Top 8 Innovative Affiliate Marketing Ideas (per Econsultancy)

Yesterday Econsultancy released its Innovation Report (focused on the UK digital marketing space, one that is always fun to follow).

These reports are always great to read, as in them Econsultancy focuses on “innovative digital tactics” but does it not for the sake of merely listing the new developments, but highlighting the most innovative ideas and technologies which truly “add value for consumers and businesses, and help them achieve their goals more effectively” (italics mine).

The report covers 8 digital marketing disciplines, affiliate marketing included. You may download the full 122 page report at Econsultancy.com, but in my today’s post I’d like to look at the affiliate marketing list:

1. Buy.at / LittlewoodsDirect — Online interactive video [see my post on it here] — Especially its application by LittlewoodsDirect.com. They feature videos of models wearing clothing from their website, and these “ads allow users to click on individual items of clothing, which are then redirected to their own customized dedicated product page.” Excellent use of technology by a merchant, allowing affiliates to really bring their sites/ads to life.
2. KnickerPicker / BeCheeky.com — The online dressing room — KnickerPicker.com (an affiliate of BeCheeky) “uses real-life models, to allow users to virtualy see how underwear fits in an ‘online dressing room’.” The technology is “obviously engaging, slightly cheeky and clearly fun.” Kudos to the affiliate for the great use of Flash video and rich media. Award well-deserved.
3. TwitterLit — Affiliate links via Twitter — TwitterLit is an affiliate of Amazon which “uses a daily game to test users’ literary knowledge and consequently redirect them to an affiliate site.” Great, innovative way to use those 140-character Twitter messages (why didn’t I just say “tweets”?) in a truly engaging way.
4. eBay Partner Network — Quality-based CPC model — See this post of mine on it; and you may also find this poll of interest.
5. Skimlinks — Affiliate monetization tool — Skimlinks is an tool which helps affiliates automatically converts direct links to merchants into affiliate links. Good job “automating a time-consuming, manual process”.
6. Easy Content Units — I haven’t heard of this one before. EasyContentUnits.com is described as Britain’s first “multi-network fully customizable content unit system” which “incorporated more than 8 million products from nearly 1000 merchants across 12 affiliate networks.” From the first glance, it looks very similar to PopShops, but the business model is similar to GoldenCAN‘s “4th click model” with the only difference that ECU replaces affiliate links with their links on every 5th (and not 4th) click.
7. SkyBet — SEO challenge — SkyBet offered affiliates free 350 words content during the 8 weeks of the promo.
8. StreetStats by Top 10 — Speed test comparison meets local search — Top10.com has put together the StreetStats broadband comparison tool which allows users to “share their data with the community to enable others to recognise the best-performing broadband providers for that area.” Top10.com is a website monetized through affiliate links, but tools like this (where actual users are involved) create true “transparency and openness about” the subject of promotion.

Have any of the above given you new ideas? There is still a lot of room for innovation. You gotta look at things from a standpoint which involves convenience, fun and engagement (three in one container), and really earnestly wish to add value!