Affiliate marketing is very much like a kaleidoscope. It consists of many pieces of unique verticals, GEOs, traffic sources, and affiliate networks. It’s also made up of all sorts of different areas. As in classical marketing, the affiliate sphere develops in different planes, and affiliates are free to choose the direction to build their business. Besides, many people find real success in mixing different manifestations and driving traffic through a variety of content forms. In this article, we expand the boundaries of affiliate marketing understanding and find its most unexpected forms.
Basic types of affiliate marketing
The typology of affiliate marketing depends on how to view this industry. Firstly, it is worth remembering that the key resource here is traffic — customers or users of the product. However, it has no meaning until the right channels of promotion are established with all the participants in this process. Here are the types of cooperation for promotion that exist.
Classic affiliate marketing
People who create content (landing pages, videos, articles, posts) spread the word about a product or service and link to it. If someone clicks on the link and buys the product or service, the affiliate receives a commission. Affiliate marketing can also be divided into:
- Unattached. Affiliate relationships in which marketers do not have the necessary experience or knowledge of the product they are promoting. Thus, these tend to be classic PPC campaigns because there is no connection between the product, the affiliate, and the potential customers.
- Related. Affiliate marketers are knowledgeable and experienced with the types of products they are promoting. They create campaigns for a specific target audience.
- Involved. Added type with an extra factor of involvement in product promotion. Affiliates may create content to promote it or recommend it personally as a product they use regularly, rather than just putting an affiliate link in the description of a photo or podcast.
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Distribution
One brand sells another brand’s products or services through its network. For example, a cosmetics store sells vitamins and supplements from another pharmaceutical company.
Loyalty programs
A company rewards its customers for bringing in a new audience. For example, a customer may receive a discount or bonus for sharing a product or service link with a friend.
Software integration
A company invites its customers to use another company’s software along with its own. For example, an online store may offer its customers to pay for orders in cryptocurrency through another company’s financial app and receive a commission for the transactions.
Promotional channels of affiliate marketing
Depending on the GEO, vertical, or specific offer, a professional affiliate develops a specific business model for promotion. Sometimes the advertiser has preferences for the form of content in advance, and sometimes the affiliate needs to build an algorithm on his own, according to his capabilities. In this block, we’ll talk about different facets of affiliate marketing, so you can diversify your future campaigns and increase your profits.
Email marketing
If it seems like email is an outdated trend in marketing, think again. Affiliates send out offers to people who have already agreed to receive them and filled out an application on the site earlier. Among all users, only those interested have indicated their email addresses to be added to the mailing list. As a result, the ads become less intrusive and make users more willing to interact with them. Such campaigns typically publish newsletters and other content with affiliate links that lead customers to targeted action. This type of marketing is ideal for verticals such as nutra and insurance. Another trick to take advantage of is personalization. According to Statista, 78% of marketers use personalized communication through email.
Loyalty portals
Loyalty portals or cashback sites are platforms giving money back to the customer for using the site’s affiliate links. They are literally sharing their commission with the customer. With systems like these, it’s easy to see where loyalty comes from. A brand forms the habit of buying its product on an instinctual level. You’ve all probably come across coffee shops that offer every 5th drink for free. Consumers are more likely to come back and continue to buy what they normally consume, especially now that they will be rewarded for it.
Review platforms
Imagine if you could read a detailed review of a product before you buy it. It’s also where you get reviews from real people and information about all the pitfalls compared to the competition. That’s what review sites are built on. This format is used in YouTube and Twitch social media communities or as a separate site. The affiliate in this case gets a commission for an array of embedded promo codes and affiliate links right inside the review. Testimonials make a huge difference in the eyes of potential buyers. Statistics show that about 54.7% of consumers will read at least four reviews before making a purchase. Recent studies show that product pages with reviews provide 3.5 times more conversions than pages without reviews. Review sites work great in the gambling and gaming industry.
Coupon sites
This is an amazing phenomenon that has understandably become part of the affiliate industry. These sites are one of the most popular choices for distributing affiliate links in marketing. Their main advantage is the ability to reach customers who are actively looking for great deals. Consumer statistics say that 80% of consumers are likely to try a new brand or increase their perception of your brand if they are already familiar with your product. Let’s be honest, do you believe your audience will become loyal after their first test of your product? Very unlikely. Then don’t skimp on coupons to give users more incentive to try it. Nutra and travel verticals are the ones who will benefit most from coupons.
News and media
News and media sites are a great choice if you want to reach a mass audience. News outlets are looking for ways to monetize their content, and native and teaser ads are one of the most popular ways to do that. This is also a good way to use affiliate links. Not only news outlets, but also online magazines and gossip sites enjoy the flexibility of affiliate marketing. By creating interesting and fascinating articles, affiliate links and promo codes can be distributed almost imperceptibly to readers. In this direction, the fastest wins — the one who is among the first to use hot news and popular news breaks in advertising. When it comes to news, many people want to be up-to-date: according to statistics, in 2020, 70% of UK residents used news or magazines on the Internet.
Mobile devices and gadgets
Almost every modern person cannot live without his smartphone. Advertising on mobile devices can be carried out using in-game advertising, as well as display ads placed at the edges of the screen. Mobile apps can exchange affiliate codes for products related to the app itself. For example, a guitar tuning app can share a code to get a discount in a guitar store. As a result, advertising is targeted at a certain group of people who are more likely to be interested in the product. Some apps can even send push ads if the user allows it. E-commerce is growing exponentially, and statistics show that 73% of all global sales in 2021 will be carried out using mobile devices.
Social networks
One influencer on social networks can reach thousands or even millions of people with its content. Influencers can achieve higher conversion rates due to the trust and willingness of the audience to support the content creator. The basis of social networks is their visual content and convenient ability to share it, which allows people to better present the product and make it viral. Fashion is at the top of this game, and almost 25% of all affiliate marketing programs are related to fashion. Music takes the next place in terms of activity: almost 90% of all social media users communicate with music artists.
Blogs and text content
The blog affiliate is an expert in the field of text content and the integration of advertising into articles. The best bloggers not only know how to write detailed reviews but also work with SEO. This means that they can organically reach a wide audience. First of all, they have a core audience that trusts what they write and the recommendations they give. In addition, they can promote the advertiser’s product using referral links and affiliate codes displayed in their content. Today, about 65% of affiliates generate traffic through blogs. Since it is a high-traffic environment, it is ideal for goods and services that have no borders and can be attractive to people all over the world.
Final thoughts
There are two strategies that work equally well when used correctly. The first is to focus on one direction and constantly improve in it in order to increase conversions. The second is to increase profit by combining the work of different affiliate marketing areas. Whichever working path you choose, now you know more dimensions, you will be able to try them and understand exactly for yourself what you really like.
