Affiliate Marketing 2020: Expert Advice on Surviving COVID-19

Coronavirus is reshaping consumer behavior and shaking up industries across the globe. Governments and private sectors both have joined forces to fight against the spread of this virus.

One question rises among the community of marketers and that is, where is affiliate marketing going in all this?

Well, if you have been following any marketing podcasts and debates, you would have an idea that opinions across the affiliate marketing industry are mixed.

However, we can tell you for sure that there are industries, and products that are still profitable, and can be sold in these times. So let’s go through some facts before we jump into what has been working in affiliate marketing during the COVID-19.

Where are we Standing Right Now?

While we can not predict when this dark period will go away, we can still see a window of opportunity in this situation.

So here is what we know so far about the impact of the current crisis on Affiliate Marketing.

Supply Chains Disrupted

China, where the virus originated, is the hub of global supplies. A large number of citizens were quarantined which resulted in a large number of industries not producing as much as they used because the lockdown led to either partial or full shutdown of manufacturing units across the country. This has created a situation where the entire world is impacted one way or another in terms of supply and demand of routine-life products.

The boom in E-Commerce is the Future

You might have heard that Amazon plans to hire 100K additional workers to clear the orders they received during this COVID period. This gives a strong signal that people are ordering more through online stores and avoiding local shopping.

As this behavior has been around for some months now, this is going to shape the habits of people and push them towards online purchases even after this crisis is over. Many predict to see massive spikes in eCommerce and online shopping.

What Covid-19 Means for Affiliate Marketers?

The digital space for affiliates also got affected. Here is what we can see right now:

Ad Approvals are inconsistent These days ads are not performing as they normally do and it could be due to coronavirus. Ads are getting approved/reviewed late, Ad Support teams are working from home, so efficiency issues are currently a challenge.

Drop in Organic Traffic: Many blogs are facing a significant drop in organic traffic through search engines. So you should be prepared for it too, and build according to the trends. It also helps to find some more traffic sources if facing this issue.

Changes in Search Trends: Buying trends are changing. Household supplies such as grocery and medical items are seeing an extreme spike in demand. So you can materialize this opportunity as well if you are not already into it.

COVID’s Impact on Affiliate Marketing Campaigns

Products in various industries got a hit, as we all know. Many industries faced a drop in revenues and up to a 50% decrease in sales. Over half the online affiliate marketers reported a drop in their ROAS. This is what we know so far about the profitable niches in Affiliate Marketing during these crazy times.

1: Private Communication Products: You must have heard that Zoom’s revenue broke all the quarterly and yearly records of theirs. Zoom is not alone in this. There are many private communication audio/video mobile and desktop apps that are trending in many countries. Communication apps are a hot product.

2: Survival Kits: Heard about the toilet paper spike? That was just the beginning. Also, Forbes has also reported about the rise in demand for health-related products. Those who are into the business of survival kits have reported the high demand for emergency kits, preservable food items, etc. The demand is still there, the chance still exists for everyone to enter into this type of niche.

3: Equipment Needed for #WFH: Since Work From Home is the new normal, many people have to design a corner in their homes for meetings and noise-free discussions. This has led many to buy certain products in order to be able to be more comfortable working at home. People are buying lamps, keyboards, office chairs, standees, tripods, etc to design their work stations at home.

4: Gaming Products: Many people staying at home are trying out new digital products. Apart from Ebooks, games got the attention of new consumers. The gaming industry saw a sudden rise in its overall revenues. This is the reason you see many offers related to gaming, live streams, TV streams, etc. A great time to cash in on this industry.

Affiliate Marketing Tips during COVID-19

1. Use Google’s Keyword Trends for Shopping to track what is being searched the most in your region.
2. Online courses, Healthcare and Private Meeting Apps are the products and industries currently growing, try to get into these areas.
3. Check how your competitors are responding to this situation, what alternative products they have chosen.
4. Most consumers are saving money, they are only buying products that are offering good discounts, so try to get into such products that have some attractive discounts on them.

Hoping to see your growth out of these tips. Feel free to share your thoughts, do join our Facebook Group if you haven’t joined already. Be a part of a growth-oriented community.