Affinity programs marketing

If you want to reach more users, it is worth considering other potential candidates from outside the group. However, a prerequisite for this should be a certain level of agreement with the conventions and views of the affinity group.

But how does affinity marketing work? Standard affinity marketing practice is to find one or more opinion leaders within the set group. Communication should start with this person, who, ideally, already has a respected position within the group and enjoys a high degree of credibility.

Affinity marketing works using social mechanisms. This is because group members are highly likely to be loyal to their leader. This person now acts as a link between the group members and those running the advertising campaign. Affinity marketing uses these personal relationships within social groups to alleviate obstacles in the advertising perception and to draw attention to the product advertised. At the same time, advertisers hope to achieve a greater degree of credibility for their advertising by incorporating as many thematically relevant groups as possible.

Affinity is a sense of affiliation or common ground among group members involved with affinity marketing. Characteristics of this affinity are social identification and conformity with applicable rules and standards within the group. However, the term affinity marketing should be distinguished from target group marketing and niche marketing — these names primarily refer to the size of a group or possibly to its characteristics.

Affinity marketing also involves a very special promotion technique. In order to illustrate how affinity marketing works, it is best to use a practical example. The following scenario would be typical: as a starting point, take the marketing of a new product, for example, a new car. This vehicle is made for a special, predefined group of people — like a family van for young families. If you want to increase the popularity of the car, you can use the mechanisms of affinity marketing, e.

In return, they write a review of their experiences with the car and share it with the other members of the group i. The group members trust their opinion leaders and their recommendations, and as a result, the product receives increased demand. This is the goal of affinity marketing. This leader could be, for example, a manager, club leader or popular athlete. This so-called leader communicates with a selected reference group, spreading the advertising message throughout the group.

The effectiveness of advertising increases depending on the popularity and credibility of the intermediary third party. Shared incentives are an integral part of affinity marketing. These are achievements in favor of a group that is very close to the aforementioned group opinion leader.

These services are not related to the advertised product and may be material or immaterial in nature. The opinion leader distributes them to the members of the group. An enhancement package is a price reduction that is tailored to the needs of a specific group member.

If the group member uses a service or purchases a product, he or she can use the discount in the form of vouchers, for example. If this measure is successful, the image of the brand or the product improves over the long term. In affinity marketing, the different groups are differentiated in terms of the degree of affinity that the members within the groups experience. Groups with the strongest affinity level are, for example, guilds or professional associations.

The members of groups in this category fulfill their roles within and outside the group, as they often have a strong identity and a high capacity for solidarity. The pronounced social interaction between members strengthens this effect. The most striking feature of the middle-affinity group is the low degree of public expression to the group.

At the same time, however, there is a high internal affinity amongst the group members, which is genuine. Members of such groups do not usually make their membership of an association public, but act only among their peers.

Representatives from the AARP understood the potential benefits of partnering with The Home Depot, such as deals to offer current members, and increased advertising from in-store branding. Through AARP newsletters and updates, representatives from the association advertised the new promotions and benefits Home Depot was offering, giving AARP members more reason to renew their membership.

Successful affinity marketing campaigns take teams of marketing strategists and business negotiators to leverage a strong partnership with another business or organization.

See also Cooperative Marketing. At the start of an affinity marketing campaign, companies generally have a rough idea of which affinity group they wish to reach. Marketing managers first look to identify potential market areas, and begin work with the sales side of a company to discover the potential benefits of entering these markets.

This portion of the marketing campaign is very numbers intensive, requiring the marketing team to examine how different affinity groups could affect sales of a product.

Communication is one of the most important elements of a successful affinity marketing campaign. Marketing teams must take the following steps:. After deciding on an affinity group to target, the marketing team begins to create a list of goals and objectives for their campaign. This includes not only sales figures, but also aspects like company image.

Company and brand image is an important element of any marketing campaign, so the marketing team must identify organizations that compliment their current image. After developing a list of potential partners, marketing managers reach out to those organizations and businesses to negotiate the terms of the partnership.

Business partnerships entail a large amount of legal responsibility, meaning both organizations must draft terms and responsibilities to ensure all needs are met.

If both organizations agree to the terms of the agreement, an affinity partnership develops. From here, the affinity marketing campaign truly takes shape, as public relations experts and advertising agencies broadcast new deals and offers the organization or business is providing to their customers or affiliates See also Public Relations Specialist.

The campaign is directed toward the target audience, and sales representatives begin to track the impact of the campaign. Leaders from both ends of the partnership meet frequently to discuss any improvements or adjustments that may be made to the campaign, taking into consideration market research and sales figures.

Nonprofits report any increased influx of funding, and decide whether or not to continue the marketing campaign. Discover some of the different career titles involved in implementing successful affinity marketing strategies. Effective marketing managers have a host of analytical and managerial skills necessary to enact affinity marketing campaigns. The main responsibility of marketing managers is to estimate demand for a product, and identify potential markets for that product. Marketing managers help determine affinity groups for companies to target, crunching numbers, and developing a list of potential partners to reach those groups.

Marketing mangers must have strong communication skills, and be able to negotiate business partnerships to establish a successful affinity marketing campaign. Marketing managers also typically gain several years of experience in lower-level marketing jobs before making the jump to managerial positions.

Examine some of the classes students take to help them implement effective affinity marketing strategies later in life. The National Council of Nonprofits spreads brand awareness for Firespring and Coeus Global by displaying their logos and links on an affinity partners page on its website, and promotes these services to its membership.

So how does an affinity program help? For nonprofits, maintaining a consistent stream of income through donations, grants, and fundraisers can be challenging. An affinity program is an additional source of revenue that can provide needed support. The nonprofit receives a percentage of the sale as a referral commission. The business benefits from the sale and the nonprofit gains revenue from its commissions.

A good program earns trust and keeps members coming back. Through an affinity program, both business and nonprofit enjoy inexpensive advertising. A company will typically link to a partnered nonprofit on its website. An affinity program also proves that the business engages in corporate responsibility: it reveals its corporate values through its partnerships.

Because this mutual relationship is based on trust, it behooves both businesses and nonprofits to choose their partners wisely. For example, Independent Sector is a coalition of nonprofits, foundations, and corporate giving programs, so it has an affinity program with Jitasa , a national accounting and bookkeeping service provider with expertise in nonprofit financial services.

Where do you start? The first step to setting up an affinity program is to find a business partner that works well with your nonprofit organization. Through its partnered affinity program , NAHC members receive special incentives on car fleets and discounts on car rentals.

The partnership between NAHC and a fleet management company doesn't seem beneficial at first, but their values do align. NAHC members work to provide in-home services for others, and they often need reliable transport to do that. Enterprise can fulfill that need and offer exclusive deals through their program.

Finding the perfect business to partner with your nonprofit isn't enough. Your partnership should strive to offer something that neither partner could have done alone.

It offers deals in industries like travel, insurance, hotels and lodging, and even vacation packages. Many ANFP members work in nursing homes, hospitals, retirement communities, or other facilities like daycares or military bases. Their jobs might require travel or ANFP members may make travel and personal time off a priority in their lives.