Affiliate marketing has witnessed drastic changes in the past year when rewarding strategies that have been highly beneficial for a long time took an undesirable turn and the affiliates had to plan new ways to escalate those sales and hence, keep those commissions move upward spiral. While the affiliates, merchants, and managers have been testing various techniques to raise the graph of the sales and profits despite the challenges that show up unannounced, the recent trends have a tendency to alter the graph.
The affiliate marketing field keeps growing and even in 2020, when most industries went downhill, this particular one presented a plethora of opportunities but just demanded the right strategies to expand. Now, when the companies have been formulating these techniques, few major and profitable affiliate marketing tips have emerged for achieving exponential growth in this industry in the subsequent time.
Let’s understand these essential tips to be followed while heading on the path of affiliate marketing after a series of unanticipated events brought a wind of substantial alterations in 2020.
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Don’t Rely On One-Link Process
In the present scenario, one strategy that’s definitely not worth trusting is adding one affiliate link to a blog post and expecting traffic to respond to that in a positive way. This plan is no longer a hit considering the quality of the traffic now. A couple of years ago, marketers relied on a lot of blog posts that contained one or two affiliate links and that generated incredible commissions.
There are two main reasons for this one-link plan to reach an expiration date:
- You might think that your target audience will eventually find the link placed by you in the content but that’s not true for the people anymore. They focus on the content and examine it thoroughly. So, there are higher chances of that link being lost and never receiving the attention you expected it would. So, you need to seek that attention in a tactical manner.
- With the marketing landscape undergoing changes and expanding, the traffic is all premium now and it is not a plain road to convert the leads. One click on the article, social media post, or email is not the sign of a definite conversion. There is more to the process than the affiliates and merchants have envisaged.
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Balancing The Cold And Warm Traffic
When an affiliate marketer is raking in commissions by new conversions and receiving clicks on blogs or social media posts, it is usually just a method to aim at the cold traffic. However, one can easily increase those conversions and the profits by including the warm traffic in this plan too. Several marketers are following this strategy and selling those products and services to their warm leads that exist in their email list. This is a smart way that yields profitable conversions.
The marketers can analyze the Marketing funnel and ensure consistently rising affiliate income. There are a few tricks to accomplish this growth and with the right approach, the entire process becomes powerful and effective. Here are those tricks:
- Since one of the steps for creating sales leads is using the lead magnet, the marketers can take advantage of this step and include the promotion of their winning affiliate product in the lead magnet.
- One effective way for the marketers who are promoting information products is to devise a list of personal recommendations and add it to the products.
III. People are usually attracted to the products that are labeled as “must-have” and so, the affiliates can include such an essential affiliate product in the free live interactive event organized for the audience to promote the products.
- Another step that can prove to be beneficial for the affiliates is incorporating the recommended affiliate products into the after-sales service.
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Consistent Connections
In the absence of strong relationships with the businesses, the affiliates can’t move forward with the promotion. All the marketers need to work towards strengthening those bonds and even build new ones. If we wear futuristic glasses, we can see that these relationships will form the foundation of successful affiliate marketing in the years to come.
Trust is a two-way street and so, both affiliates and businesses have to contribute equally to building that relationship. All that an affiliate wants is to connect with the businesses that present an offer worthy of their skills and effort. The affiliate manager has a significant role to play in building these relationships.
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Do Your Research Smartly
According to the latest statistics, 40% of businesses who want to promote their products or services, state affiliate marketing as the major source of marketing. This is why affiliates are always on the receiving end of multiple offers, opportunities, and programs to collaborate with.
The marketers have a sea full of such programs and they have to fish for the perfect ones. That’s where they need to wear their thinking caps and dwell on the options available. When affiliates witness skyrocketing EPCs, even the most reputed marketers are pulled towards such rewarding programs because they know their share would automatically be one huge slice of the cake.
But now, the marketers need to focus on the quality of such programs instead of signing up for every opportunity that knocks on the door. Quality is weighing more than quantity presently. Research well and then, move ahead.
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Keeping An Eye On The Metrics
Affiliate marketers have to select fitting tracking tools that are available in abundance. It becomes vitally important to incorporate these beneficial tools in their promotions. Tracking the arrival of traffic is the basic requirement that points towards the most profitable and successful campaigns
After the customer interaction with the ads you placed, it is necessary to shift to advanced marketing metrics including tracking conversions. When you are aware of the return on your efforts put in the promotions, it will serve as a kick-starter for the next campaigns that you create.
If you are plugged into the metrics, you are bound to discover an advantageous strategy.
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Rolling Out The Product
When you are all set to promote a new product and reveal it to the audience with all the offers and deals, it always has to be an impactful launch that piques their interest in the product. That’s how you convert a person into a buyer – you have to grab their attention and provide them with the information they deserve.
The affiliate promotions are moving with the trends and the product launch must be in accordance with the updates in this landscape. The marketers must have a plan laid out before the big introduction of the product and the first step should be finalizing the day on which the launch would take place.
After deciding the date, the affiliates should brainstorm a creative and unique way to promote it and also, offer special bonuses on the product after consulting the affiliate manager. Social media is the most powerful place and the marketers can give a sneak peek of the product on various digital platforms and through email before the actual launch.
On the day of the product launch, keep in touch with the audience continuously and keep them updated about the offers and the deadline. Before terminating the offer, just communicate with the audience and remind them. Finally, after the closing, reveal the date for the next promotion.
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Big Days For Compelling Promotions
Affiliate marketers know the significance of a few days in a year when their promotions are highly effective and people grab the offers instantly. Black Friday is just one such day and it is considered to be the busiest shopping day of the entire year. People are keenly awaiting splendid offers on the internet on almost all the products available and they buy them without thinking twice on this big shopping day.
Apart from Black Friday, there are a few more days that are equally profitable for affiliate marketers. Pick your calendar and mark these days to plan advance promotional strategies:
Earth Day (April 22): If your target audience and products are inclined towards being environment-friendly and are following the message of sustainability, then this day would be perfect for some remarkable promotions.
Back to School (End of August): For the affiliates who are diving deep into the parenting niche can take advantage of this time of the year when kids head back to their classrooms and their parents have a lot to gather for the first day.
Cyber Monday (First Monday after Thanksgiving): You can consider this to be the clone of Black Friday as the sales are similar and the offers are tempting.
Last Saturday before Christmas: Exchanging Christmas gifts is a wonderful ritual tradition and people are on a quest to find magnificent gifts and this search goes on till the very end. So, last Saturday before Christmas is the final opportunity to purchase those sparkling presents!