The world is currently going through a crisis that is both troubling and confusing. Covid-19 has rendered the first part of 2020 a dead loss for many businesses and changed the way we have all had to live our lives. The younger generations especially have never experienced anything of this sort, and it has altered the way we will approach the future.
One area that has come under intense scrutiny thanks to the pandemic is that of online business and eCommerce. Many businesses that traditionally run their operations from an office, perhaps in a large city or town, have been forced to send desk-based operatives to work from home. This has inevitably led to some who were previously unaware of the efficiency of online and remote working becoming more adept at the practice.
It's also had a knock-on effect in terms of online marketing. With city streets empty and public transport at a standstill, traditional billboard advertising has been nullified. TV and radio have come to the fore, along with print advertising, but perhaps the biggest area of interest has been that of online and affiliate marketing. How has this had an effect?
21st Century Word of Mouth
If you're not familiar with affiliate marketing in can strike you as being complex, or perhaps a 'dark art' that requires you to keep up with everything to do with online business. You do need to have an element of knowledge, but when all is said and done, what affiliate marketing is, is the modern version of 'word of mouth'.
In the pre-internet days, and those where TV channels were few, consumers would recommend products and services locally and on a broader scale. Someone may buy a new car from a dealer and recommend that dealer to a friend also looking for a new car. But affiliate marketing takes it further.
What is an Affiliate?
If you bring up an eCommerce website - pick one of the bigger ones and have a look - there will be an invitation to 'become an affiliate'. In short, should you choose to do so you will put a link to that eCommerce site on your website, blog, or social media pages. Every time someone clicks through to them, you will get commission. So, you get paid for recommending other people's businesses. Sounds easy, doesn't it? And where does this fit in with the current pandemic?
Put simply, tens of thousands of people in many countries across the world have been limited to communication via the internet. They've also been shopping online where they may not have done before. That's why every Affiliate Management Company has been working overtime to make sure their clients are optimized for the very best results. What do we mean by this?
Affiliate Marketing and Optimization
When online retail and marketing was in its infancy it simply mattered to get as many affiliates as possible. Nowadays, there are affiliate marketing companies that will help optimize your affiliates. Let us explain: if you run an eCommerce store that sells baby goods, you want affiliates that are in the same area. Perhaps you sell baby clothes; an ideal affiliate would be a company selling prams, or baby food, or other accessories. It's direct marketing for the modern age and means that your affiliates - or the companies you affiliate with - are appropriate.
The current world pandemic will eventually die down, but it will leave behind a greater understanding of why affiliate marketing is important, and why online eCommerce is the future. Now is the time to get on board, so talk to the professionals and see how you can optimize your affiliate marketing.
