Saying 2022 was a year of upheaval and emotional turmoil would be an understatement. Affiliate marketers from across the globe had to apply all their knowledge and wit to at least maintain conversion rates on the same notch throughout the month, let alone crawl a tad higher.
Alas, 2023 will not be easier to handle. Still, here we are, appearing on your screen with a manual of sorts, helping you navigate the thorny marketing strategies of this happy new year. Let us save you the trouble and introduce you to the brand-new forecast we've drawn up.
What's Trending, Huh?
We have already stated that stability is not an option, but when it comes to marketing, it never, really, has been an option in the first place. If you glance at the Hubspot report that accumulated data of 1200 marketing specialists from every corner of the world, you will undoubtedly find out that 78% of those specialists sustain a simple idea: over the last 3 years, marketing has changed more than in the previous 50 years.
Impressive, huh? Let us shock you a great deal more. In 2020, the most successful way to promote products and services was short videos posted on any available social media platform: YouTube, FB, Instagram, TikTok, you name it. At the beginning of 2022, marketing specialists surreptitiously palpated the ground for SEO materials and concluded they worked just as effectively.
That's where 2023 may not strike you hard: these two channels, so much loved by affiliate marketers, will remain on trend. If you aren't a big fan of either of the options, there's still a wide range for you to choose from. Look at the leveraging channels on the chart below and pick the one to your liking.
Streamin' & Chill
Another cornerstone of 2022 is streaming traffic. As you may have noticed, over the last 5 years, people have been actively purchasing things online: it's quicker, easier, and sometimes, even cheaper. Now, all the more confident users made one step further and started buying products live, solely relying on the streamer's influence. This approach to selling opens new horizons and instigates creativity: on the one hand, streaming platforms are a real nugget as you can pique people's curiosity in a span of fifteen seconds, but on the other hand, you should put a lot of time and effort into the strategy and realization.
In a nutshell, live streams are getting to the top. As Affiliate Insider claims, live streaming is a peculiar phenomenon, exerting its impact on other industries, with e-commerce integrating it with so much success that China and Japan no longer consider live shopping streams a source of entertainment. Come to think of it, many countries may follow suit and find a way to research potential purchases—by watching the same live streams.
So you can see why affiliate programs and advertisers are eager to work with streamers. In fact, this is a form of interaction between an affiliate and their target audience, which grows popular alongside podcasts and interviews. Webs tend to buy ads from vloggers in different GEOs, often focusing on Nutra and gambling. What does the revenue depend on, you may ask. Here's the answer: The higher the influencer's standing in the community, the more money the affiliate gets.
Modeling Subscriptions
The fall of 2022 heralded a new era for creators—or it at least could.
In October, Meta rolled out their Professional Mode, which is supposed to give creators more options and opportunities for analytics and monetization. Another Internet mogul, current Twitter CEO Elon Musk, has also voiced a similar proposition, explaining that the users subscribed to Twitter Blue will be awarded a blue verification badge. This decision helped Musk divide the audience into two groups: those who use the platform for free and those who are ready to pay for functions. Whether the idea proves fruitful is not for us to judge; however, Musk has groped for the right tools to manage content, target audience, and, subsequently, revenue.
However, 2023 has already asserted itself, but the sweeping changes are still waiting around the corner—if not farther. But the crux of the matter exposes the core of the recent tendency: content-makers and creators are encouraged to work with social media platforms, and this alone confirms the idea of new subscription models.
Gaming Updated
Interactive elements are the new sexy. Well... they have been the new sexy since several years ago but they're still working without a hitch, drawing the audience's attention and increasing conversion rates. Here we traditionally offer a few examples for you to examine the option.
First, the so-called Wheel of Fortune on landing pages, where users can win a discount coupon. Then, even more variations of calculators, quizzes, games, polls, and other things can bludgeon a user to interact—not because they need this discount, but because they are tempted to, they are curious to press that button. If there's a rule, it's a simple one: the more peculiar the interactive element, the more the user is involved.
2023 will carry on the tradition of helping betting and gambling niches evolve even faster. Usually, a brief A/B testing session is enough to see whether the chosen format works with the target audience.
What else is popular? Obviously, augmented or virtual reality, which represents a new era of marketing and digital advertising. However, not all webs understand how to use such VR elements in their campaigns, nor can they solidly conclude if this approach pays off.
Trending Ads
As we've previously stated, short videos remain an absolute leader among other formats, especially on social networks.
The trick is that an average buyer with a clip mindset immediately reacts to a short video promoting a product. Such edits sell things quickly and entice the user to buy subsequent or related products. It works the following way: a user purchases an iPhone, and you stimulate them to obtain a pair of AirPods, a case, and several subscriptions to brighten the experience. Or this is how you encourage a gambler to make their first deposit: show them the loyalty program and gently haul them through the levels, pushing them to deposit bigger amounts.
Everything seems clear with short videos: you can choose whichever option you like, from individual commercials and pre-rolls to rewarded videos. Influencer marketing, on the other hand, only appears to be a great idea: in reality, we don't know much about it, so many affiliates are still reluctant to try it.
Be not afraid, as the Bible puts it. The devoted target audience that trusts the vlogger can show extraordinary and quick results: this audience consists of real people ready to check the offer out of sheer respect for the streamer, following the piece of advice they have just heard from their favorite content-maker. Who wouldn't want to get their numbers going up? Clearly, we all dream of high conversion rates.
Still, put aside influencer marketing for a while! You'll get back to it later. For now, turn to SEO, another marketing trend that may bring you long-awaited prosperity.
If you are familiar with the sphere, you are probably aware that the trend began to gain momentum in 2022 as a traffic diversifying option. Why does it work the way it works? Well, it's organic. This is what we're all looking for: it attracts an audience regardless of targeting and promotion strategies.
Working Plans in 2023
So, my fellow affiliate marketer, what do you have to do to succeed in 2023? First and foremost, learn what diversification is, so, in case everything falls apart (it won't happen as you're highly skilled and motivated, but we have to consider risks), you will be saved by an angel of diversification. Putting your eggs in one basket may be a good approach for many industries, but affiliate marketing is not one of them.
What else? New GEOs and promotion formats, which, of course, should be tested before implementation in all countries of choice. More often than not, some promotion strategies flop in one GEO, but it doesn't necessarily mean they are destined to fail: other customers in other locations may vehemently react to your offers. For example, in 2022, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and several Asian countries were leaders in gambling and Nutra niches, but by the end of the year... Ireland took the lead.
Oh, by the way, news and analytics: sometimes affiliates overlook their newsfeed, not really understanding that this is an apt way to avoid losses and additional expenses. Fall of stocks, federal funds rate changes, inflation, gambling bans, and other caveats covered by affiliate marketing media will help you create the right impression about the niches with great ROI or lack of revenue whatsoever.
Conclusion
The boat of marketing plows through the storm of 2022 directly into the eye of a hurricane forecast for 2023. It's hard to harness the wind, but now you have the arsenal to push things along: you know how to watch the trends, analyze them, apply them to the affiliate program settings, and test more sources. You're prepared for a bumpy ride! Geronimo!
