Snogo Straws has changed the way people enjoy cacao powder with their innovative, high-quality metal straws. Launched five years ago, the company was inspired by the growing trend of sniffing cacao for its natural energy-boosting properties in Germany.
The brand’s collection includes popular designs like the Snogo Incognito, Snogo Mojo, and Snogo Diamond. Their stylish Snogo straws are built to last, backed by a two-year performance warranty.
As a niche brand, Snogo Straws faced several challenges when it came to growing awareness and driving sales. The company needed a marketing strategy that could target a highly specific audience while keeping acquisition costs under control.
Affiliate marketing became the ideal solution. Affiliate marketing helped Snogo Straws to pay commissions only when sales were generated, making it a low-risk, high-reward strategy for a growing brand with a good margin.
Snogo Straws began using UpPromote in 2022 and found it an indispensable solution for managing their affiliate program. “We’ve experienced a lot of growth, and your setup has made it quite easy”, the COO of Snogo Straws said.
Overall, we’ve been very happy with your platform. We’ve experienced a lot of growth, and your setup has made it quite easy. As far as I know, we haven’t received any complaints from our affiliates regarding their user experience.
Roland Gyallay – The COO & CFO at Snogo Straws
Over the past three years, Snogo Straws has successfully scaled their affiliate program which contributes approximately 25% of the company’s total sales. Let’s dive into how they collaborate with affiliates and implement strategies to achieve this remarkable outcome.
Segment partners with various program-specific incentives
When Snogo Straws launched their affiliate program in 2022, they offered an attractive 20% commission rate to encourage affiliates to join. This generous incentive helped the brand attract early supporters who have remained loyal to the program over the years.
To show appreciation for their commitment, Snogo Straws continues to honor the original 20% commission rate for these long-term affiliates.
As the program grew, the brand adjusted the commission policy to align with their marketing budget. The standard commission rate was changed to 15%, along with a 15% discount code that affiliates could share with their audience.
In addition to their affiliate program, Snogo Straws introduced ambassador and influencer programs to further strengthen their marketing efforts. Both programs offer the same 15% commission and 15% discount code for customers, but ambassadors and influencers enjoy additional exclusive benefits.
- Ambassadors can receive discounts of up to 40% on Snogo products, allowing them to purchase items at a significantly reduced cost.
- Influencers get special perks like free items, including cacao, straws, and accessories, as part of collaboration opportunities.
Thanks to UpPromote, Snogo Straws was able to automate the creation of discount codes for every new affiliate, generating over 2,000 unique coupon codes to date. This streamlined process saves the brand time and effort while ensuring affiliates have the coupon codes they need to start promoting immediately.
Turn Conversations into Conversions: The Power of Physical Referral Cards
One of the most distinctive drivers behind Snogo Straws’ affiliate success has been their use of physical referral cards.
Unlike most affiliate programs that rely solely on links and promo codes shared online, Snogo encouraged their affiliates to carry branded, wallet-sized cards printed with a QR code.
When someone sees an affiliate using a Snogo Straw and asks, “Hey, what’s that? I want one,” the affiliate can explain the product and give out cards.
People can then scan the code or visit the link to buy the product with a 15% discount. This makes it easy for them to remember and buy later, without needing to search online.
This face-to-face method worked really well. People trust friends more than ads, and these small moments made a big difference. As Roland Gyallay, the COO of Snogo Straws, said, “Most of our traffic to our website is 75% organic; people find us through other people.”
To ensure transparency for affiliates, Snogo Straws provides comprehensive information about the program’s benefits directly on the registration page. Affiliates are also given the option to customize their discount codes or request complimentary business cards.
With UpPromote’s new registration form template, Snogo Straws has the flexibility to include extensive program details while seamlessly showcasing the brand’s identity.
Support affiliates with detailed promotional guides and sample products
When Snogo Straws first hit the market, their unique design caused some unexpected confusion. “We had issues initially because some people thought that our straws were for tobacco sniffing,” explains Roland.
This early challenge highlighted the importance of providing affiliates with the right tools to promote the product correctly. Snogo Straws created detailed promotional guides for their affiliates. These guides gave affiliates everything they needed to clearly communicate the product’s purpose and benefits.
For top-performing affiliates, the brand takes support to the next level by sending free sample products. Firsthand experience allows affiliates to better connect with the product, making their promotions more authentic and relatable.
UpPromote makes it easy for the brand to select items from their inventory and send them directly to affiliates. Affiliates are notified when a gift is available, and they can claim it through their account dashboard.
Results
Affiliate marketing has proven to be a vital part of Snogo Straws’ growth, driving 25% of total sales and continuing to grow month after month, with 30 new affiliates joining the program.
UpPromote has been a reliable tool for smoothly managing their affiliate program. As Roland noted, “We’ve been using UpPromote for three years. We’ve had one or two small technical issues, but overall, it’s been working great. The new reporting also really helps me out.”
With UpPromote’s regular feature updates and commitment to supporting brands, Snogo Straws looks forward to scaling their program and achieving even more impressive results.
Ellie Tran, a seasoned SEO content writer with three years of experience in the eCommerce world. Being a part of the UpPromote team, Ellie wants to assist Shopify merchants in achieving success through useful content & actionable insights. Ellie's commitment to learning never stops; she's always eager to gain more knowledge about SEO and content marketing to create valuable content for users. When she's not working on content, Ellie enjoys baking and exploring new places.
