Introduction

As we enter 2023, 2022 was an intense year of adapting to change and learning within the affiliate marketing sector, which leads us to investigate top trends in affiliate marketing for 2023. 2022 was a tough year for brands and advertisers who had to align their marketing efforts to new consumer shopping habits. So, it’s not surprising that advertisers have shifted their spending from brand awareness to performance strategies in order to generate sales and boost ROAS. 

That being said, advertisers are increasing the demand for affiliate marketing offers as a solution to get cost-effective results and maximize business growth. In addition, another important recent transformation is that macro-influencers are not the focus of influencer marketing anymore. Instead, micro-influencers and content creators are now preferred in digital marketing. These new players within the digital landscape allow us to build more authentic relationships with consumers and offer high levels of brand transparency and trust. 

Equally, more and more brands are creating employee branding opportunities to transform the members of their companies into brand ambassadors. This is a great option to create word-of-mouth awareness, encourage brand loyalty and transparency, and improve the brand image amongst employees.

So, how to succeed in affiliate marketing, promoting and maximizing your best affiliate offers in 2023? Which verticals will continue to generate revenues, what trends can be expected in the sector and what is the future of affiliate marketing? Read on to find out our top trends in affiliate marketing for 2023.

Social Media traffic type

Social Media remains the most used traffic source in the world: Over 4.62 billion people use social media globally, for at least 2.5 hours a day. Also, according to Smart Insights, 424 million new users have gone online for the first time within the last 12 months, which means that the potential audience is very fresh and ready to engage! so it is extremely important to include affiliate marketing on social media even though Instagram is still the leading social platform with more than 1.44 billion active users per month, TikTok is home to a large number of creators and it’s expected to exceed Facebook and Instagram by 2024.

Brands are moving towards the use of content creators for TikTok and Instagram as part of their affiliate marketing social media strategy because they offer short and simple videos with relevant content tailored to their audience. Everyone values short video content and it’s a fact that video improves sales conversion rates while generating better customer review satisfaction. 

Live stream shopping feature

Live stream shopping is an innovative way to shop for products in real-time through an interactive and personal experience. This form of online shopping is growing fast, worldwide, and it is predicted that it will account for 10% to 20% of all eCommerce by 2026, according to Shopify. Live shopping is entertaining and people love the way of navigating through their favourite eCommerce platforms to find out about new product experiences.

Live social shopping is certainly popular in the following verticals: Fashion, Health, Beauty, Fitness, and home decoration. This shopping method is continually evolving and provides huge benefits: improves brand awareness, increases sales and conversion rates, builds a strong connection between the brand and consumer and boosts brand loyalty. 

Streaming events: movies and sports

In the last few years, new ways of entertainment have emerged and recently evolved due to the pandemic and its effects. Therefore, the use of entertainment itself has shifted according to the new needs and habits of consumers. Nowadays, people are more likely to watch a football match or other sports events on TV, or online, instead of attending a real match. So much so that it is estimated that the global live-streaming market will reach more than $247 billion by 2027, according to the Influencer Marketing Hub. Moreover, users can find on the internet thousands of streaming websites to watch movies and series at any time and using any device.

The sports and movie industries will continue to grow as well as other types of entertainment, like gaming. For good or for bad, the entertainment model has transformed according to the new digital era, adapting to the new consumer lifestyle. 

Here at TORO Advertising, we embrace the streaming trend and our team has developed powerful tools for optimal traffic monetization. Our advanced Smartlinks use a machine-learning algorithm which ensures the maximum profit for each GEO with the most profitable EPC. 

Community brand strategy is key

According to the 2022 Community Industry Trends Report, 88% of community professionals believe that community is critical to the company’s mission, with 83% of consumers reporting that word of mouth has a huge influence on their purchasing decisions. So, Community is key and it will continue to be an important factor for any brand over the next few years. For consumers, Content Creators are the leaders of any industry, so it’s certainly easy to believe everything they recommend. A good community brand strategy is crucial for any organization as it makes consumers connect, rate, discuss and review content where other competitors’ products are compared. 

As an advertiser, it’s important to build a brand community strategy in order to have a presence on websites related to each sector. These can be blog sites, thematic communities, forums, comparison sites, review sites, etc. Therefore, both advertisers and consumers can connect within an authentic relationship. 

The future of SEO 

Google doesn’t give us a break, does it? This tech giant is constantly updating its algorithm to make users’ lives easier, seeking to deliver the most comfortable search capabilities to ensure the best user experience. In fact, the last Google’s Bert algorithm update helps search for a better understanding of the nuance and context of words in searches and better match those queries with helpful results. So, the strategy of keyword stuffing is no longer acceptable for SEO optimization as it will lower your search ranking. 

SEO helps brands rank at the top of the search results, improving visibility and increasing brand awareness. However, to make this happen, companies and organizations have to implement strategies following Google’s recommendations and best practices. 

Here are some of the SEO best practices for 2023:

• Be authentic and relevant for your audience
• Focus on qualified content
• Create rich content for snippets
• Use a long-tail keyword strategy 
• Prioritize responsive and mobile-friendly websites
• Analysis is imperative 

Most profitable affiliate marketing niches for 2023

What are the most profitable affiliate marketing niches ahead of 2023? Here are a few for you to consider adding to your affiliate marketing campaigns:

• Fashion
• Movies
• Sports
• Health & Beauty
• Dating
• Technology
• Fintech
• Entertainment 
• Travel

TORO is here to help!

Team TORO is always here to help you with your affiliate campaigns. With our expert industry knowledge, we can help you take your marketing to the next level in 2023. So please feel free to contact us at social@toroadvertising.com