The Affiliate & Partner Marketing Association has launched a new membership tier aimed at the growing number of freelancers and consultants working in the industry.
The new tier, priced at £275 per year, is in response to the growing trend of experienced affiliate marketers forging out on their own to offer their insights and expertise.
Following the announcement, the APMA signed up six new consultant members in the first few weeks.
One of those members is Joe McConnell, founder of ClickCraft, who offers self-styled ‘affiliate management without the fuss’.
On why this new tier was appealing to him, Joe said “I’m keen to position myself as a driver of change in the industry, and the APMA’s consultant tier has given me the chance to achieve this, making my contribution to industry a lot more valuable than it would have been otherwise.”
Joe also commented that access to APMA data and insights, as well as working on projects impacting the industry, is important.
A growing trend
It’s not immediately clear why the number of consultants in the market is burgeoning, but it could be a combination of factors at play. Some brand and agency budgets are being squeezed, which can make hiring a consultant more cost-effective.
The job market also remains tough, and with many of the consultants boasting decades of experience, it could be that now is the right time for them to forge out for themselves.
One recent trend has been the growth of small and medium-sized businesses launching affiliate programmes with smaller budgets that might preclude larger companies from working with them. This then offers an additional opportunity.
More to follow
At the APMA we’re keen to ensure the barrier to entry is as low as it can be for as many people working in the affiliate industry.
At little more than £5 a week, we hope the new membership tier will prove attractive to sole traders and consultants. Bronze tier members continue to enjoy most of the benefits of Silver and Gold members.
In the coming weeks we’ll profile some of the new members who are driving this industry change.
Iterested in finding out more about Bronze, or any other tier of membership?
