Interview with Erin Cigich, CEO of Clickbooth
An increasing number of networks have major new-investor money behind them, funding more sophisticated technology and greater scale. Are networks inevitably going to get bigger, and will small networks be driven out?
As we’ve shared with partners, Clickbooth completed a transaction 8 months ago to a private equity company. We’ve been extremely pleased with the relationship and the doors it has opened. The Clickbooth team, which remained completely intact, and our new ownership is thoroughly committed to continuing to serve our affiliate and advertising clients in the performance marketing space.
2017 will be an exciting year for Clickbooth – celebrating our 15th anniversary, projecting double digit growth and evaluating the purchase of several technology platforms, competitive CPA networks and vertically focused performance companies.
The barrier to entry in the industry is so low, anyone can start a network. It’s continuing to manage and grow it that truly sets people apart. Working with a smaller player you always run the risk of one bad decision – compliance, credit, traffic concentration derailing your whole business. With a larger network you tap into more consistent traffic volumes, higher standards for performance and unparalleled industry intel.
What does Affiliate Window’s acquisition of ShareASale mean for the rest of the industry?
The acquisition shines a positive light on the industry, which is good for all of us. 15% of digital media revenue in the US comes from affiliate marketing – outpacing social and display advertising, according to BI Intelligence. We offer sincere congratulations to both companies on this transaction.
What should an advertiser using performance marketing be thinking about in 2017?
Maximizing the “performance” element of performance marketing requires advertisers to improve value recognition strategies. With near limitless options of measurable data points, the most successful performance marketers are improving the link between customer lifetime value and performance-based advertiser spends.
This alignment should be on the forefront of all performance marketers’ minds. As advertisers redefine “value” and alter performance-based strategies to create improved value alignment, marketers must not forget the most important element of all – CUSTOMERS. After all, consumers drive the performance space and with ever-changing consumer behavior, marketers must keep pace. The digitized world presents the upside of connectedness, but it also requires enhanced device-type user experience optimizations. Connect with customers and utilize your data. Cheers to a record-setting 2017!
There have been several reports exposing the massive amount of fraud that is pervasive in the AdTech industry. Performance-based pricing seems like an obvious solution yet is still too often seen as the red-headed stepchild of online marketing. How do we bridge the gap?
Articles about incorrect impression tracking or click tracking always make me want to yell “Performance, performance, performance!” Why not pay for real customers and stop worrying about poor reporting and Russian fraud rings?
With Clickbooth’s Cost-Per-Action model advertisers only pay for real client leads or actual product sales. Additionally, Clickbooth works with Forensiq to proactively monitor the quality within our network and I’m proud to say that we regularly score 120% better than the minimum threshold to be considered an “Excellent” network.
Ultimately the gap is a perception issue, too many small networks and new affiliates are only looking to make a quick buck regardless of the brand perception or customer experience. At Clickbooth we take extreme measures to make sure all of our goals and metrics are aligned to drive advertiser value.
What were your takeaways from ASW?
The mthink blue book rankings were announced at ASW so it was exciting to celebrate Clickbooth reclaiming our #1 spot with clients and industry friends. ASW is always a great show to set your business goals for the year and the Clickbooth team exhibited in full force with 13 show attendees to help strategize with current clients and also walk new prospects through the advantages of using our proprietary platform.
About Clickbooth
Clickbooth is a recognized online performance advertising leader and one-of-a-kind performance marketing exchange focused on Cost-Per-Action and Cost-Per-Click affiliate marketing. Founded in 2002, the company specializes in generating consistent, quality customer acquisitions at high volumes through exclusive affiliate channels on native, mobile, social, email, contextual and search placements. Advertisers can access advanced targeting capabilities through the proprietary, patent-pending platform. The majority of the traffic is exclusive to Clickbooth, which is pioneering a programmatic approach to performance marketing through the use of machine learning and implementation of big data. Sign up today at www.clickbooth.com.