Affiliate Rockstar: Mike Demopoulos

Introducing Mike Demopoulos

Mike Demopoulos is the Head of Partnerships at Codeable, the only platform purpose-built to connect WordPress freelancers with the customers who need their expertise. With years of agency experience in the digital realm and a passion for helping online businesses succeed, Mike has already left a mark at Codeable since joining in 2021. Drumroll, please …

Rockstar Q&A with Mike

What are your day-to-day duties?
As part of my role, I collaborate closely with our partners to provide them with all the necessary resources to promote Codeable. Additionally, I assist them in developing and integrating applications that prove advantageous for their business. Furthermore, I schedule trips to attend diverse events throughout the year to connect with our clients and partners.

How did you get into the affiliate industry?
For years, I volunteered in Open Source and worked at different web agencies. Later on, I transitioned to the hosting and product sector, where I took on an evangelist role. Eventually, my role evolved into Business Development and M&A. The rest, as they say, is history.

What are your most important KPIs?
The two most important metrics for us are the number of users who post projects on Codeable and the percentage of them who become paying clients. Additionally, we keep track of the percentage of our partners who have sent traffic over the past 28 days. We aim to maintain good communication with all of our partners.

What is your biggest pet peeve about the affiliate industry?
We require an onboarding phone call with each partner to build relationships. The number of no-shows is alarming. Collaborative efforts are preferred over just traffic.

What do you think is undervalued in marketing in general?
In this modern era of digital dominance, it’s easy to overlook the power of physical marketing materials. Direct mail, packaging, and promotional items offer a tangible connection with the brand that can leave a lasting impression. IKEA’s iconic printed catalogs are a prime example of this. As someone who’s passionate about helping digital businesses succeed, I’ve gained a reputation for sending unique physical items – from pitch decks on View-Masters to massive shipments of pasta. I firmly believe in the power of “lumpy mail” and its ability to capture attention and make a meaningful impact.

What have you done in your last 6–12 months to improve your affiliate efforts?
Over the past year, we have been conducting audits on our current partners to engage in more meaningful discussions about how to better promote Codeable. Additionally, we have developed new integrations through hosting control panels to enable our hosting partners to increase revenue and better serve their clients.

“Affiliate” or “partner?” Why?
On our website, we distinguish between affiliates and partnerships to avoid confusion, although I personally prefer the term “partner”. For us, partners are services that complement our own, and want to offer Codeable to enhance their value to customers. Affiliates, on the other hand, are more like traditional publishers. Our goal with partnerships is to provide additional benefits beyond simply sharing revenue.

What’s the next big thing in affiliate marketing?
The emergence of Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) providers is transforming affiliate marketing by providing a new payment model that can enhance conversion rates. This alignment between affiliate marketing and BNPL services is revolutionizing traditional marketing approaches, especially for high-priced items and services that require recurring payments. To succeed, affiliates should tailor their strategies to the financial preferences of their target audience, particularly younger demographics and those who avoid credit cards.

What’s the biggest mistake you’ve made in affiliate marketing?
I should have avoided trying to include anyone and everyone in my program. This approach is not advantageous and can only harm your brand if you end up on relevant sites that cater to your target audience or niche.

How do you think your strategy differs than other verticals?
We focus on providing our partners with tools that enable them to give personalized referrals for their projects. We have dedicated much time to integrating forms and plugins that allow our partners to refer their users to Codeable while providing relevant context about their needs.