered rewards based on performance. For example, offer higher commissions for affiliates who consistently bring in high-converting leads or premium customers. This approach encourages affiliates to focus on quality rather than just quantity.

4. Prioritize Transparent Reporting

Ensure that your affiliate partners have access to transparent, real-time reporting on their performance. By providing regular feedback and insights, you can build a stronger relationship with your affiliates and encourage ongoing optimization of their promotional efforts.

5. Create Custom Marketing Materials

Collaborate with your affiliates to create custom marketing materials tailored to your audience. Whether it’s exclusive financial guides, loan calculators, or email templates, offering unique content helps affiliates promote your services more effectively. In turn, this leads to higher conversion rates and lower customer acquisition costs.

Financial Services Case Studies

Financial services companies of all sizes and specialties have found success with affiliate marketing and TUNE. Here are just a few examples of how different companies achieved their goals using the strategies outlined above:

• How Topstep Scaled Affiliate Revenue by 66%
• How Credit Sesame Boosted Program ROI via Optimization
• How Gabi’s Affiliate Program Took Off After Switching Platforms

Conclusion

Insurance companies, banks, loan providers, personal finance apps, and other brands can significantly reduce the costs of financial affiliate programs by managing partnerships directly and eliminating unnecessary middlemen. Not only does this lead to lower fees, but it also provides greater control over campaigns, the flexibility to customize commission structures, and the ability to foster long-term relationships with top-performing affiliates.

To learn more about performance-based advertising, download TUNE’s Ultimate Guide to Partner Marketing, over 50 pages of everything you need to know to run a successful program. Don’t forget to download the supplement made specifically for financial services companies, which walks through common affiliate marketing pain points and their solutions here.

When you’re ready to get started with the best platform for financial services affiliate marketing, request a demo of TUNE.

Creators have become an ace up the sleeve of brands aiming to connect with their audiences and build communities of customer advocates. As traditional advertising channels become saturated, the mutually beneficial relationship between advertisers and creators offers a way to provide consumers with the content they want backed by the products and services that fit their lifestyle needs.

That’s why we teamed up with growth agency ZeroTo1 to create the Influencer-Affiliate Blueprint, an e-book designed to help brands understand the power of the influencer-affiliate movement and harness its potential in their partner programs. In addition to covering key chapters in a blog series, we co-hosted a LinkedIn Live session to introduce the e-book’s core concepts. That session is now available on YouTube: What Is Influencer-Affiliate Marketing?

If you’re new to affiliate or influencer marketing, we suggest starting with the video — it’ll give you an idea of what influencer-affiliate is all about and whether it’s the right strategy for your business. Below, we’ve laid out a few of the highlights you’ll hear in the session.

The Value of Using Creators and Influencers

Creators and influencers hold a unique position in the digital ecosystem. They have built trust and credibility with their audiences, and their endorsements carry weight far beyond traditional advertisements. Here are a few key benefits of incorporating influencers into your marketing strategy:

1. Authenticity and Trust: Influencers offer a sense of authenticity that resonates with consumers. Their content is perceived as genuine, making their recommendations more trustworthy.
2. Targeted Reach: Influencers have niche followings, allowing brands to target specific demographics with precision.
3. Engagement: Influencer content tends to have higher engagement rates compared to traditional ads. Their followers are active and invested in their content.
4. Cost-Effectiveness: Compared to traditional advertising channels, influencer marketing can offer a higher return on investment, especially when leveraging performance-based models.

The Benefits of a Performance Marketing Model

Performance marketing, where advertisers pay for specific actions such as clicks, leads, or sales, aligns perfectly with influencer marketing. Here’s why:

1. Measurable Results: Performance marketing is inherently data-driven. Brands can track exactly how much they are spending and what they are getting in return.
2. Risk Mitigation: Since payments are based on actual performance, brands minimize the risk of spending money on campaigns that do not yield results.
3. Scalability: Successful strategies can be scaled up, and less effective ones can be adjusted or discontinued without significant losses.
4. Alignment of Interests: Both brands and influencers are motivated to create effective campaigns since compensation is tied to performance.

Getting Started with Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is an effective entry point for brands looking to leverage performance marketing. Here’s a step-by-step guide to get started:

1. Identify Your Niche: Understand your market and identify the audience you want to target. Research the types of products or services that resonate with them.
2. Select the Right Affiliates: Look for affiliates (influencers, content creators, bloggers, streamers, etc.) who align with your brand values and have an engaged audience.
3. Choose a Platform: To manage your affiliate marketing efforts effectively, you need a reliable platform to track conversions, manage campaigns and partners, and pay commissions. (This is where TUNE comes into play.)
4. Create Compelling Offers: Develop attractive offers that will entice affiliates to promote your products. This could be in the form of commissions, exclusive deals, or bonuses.
5. Track and Optimize: Use your affiliate marketing platform to track performance. Analyze data to understand what’s working and continuously optimize your strategies.

How TUNE Helps You Do It

We’re a little biased when it comes to choosing the right technology for affiliate marketing, but that’s only because our tech is as good as we say it is. TUNE offers accurate cookieless tracking, granular analytics tools, customizable and scalable solutions, and a user-friendly interface that simplifies the complexities of affiliate marketing. Go ahead, do the research — and make sure to get a demo of TUNE and any other platforms you’re considering, so you can verify which platform actually delivers on what it promises.

Watch the Influencer-Affiliate Blueprint On Demand

If all of this sounds like something you want to know more about, watch the webinar here: What Is Influencer-Affiliate Marketing?, then download your copy of the Influencer-Affiliate Blueprint.

Questions about the TUNE platform or partner marketing? Get in touch with us at sales@tune.com.