The rise of the internet has turned affiliate marketing into a goldmine of opportunity. If you’re looking for a profitable, work-for-home position, you need to know about the state of affiliate marketing in 2021.
What Is Affiliate Marketing in 2021?
Affiliate marketing is a performance-based marketing model.
Companies always need new customers or clients. To get these customers, the company can work with a network of third-party marketers, often known as publishers. The publisher uses websites, online ads, social media, and email to drive business to the company. In exchange, the publisher is paid a commission.
In some cases, the commission may be based on a percentage of sales associated with the publisher’s marketing efforts. For example, when a consumer clicks on the publisher’s link and then makes a purchase, the publisher gets paid. Other affiliate programs may be based on traffic driven to the company. Pay-per-click programs pay the publisher when a consumer clicks on an ad. Pay-per-call programs pay the publisher when a consumer calls a number to request more information.
Here are five trends happening in affiliate marketing now.
1.) Companies Are Looking for Cost-Effective Marketing Options
Companies are always trying to get the most bang for their marketing bucks. Affiliate marketing provides the perfect solution. When companies rely on affiliate programs to market their products and services, they pay based on performance. This means they don’t need to worry about wasting money on marketing without getting a good ROI.
Entrepreneur says that this has been especially important during the pandemic. Companies have had to cope with reduced marketing budgets, and affiliate marketing programs offer the cost-effective option they need.
2.) Workers Are Looking for Remote Work Opportunities
Affiliate marketing isn’t just attractive to companies. It’s also attractive to workers.
As a job opportunity, affiliate marketing offers a lot of advantages, including the potential for essentially limitless income. One of the best perks might be that this can be done from the comfort of the publisher’s own home – and demand for this type of opportunity has never been greater.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many office jobs became work-from-home jobs, at least temporarily. Now that the vaccine rollout is underway and many offices are reopening, it’s becoming clear that a lot of people don’t want to return to the office. According to Bloomberg, one poll found that 39% of U.S. adults would consider quitting if their employers didn’t allow some remote work flexibility. Among Millennial and Generation Z workers, 49% said they would consider quitting.
Who can blame them? Remote work offers many advantages.
Remote workers can balance personal and work life duties. Taking care of children while working from home isn’t easy, but it is possible. There’s also a lot to be said about being able to run a load of laundry or wait for a plumber to arrive while you’re working.
Remote workers often have flexible schedules. Office workers are often expected to work 9:00 to 5:00, but remote workers often get more leeway in terms of the hours worked. This is definitely true for affiliate publishers, who get to set their own schedules.
Remote workers save money. Getting rid of the daily commute is a huge cost-saver. Remote workers can also save money by eating lunch at home and brewing their own coffee – those $5 mochas really add up after a while. It’s also possible to save money on childcare and office wardrobe expenses. Bonus – who doesn’t love working in their pajamas? According to FlexJobs, people can save an average of $4,000 a year by working from home.
Unfortunately, many bosses don’t want to let their workers continue working from home. According to Newsweek, a study from the Best Practice Institute found that 83% of CEOs want their workers to return to the office, even though only 10% of employees want to work in the office full time.
This conflict may lead many workers to look for new opportunities that allow them to work from home permanently. For many of these workers, a job as an affiliate marketer can offer exactly the sort of flexibility they’re looking for.
3.) Affiliate Marketing Is Booming
Given the appeal to both companies and affiliate marketing publishing partners, it’s no wonder that affiliate marketing is hot right now. There are a few other factors contributing to this trend, as well.
The prominence of the internet is definitely part of the trend. Investopedia says that affiliate marketing actually got its start before the internet, but it’s the rise of the World Wide Web that has made this marketing model take off. Business Insider says that affiliate marketing is responsible for 15% of e-commerce revenue. In other words, affiliate marketing is huge, and there’s a ton of money in it.
4.)Medicare Affiliate Marketing Is Promising
This model isn’t just for online retailers. Insurance companies, for example, also use affiliate partners. It makes sense – everyone needs insurance, and most people need multiple types of coverage. More and more, people start their insurance buying process by doing research online. Publishers in affiliate marketing programs can post ads and information to drive traffic – and earn a handsome profit in the process.
There are many different types of insurance to consider for affiliate programs, including auto insurance, life insurance, and health insurance. Medicare is an especially promising opportunity right now. The United States Census Bureau says that about 10,000 seniors turn 65 each day. That’s an important figure because people qualify for Medicare when they turn 65. This means that there are about 10,000 newly eligible Medicare enrollees each day, and they need information on their Medigap and Medicare Advantage options.
5.) Affiliate Advertising Methods Are Evolving
As the internet evolves, advertising methods need to evolve, too. One good example is voice search. Approximately half of online searches are made using voice. Affiliate marketers need to optimize their websites for this trend. With the increasing popularity of online videos, affiliate marketers may also want to create video content to reach their target audience. At the same time, affiliates have access to new automation and tracking tools to make their campaigns more effective.
Changes aren’t always about technology, however. Consumer perception is also important. People are wary of fake news, scams, and data privacy invasions. They’ve been bombarded with advertisements, and they don’t want more ads – they want useful information. This means that affiliate marketers can find success by establishing themselves as a trustworthy source of information.
Do You Want In?
Are you ready for a lucrative career in affiliate marketing? Learn about a publisher partnership with Digital Market Media or explore our remote work career opportunities.
