There are many developments in the world of affiliate marketing from the past year and it helped lead the way for affiliate marketing success for many affiliate marketers out there. In this article, we’ll examine them much more closely, taking a look at how they actually affect business.

 1. Expanding Globally

Globalization is a truth that has merely been reinforced with the proliferation of the Internet. Even if a certain corporation is based in a market like the United States and other saturated areas, it can easily tap into quickly-developing regions like Southeast Asia, South America, and Eastern Europe.

Affiliate marketing professionals would do well to take note of rising economies and expand their operations there, by using contacts who are more well-versed in local economics and demographic information. That way, more in-depth information about affiliate programs can be determined, resulting in more targeted strategies. Standards of living are likely lower in these regions as well, leading to potentially greater rewards.

2. Location-based Marketing

Despite the saturation of traditional affiliate marketing in markets such as America, location-based marketing remains an untapped niche. People tend to be more connected with local, physical products rather than digital, mail-order goods, so taking advantage of people’s intimacy with local business is a great avenue in which to branch out.

Calling out excellent local establishments will be an effective tactic to endear one’s company to business owners as well as locals, especially within one’s own state or region. This is a market that hasn’t been fully leveraged, so carrying out a worthwhile plan will very probably succeed.

3. Rise in Mobile Use

This goes hand in hand with the previous item on location-based marketing. Built-in features in modern smartphones, such as GPS and near field communication, along with the storage of personal credentials in the phone, allows consumers to pay for goods using just their mobile, as well as track where they spent it as well.

Using the ubiquity of smartphones isn’t limited to local transactions either. Phones are now among the primary ways through which people use the Internet, so taking mobile browsing into account is key to any successful affiliate marketing strategy.

4. Social Media Marketing

Utilizing the opportunities made available by leading social media platforms (such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest) as well as relationship building with communities of a certain niche, one can plant the seeds of their affiliate marketing program easily by being subtle, engaging, and providing informative promotion.

5. Omni-channel Marketing

As the different marketing channels are created and sustained, maintaining a consistent message throughout all of them is paramount. Because people split their shopping time between avenues like mobile, social, browser-based, and physical, marketers need to straddle all of them as efficiently. While this may seem daunting, devising a one-size-fits-all approach may be the most streamlined way to go about it.

6. CPL Offers

Cost per lead, or CPL, offers, drive many affiliate transactions. Combining this technique, which consists of a process of registrations and discussions, with other methods will result in additional leads.

7. Affiliate Contests

By providing more impetus for affiliates to perform optimally, affiliate contests will also greatly aid in increasing the bottom line. A sense of healthy competition will also be fostered as the affiliates race for the prize, leading to more healthy returns.

8. Engagement

Interest is key to any enterprise, and regular engagement is an effective way to maintain interest. Engaging with affiliates is also a form of relationship building, and will make affiliates more invested in the program.

9. Dedicated Affiliate Managers

Affiliate Managers can be an effective buffer between merchants and affiliates themselves. The simultaneous authority and approachability of an affiliate manager makes them the ideal person to deal with new affiliates and those who need considerable guidance.

10. Affiliate Recruitment

Affiliate recruitment is the perfect partner to an omni-channel strategy. An active emphasis on accumulating affiliates through several platforms will more than likely boost the amount of excellent affiliates, which only spells good news for the entire program.

Keeping abreast of contemporary trends in any trade is a practice every professional should adhere to. An understanding of current affairs will ensure that one’s company is agile and is able to react accordingly to these changes, and affiliate marketing is no exception.

About Author:

Jack Rivera is a business writer and a marketing consultant for Xight Interactive. A proud father to two sons, He also loves playing Chess and Magic: The Gathering. You can also follow him on twitter: @jacksparrowXI