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Is affiliate marketing dead in 2017? (or can you still make it work?)

By BaukeV | Business

Jul 10

Affiliate marketing is sooo 2007, right?

I mean, back then you’d throw some ads up on Google Adwords,

keyword “how to lose weight fast”

and you could directly link to the sales page of any diet pill or weight loss eBook.

 

Easy money.

 

But that’s the thing with easy money, it comes and goes. Fast.

Now, affiliate marketing is dead. Profit margins are down the drain.

I get it, if you’re ready to give up.

 

So was I.

 

After spending thousands of dollars on wasted clicks.

Maybe getting a few sales here and there.

Maybe none at all.

“The traffic sources are too expensive”

“The offers don’t convert with my traffic”

“The affiliate networks are screwing me over and taking all the profits”

But, is that really what’s going on?

 

When I got into affiliate marketing, sure, I was in it for easy money.

But I learned, I evolved and I adapted.

And I discovered something.

 

The best affiliates, they don’t do the same as everybody else.

See, that’s the real issue with affiliate marketing nowadays.

Since those early days, everybody got smarter.

 

Google got smarter

(say goodbye to your Adwords account if you try to direct link an affiliate offer now!)

 

Consumers got smarter

(the sales page of the next “best ever diet pill in the world” is not so convincing anymore, after the last 999…)

 

Affiliates got smarter

(if something works for one, they all jump on it to copy it as soon as they can, dragging profit margins down the gutter)

 

But there’s a solution: you gotta be smarter.

See, the real problem with most affiliates is that they’re lazy.

So am I.

But, because affiliates are lazy, it’s actually pretty easy to beat them.

 

So, here’s what I discovered: you just gotta be slightly less lazy.

 

Instead of pushing scammy diet pills, without providing any value to the customer, by ripping off the latest rehashed fake-news landing page and pushing it on your 503rd Facebook account

 

Why not try a different way?

And by different, I mean better.

And by better I mean: provide value.

 

I know, shocking, isn’t it? In order to make money, you have to provide value?

You mean, like everybody else? Like, ugh, normal people? Like “those wage slaves”?

Providing value really doesn’t have to be “hard work” though…

 

The information is out there, just a Google search away.

Google it, read a few articles on a topic, and write your own little summary.

There, that’s a blog post.

 

Now you can drive traffic to it, on ANY traffic source.

Facebook loves it when you promote real content to your audience.

Clicks will be cheaper, especially if you’re able to come up with a semi-decent headline.

 

And your audience? They’ll come back for more, rather than get lost in an impossible-to-get-out-of sales funnel for “flat abs in just 5 minutes”.

 

How do we make affiliate sales then?

Alright, let me break it down for you, step-by-step

I guess that’s what you’re here for, the answer to the almighty question:

“But, how?!”

I got you covered

 

You make a simple, yet effective, relationship building funnel.

Send your visitors to a blog post, video, or other piece of valuable content, relevant to the offer you plan on promoting.

Get their attention, make them curious and interested.

Then offer more, in exchange for their email address.

 

Once you’ve got them on your list, you’re off Facebook, off Google, or any traffic source that will restrict what you can promote.

Now, you can sell them anything.

But, hold your horses!

 

I said “relationship building”, right?

So, no, do not start spamming them with the latest, greatest, even better than before, diet pill (this one works, I promise!).

Remember: Provide . Value

 

In your first few emails, connect with the person on the other side.

Show them you’re human, that you care about their problem and you’re there to help.

After that, I promise, the sale is easy.

 

Very easy.

 

Welcome to 2017, where affiliate marketing is a normal business, providing value to the customer.

About the Author

Bauke travels the world full-time as a Digital Nomad. He made this possible for himself by starting his own online business as an affiliate marketer in 2014. Since then he has helped others do the same with his mentoring program, as well as thorough reviews of internet marketing products.

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