Confused about where affiliate marketing is heading? Read on to find the latest affiliate marketing trends.
The world of digital marketing is dynamic and ever-changing. New, game-changing technologies are being introduced every day, and the only way to keep up is to stay knowledgeable and updated.
The affiliate marketing landscape is no different. It has continually grown and evolved and will continue to do so in the years to come.
Gone are the days when affiliate marketing was just considered an uncertain way of selling nutritional supplements. It has become a serious digital marketing strategy for companies across the globe. Today, it accounts for around 16 percent of all e-commerce sales. What’s more, estimates suggest that by 2022, affiliate marketing spending will reach a whopping $12 billion.
Take a look at how affiliate marketing spending has increased over the years:
Source: Statista
The year is just around the corner. If you keep at it, this might very well be your year!
6 Affiliate Marketing Trends You Need to Know
Affiliate Marketing Trend #1: Influencer Marketing Will Get Bigger
The rise of influencer marketing has been tremendous. Many people are searching for content online and trusting this unique blend of people who seem to know what they are searching for. These people are not celebrities. They are real people endorsing products and services based on their real experiences.
The interest in influencer marketing has grown considerably over the past few years. The search for the phrase “influencer marketing” has been increased by over 456% on Google since 2016. Moreover, Twitter believes that users trust influencers as much as their friends. Indeed, you cannot ignore this if you are an affiliate marketer.
This rise in influencer marketing is down to various reasons. One of these reasons is that these influencers and bloggers have started to own their content. They are blogging and vlogging rigorously about their shopping behaviors, and brands have begun to acknowledge their new roles.
Also, influencers have a more significant impact on user journeys. They have the power to influence sales, and today’s marketers, with a wide range of analytics tools at their disposal, know precisely how that is happening.
Looking to manage your influencer campaigns more effectively? Here are four ways you can do that:
- Know exactly what you want to achieve. This will help you collaborate with the influencers more effectively.
- Build relationships with them. Tell them what you do. You can also offer free samples to them.
- Give them some content to work with. This will not only make life easier for them but will also ensure that they remain with the script. It is all about giving them room to adapt the content.
- Finally, do ensure that you have set aside an adequate budget for your influencer campaigns. To be financially prepared, you will need to test different strategies with different influencers.
Affiliate Marketing Trend #2: Voice Search Will Hold Greater Significance
With the increasing adoption of smart devices such as Google Home, Amazon Alexa, and personal smartphone assistants like Siri, voice search is gaining massive popularity.
Stats suggest that 20% of all online searches are conducted via voice search, and the trend will continue to rise. Moreover, 30% of web browsing sessions are carried out via third-party tools. With voice-assisted and activated devices getting ever more popular, you, as an affiliate marketer, will need to re-design your approach regarding the search.
Here are some ways you can leverage voice search for your future campaigns:
- The intent of the user is critically important when thinking of voice search. When the user types their query, he might be pretty specific. For instance, when searching for t-shirts, they might type in the color and size of the t-shirt one wants. However, when it comes to voice search, they speak as they do in everyday conversation, which might be pretty subjective. For instance, they might say, ‘I want a stylish t-shirt for a party. This means that you will have to concentrate your efforts on the long-tailed search terms—research on how your audience is speaking about the product or service you are promoting.
- Most of the searches made today are local queries. Ensure that you optimize your content, SEO, and Q&A section for local search.
- Another exciting trend is that of image search. Instead of telling people what they want, people will start uploading images of what they want.
Affiliate Marketing Trend #3: Data-Dominated Approach Will Win
We are living in a data-dominated world. Any discussion regarding future trends will remain incomplete without mentioning the massive heaps of data that are at our disposal. In fact, 90 percent of the world’s entire data has been accumulated in the past two years. With an increasing number of devices, data will keep on growing.
What does this mean for an affiliate marketer? How do you make sense of the incredible amounts of data available at your disposal? No matter which part of the digital marketing landscape you belong to, your success will depend on how data-driven your approach is. You need to convert data into meaningful insights and take action accordingly.
Here are some ways you can leverage data to your advantage:
- You first need to define what your KPIs are. They can be any metric(s), including impressions, clicks, leads, or sales. These are the numbers all your marketing activities should align with.
- Try to understand why any marketing effort is not performing as it should. For instance, if your display ad brought about 1,000 impressions, not reaching your target of 5,000, you must look for what might have gone wrong. There might be an issue with the publisher, or you might have to adjust your bidding.
- Make sure you are looking at data from different angles. This might help you draw newer, more insightful conclusions.
Affiliate Marketing Trend #4: Mobile-First Approach Will Be Key
Mobile phone usage and internet access through it have increased considerably over the years. In 2022, the total number of smartphone users is expected to reach a whopping 6.6 Billion in 2022. We can safely assume that mobile adoption will continue to rise in the years to come.
We will also see more augmented or virtual reality incorporated in mobile advertising. As an affiliate marketer, you should leverage mobile advertising to the fullest.
Let’s take a look at some immediate steps you need to take:
- Google and other search engines have been clear about making the web a more mobile-friendly place. This is the reason you need to optimize your website for mobile devices.
- Consider this: In 2021, mobile phones accounted for 68% of the paid search clicks in the US. This means that if you are not creating ads for mobile, you are wasting a huge ad spend. Make sure that all your ads are mobile-friendly to cater to the ever-growing mobile audience. This will, in turn, maximize mobile lead generation.
Affiliate Marketing Trend #5: Native Advertising Will Continue to Thrive for Affiliate Marketers
Native advertising has been effective for affiliate marketers in the past and will continue to remain an asset as well.
Sharing contextual, relevant information is the real tactic that affiliate marketers must continue using. Since Google is adamant about user experience, quality content marketing is the way to go. Once you have developed great content, you can create native ads for specific audiences who are more likely to convert.
Affiliate Marketing Trend #6: You Will Need to Think Beyond YouTube, Google, and Facebook
For years now, Google and Facebook have been the two giants of the digital landscape. However, their ever-growing power has led to dissatisfaction among some people. Recently, concerns regarding privacy and censorship have crept up. This has led people to look for alternative social media platforms.
One such alternative to YouTube is REAL.Video. Mike Adams, the founder of the popular alternative medicine website Natural News, introduced it. This video platform aims to decentralize video publication. As more and more of these alternative platforms emerge, affiliate marketers will have to leverage them and look beyond Google, YouTube, and Facebook.
Cloudways is Ready!
We at Cloudways are gearing up for the new year. Our team is itching to make this an incredible year.
We offer a lucrative web hosting affiliate program that helps affiliate marketers earn up to $10K every month. Our team comprises expert digital marketing professionals who help you every single step of the way. We help you become a better affiliate marketer, be it designing banners or providing educational content; you get it all to earn big bucks. Check out the Cloudways webinar video on how to make money as an affiliate marketer.