Bustle Digital Group is seeking a strategic, data-savvy, and entrepreneurial Commerce Director to help lead and grow our multi-brand commerce (affiliate marketing) team. The team consists of editors and business strategists who create well-researched, data-driven articles about products for all of BDG’s sites (including Elite Daily, Bustle, The Zoe Report, Mic, Inverse, Scary Mommy, as well as other current and future sites owned by BDG). Commerce articles are written to generate revenue from sales of products featured in the articles.
This senior-level role, which reports into the Commerce Executive Vice President, combines analytical rigor, content sensibility, and strong marketing instincts to scale a critical revenue stream across BDG’s portfolio. You will be responsible for the commerce content marketing strategy, managing a team of commerce strategy employees, and managing key relationships with affiliate partners and platforms. You’ll lead efforts to monitor performance, maintain and build data analysis tools and models, optimize article content and imagery, identify product trends, and create cross-platform marketing strategies based on data. This role is perfect for a leader who thrives in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment and has a proven track record of digital marketing success.
Key Responsibilities
- Oversee marketing and distribution of commerce content across social platforms, newsletters, search, on-site, etc. Have a deep understanding of each platform’s functionality, ability to optimize performance, design and implement tests, and synthesize performance data in models and spreadsheets to then inform marketing and content creation strategies.
- Manage all performance analysis and model building for the team. Maintain data models and build new ones to analyze revenue and traffic performance of commerce content across various marketing channels. Collect data from various sources (internal dashboards and external sources, like Google Analytics, Amazon Associates, etc) and update models using Google Sheets and Excel. Synthesize learnings to guide marketing and editorial decisions.
- Oversee product discovery and creative best practices for product imagery used in content and on distribution channels. Identify trending, high-conversion products aligned with brand voice and reader behavior. Select product images to feature in articles and across marketing platforms, based on click and purchase data analysis, research into digital trends, and a deep understanding of digital shopping behavior and what drives user engagement.
- Help build and refine internal analytics, spreadsheets, and other optimization tools to better understand performance and surface actionable insights. Collaborate with engineering and business insights teams on select projects.
- Maintain and grow relationships with affiliate networks (Amazon, Skimlinks, Linkby, Rakuten, etc.) and DTC brands; negotiate rates and flat fee deals, test and onboard new partners, and evaluate technology tools.
- Act as the internal company representative for the commerce team, regularly creating presentations on performance, wins, and recommendations to executive stakeholders. Act as team liaison in day-to-day communication with other BDG teams: engineering, social, business development, finance, legal, etc.
- Develop content and marketing experiments — including A/B testing article formats, link placement, and calls to action; work with product and design teams to improve UX for commerce content. Study shopping trends and affiliate strategies to test.
- Help manage the workflow of the full-time Commerce Manager and part-time commerce employees who assist in content creation and performance analysis.
Qualifications
- 7–10+ years of experience in digital performance marketing: preferably in affiliate marketing, commerce content, or e-commerce within a media company or publisher.
- Strong analytical skills: fluent in Excel/Google Sheets, Google Analytics, affiliate reporting platforms, and dashboards. Strong ability to build, maintain and revise models and spreadsheets for data analysis and presentations.
- Proven success managing a high-volume, high-growth digital business, preferably an affiliate program with revenue accountability.
- Strong editorial content and product marketing sensibility. Must understand digital shopping trends, what makes content convert, how to align commerce strategy with brand voice and business goals.
- Excellent communication and leadership skills — able to collaborate and lead commerce team’s communication with various departments internally and with external vendors and partners.
- Track record of testing and iterating on marketing/affiliate strategies, using data to inform decisions.
- Highly organized, entrepreneurial, detail-oriented, and comfortable working in a fast-moving environment. Very resourceful and able to solve problems as they arise. A self-starter with willingness to go above and beyond what is asked, and the ability to adeptly change course in response to business needs.
BDG Media Inc. is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, and will not be discriminated against based on age, race, gender, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, disability, or any other protected category.
BDG is one of today’s leading global media companies with a portfolio of distinct digital and experiential brands that are shaping culture through its authentic and trusted storytelling. Audiences turn to our brands to hear from a set of diverse voices around the interests engaging the next generation. Founded in 2013, the Company reaches over 223 million readers and social fans and serves hundreds of the world's largest advertisers. BDG has global offices in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, London, and Paris.
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