TOP 5 Affiliate Marketing Trends To Watch Out in 2021

Is affiliate marketing still worth it in 2021?

More people are turning towards affiliate marketing because it gives you the chance to make money even while sleeping by driving online traffic to websites that you promote for selling products and services, earning you handsome commission for every sale and/or every click. The spendings on affiliate marketing in America is projected to touch $13 billion by next year. More than 80% of brands and publishers have turned to Affiliate marketing to turn up sales. While half of the existing affiliate publishers have gained 20% profits from this stream, more than 80% of advertisers have allocated 10% of the marketing budget exclusively to affiliate marketing.

The blogging space in affiliate marketing is booming because more than 62% of affiliate marketers are able to fetch online traffic through their blogs, with some of these blogs trending with more than 170% online visibility.

There are plenty of opportunities to grow your affiliate program in the new year, and WeLoveAdz is here to make this possible.

Top 5 Affiliate Marketing Trends for 2021

1. Brand visibility

Brand visibility over product visibility will set things in motion this year because more people tend to buy brands that represent a good cause, reputation, trust, and other values close to customers. You can share content that is close to people’s hearts, like the companies that take up large-scale Corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities or social issues like gender pay discrimination, etc. ‌Customers want to feel good about who they are buying from and where they are spending their money. They care about brands being environmentally conscious. They like to read stories about employee wellbeing. They find it important to see diversity and inclusion.

Great brand-related content for affiliate marketing includes:

Company initiatives
Social Issues (i.e., Black Lives Matter)
Non-profit sponsorships
Local outreach efforts (i.e., volunteering at Food Banks)
Company backstory and founding
Office culture (i.e., paid paternity leave)

2. Video content, all the way!

People get hooked on videos over the other mediums due to captivating content. More and more than 70% of affiliate marketing consumers choose to view videos of the products they wish to buy. The number of marketers reporting a positive ROI on video marketing has more than doubled since 2015, peaking at 88% in 2020. Videos help with Top of mind (TOM) recall which means that people tend to remember products or brands better if they view video content instead of content on the blogs and articles. The popularity of YouTube as an influencer platform also provides ample opportunities to seek out partners who are already working in this medium.

Some affiliate content ideas to feature on your site includes:

Livestreams with Q&A sessions about products
Video tutorials and how-to guides
Curated product feeds such as a gift guide or wish list.
In-depth product reviews and testimonials

3. Seasonal Mania

Events promoting sales like Black Friday sales are always a mega-hit, and this trend can be followed this year for online affiliate marketing. Creating content that revolves around seasonal or holiday-related themes will attract more traffic from online buyers who are looking for special offers available in that period. Based on Salesforce data, the total digital sales during the holiday season last year were up 36% (YoY) and reached $270 billion globally. In the U.S. alone, they were $60 billion and up 29% compared to 2019.

4. Native adverts

Native adverts are viewed 53% more than passive display-ads. Native ads are a smart way of promoting the brands and products through content instead of irritating flashy online banners, which is a major turnoff for the consumers.

5. B2B Advertisers

Affiliate marketers are no longer limited to B2C campaigns, and B2B channels are on the rise with higher commissions and more traffic. Web hosting will be a major game-changer in B2B advertising in 2021.

Affiliate marketers: How to drive user-engagement for your campaigns in 2021

Staying at the top of your game is essential because more visibility means more traffic which means more revenue. WeLoveAdz‌‌ helps you with real-time stats and 24/7 customer service, which will help you quickly fix the problem in your campaign.
Improving the UX of your website’s layout and placing clear messages and visible Call To Action. Make your message clear to help users make their customer journey simpler, faster, better.
AI-powered tools are what can truly save you both time and money, not to mention the energy when working on optimizing your affiliate campaigns. Rule-Based Optimization, Traffic source notifications, Conversion capping, and Budget capping are some commonly used tools.

COVID-19 and its effects on affiliate marketing in 2021

COVID has prompted consumers to switch from in-store shopping to online shopping in one stroke resulting in 22% more buyers.
Pandemic has had a positive impact on affiliate marketing, and specific niches are flourishing over others. Niches like the online gaming industry, online gambling, and sports betting area at the top of the game.
More marketers are turning to affiliate marketing because of its Work-from-home setting.
Online events like Black Friday sales that witnessed $9 billion in sales revenue in America will be incorporated in affiliate marketing in 2021.
Affiliate marketing related to health and sanitization products will thrive for obvious reasons.

The Bottomline

Content rules! An affiliate marketer will benefit from native adverts over flashy-ads, and blog content that promotes brands will attract more traffic. With more people hooked on videos to know more about the products and services before purchasing, affiliate marketers will focus on this trend this year. All in all, consumers are looking for engaging content, attractive campaigns, and the latest trends, and leading to an affiliate marketing boom.

WeLoveAdz lets you customize your marketing plan around target goals and bonuses for the success of your business.