Affiliate marketing is one of the most exciting and profitable forms of revenue for publishers who have built a following. In fact, it’s predicted to become a 6.8 billion dollar industry in 2020.
The discipline is fast evolving and publishers need to cater to the latest consumer trends and behaviors in order to maximize profits.
In the coming year, more consumers will be shopping on their mobile devices. Digital assistants, such as Siri and Alexa, will make voice search an integral part of many consumers’ lives.
Meanwhile, more data will be collected on consumers’ interactions with online content, providing valuable insights into how marketers can increase sales.
Here are four affiliate marketing trends you can’t afford to ignore in 2019:
1. Influencer Marketing
The influencer marketing landscape has been changing significantly – consumers have become more skeptical about celebrity endorsements while turning to “micro-influencers” whom they follow and trust for product recommendations.
This poses a unique opportunity for publishers who have been sharing content and gained the trust of their audience. More brands will be working with these content producers to reach highly targeted markets.
As a publisher, you can get connected with more brands by joining an affiliate network, such as Aragon Premium, to maximize your exposure to advertisers.
2. Voice Search
40% of adults in the US use voice search once per day so it’s becoming increasingly important to optimize your content for voice searches.
Focus on long-tail keywords associated with high purchase intent. Create content that provides context to search engines while using clear and succinct verbiage that mimics how your target audience speaks.
Since most voice searches are conducted on mobile devices, it’s important to ensure that all your content, web pages, and tracking mechanisms are optimized for a fast and seamless mobile user experience to maximize conversion rates.
3. Native Advertising
“Banner blindness” has been a challenge for many advertisers. Publishers who create valuable content can overcome this issue with native advertising (e.g., social media ads) that focuses on sharing information in a way that is non-disruptive, targeted, contextual, and audience-centric.
You can use native advertising to promote content and drive traffic to your website, from which you can link out advertisers’ products using your affiliate links.
To optimize your ROI, make sure you have access to a network of advertisers who have products that are a good fit for your audience. Then, create highly targeted native ads to attract specific audiences that are most likely to convert.
4. Data-Driven Marketing
Today’s digital marketing technologies allow publishers to collect visitor data and generate insights so they can improve their content and promotion strategies.
To fully take advantage of data-driven marketing, you need to define KPIs (key performance metrics) that align with your business objectives. For example, as a publisher who aims to monetize your website’s content, you should track each click all the way to a sale instead of simply measuring click-through-rate or impression.
The insights generated from data analytics can help you identify the most effective advertising channels, hone in on messaging that works best for your audience, and plug leaks in the purchasing path to increase conversions.
Conclusion
Publishers of high-quality content are well positioned to take advantage of many affiliate marketing trends in the coming year.
Having access to advertisers that offer high-quality products that are a good match for your audience is a great way to maximize your ROI. For example, publishers in the Aragon Premium network can become an affiliate of Digit, a popular app that helps users save money automatically.
Monetize with Aragon Premium! We can help you get more out of your content creation and promotion efforts here.