Zac Johnson
The year is 2020, and affiliate marketing has consistently been one of the most effective and successful forms of compensation based marketing online for more than two-decades now. As a new decade approaches, it’s important that we ask not only where affiliate marketing is headed in the future, but who will survive and make the most of it as well.
What we’ve learned from the past, is that affiliate marketing has completely changed and revolutionized not only how business is done on the internet, but also how individuals, brands and businesses can make money as well.
The affiliate marketing industry has been very kind and fruitful to many of us. As Bo Bennet once said, “Affiliate marketing has made businesses millions and ordinary people millionaires.”.
This is especially true for affiliate marketers who have ventured out on their own and spent endless time, money and effort to perfect the art of continually creating profitable ad campaigns.
With all of this in mind, it’s important to not just reflect back on the growth and success of affiliate marketing over the years, but also how we all can become better affiliate marketers and continue to build our businesses and brands during the next decade and beyond.
That is exactly what we are going to be discussing today. So without any more delay, let’s get started!
Affiliate Marketing is for Everyone and Anyone
One of the most magical things about affiliate marketing, is that it does not discriminate. It doesn’t matter where you went to school, what your previous success and failures were, or even how old you are or where you live.
Instead, it’s all about the numbers and putting in the time to make them work.
This applies to affiliate marketers who have built a business and team around them, or for those who simply pump out ad campaigns while raking in the dough from the comfort of home.
One of the first and most important things to remember about affiliate and online marketing, is that there is no secret formula and everyone has their own personal plan for success and how they run their day-to-day operations. And of course… many will participate, but only few will win.
Blogging, Influencers, Gurus and Conference Speakers
There are millions of affiliate marketers in the world today, though you might only be able to name a few of the more popular ones that have established themselves as online marketers, bloggers, influencers and speak at different conferences around the world today. And that’s perfectly fine, the ‘internet fame’ that can be provided by the world of affiliate marketing isn’t for everyone, nor should it be.
More often than not, affiliate marketers that decide to make the leap from just an affiliate marketer to an influencer or brand, are simply looking to take what they’ve learned on their own and then take those teaching techniques and turn them into a new business.
A perfect example of this can be seen with the founders of internet marketing conferences and events like Affiliate Summit and Affiliate World Conferences. All of these founders were originally affiliate marketers who put in the time, work and effort to find success, and then wanted to scale their expertise to a whole new level.
The good news is, the internet marketing space is more than large enough for us all to play in — while also giving us the option to sit back and make money while not needing to put our face and name out for everyone to see. After all, there is nothing wrong with making money and having a successful business and not needing to share it with the rest of of the world.
Affiliate bloggers, influencers, and conference speakers come in all different shapes and sizes. Whether you hate or love this process, everyone has their own learning curve and plan for further success.
Getting Started with an Affiliate Brand of Your Own
When looking at the industry as a whole, there are many different moving components. Affiliates will come and go, and so will smaller networks or ad companies that push fly-by-night offers. However, the common theme among those affiliates and brands that do have success in the long run, is that they are putting in the time and effort into legitimizing themselves and also not relying on just one incoming stream of revenue.
For affiliates that want to explore this option, it’s always a good idea to start a new website, blog or brand of your own. This will not only help with legitimizing your business, it can also help with leverage and bring in new opportunities as well.
For example, take a look at any of the big name marketing bloggers in the world today like Neil Patel, Pat Flynn and Lorenzo Green. They all started with some form of affiliate or internet marketing, but have scaled immensely in size since focusing on their own blogs, social followings and helping others learn how to find success through the power of the internet. Take a moment to look at where each of these players are focusing their efforts today, and you will soon discover that they have six-figure monthly business in place, which were likely creations from their original affiliate marketing journeys and success.
This process and path isn’t for everyone, but the pros usually outweigh the cons. Jumping from affiliate campaign to campaign can be tough and tiresome, but so can scaling your business to that next level. The good thing is that this industry allows you to personally decide which is best for you and what direction you want to take.
Starting out with something as simple as social profile where you can engage with others or starting a blog to share your expertise can provide you with a platform that can lead to higher payouts, new opportunities and giving yourself an audience and a much louder voice, should you ever need it.
What Works in the 90, 00s and 10s Still Works Today
As we head into a new decade of online marketing and business, it’s important to not miss the clear fundamentals of what has worked in the past. The concept of “affiliate marketing” isn’t going anywhere. However, the way affiliates and brands continue to seek out new audiences and generate leads ad sales will. This is nothing new, as the industry is changing all of the time.
The bottom line here is that we can all continue to make money with affiliate marketing as long as the leads and customer data generated are legitimate. This needs to happen in order for affiliate networks, brand advertisers and affiliates to make money across the board.
The industry is more saturated than ever before and most people are looking to make a quick buck, but those are the characters that aren’t in the industry for the long term.
To find success and build yourself up as a reputable affiliate marketer and brand in 2020 and beyond, treat your affiliate marketing efforts like a real business and reap the benefits for potentially years and decades to come.