Q: Is affiliate marketing still profitable?

A: Affiliate marketing started back in 1994 when CDNow launched the first affiliate program, and ever since people have been wondering if they can still make money with it. The answer is and always has been yes.

The picture with this article is me at my first affiliate marketing job, which I started back in 1997. Prospective affiliates I pitched then were unsure and people new to the industry are still skeptical.

James Marciano, who founded Refer-It (my next affiliate marketing job), the first affiliate program directory back in the ’90s, said it best when he dubbed affiliate marketing a “recession-proof marketing channel.”

“When the economy tanks, the CEO cuts the marketing budget first. The sales budget doesn’t get cut. With these programs, you’re out there already making money for nothing,” continued Marciano.

We saw this play out when the dot com bubble burst, as well as in 2008 when the economy was in bad shape. Through it all affiliate marketing has persevered.

And you know how there are always articles around Christmas-time how the latest year had the highest sales in the history of E-commerce? Well, as E-Commerce grows, so does affiliate marketing and the opportunities around it. Virtually every big brand has an affiliate program, and they are commonplace with small and medium-sized businesses, too.

So, yes, it’s still profitable, but not for everybody. Lots of people want to be affiliates and they are lazy about it and don’t add any value to a transaction. Strive to provide a solution or solve a problem as an affiliate and keep at it and you can make money.

This was a conference session titled 7 Building Blocks of Affiliate Program’s Success at Affiliate Summit East 2017, which took place July 30 – August 1, 2017, at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.

Session speaker(s):

• Geno Prussakov, CEO, AM Navigator LLC

Session description:
Thriving affiliate programs are run by managers who devote their time to 7 specific things. Come to this session to discover what these are, and how you can improve your own approach. Q&As at the end.

Experience Level: Intermediate
Target Audience: Merchant/Advertiser
Niche/Vertical: Affiliate Management

Slides: 7 Building Blocks of Affiliate Program’s Success

If you liked this video, be sure to register for the next Affiliate Summit.

Note: the companies and positions listed above were current as of the time of the conference. Some of this information may have changed since then.

This was a conference session titled How to Find New Business Opportunities as an Affiliate at Affiliate Summit East 2017, which took place July 30 – August 1, 2017, at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.

Session speaker:

• Teodora Dobjanschi, Affiliate Network Manager, Avangate | 2CHECKOUT

Session description:

Learn how to position your business to a new vendor, how to select new vendors to work with, how to find them, and what to look for to build a successful relationship with them.

• Experience Level: Intermediate
• Target Audience: Affiliate/Publisher
• Niche/Vertical: New Business

Slides: How to Find New Business Opportunities as an Affiliate

If you liked this video, be sure to register for the next Affiliate Summit.

Note: the companies and positions listed above were current as of the time of the conference. Some of this information may have changed since then.

This was a conference session titled Africa – the Next Affiliate Marketing Frontier at Affiliate Summit East 2016, which took place July 31st through August 2nd, 2016 at the New York Marriott Marquis.

Session speakers:

• Jonathan Miller, Forge Media

Session description:
With 600 million connected consumers, Africa is fast becoming a hotbed for online and mobile engagement, innovation, and services. Learn how to dominate this new market though affiliate marketing.

Experience Level: Intermediate
Target Audience: Affiliate/Publisher, Merchant/Advertiser, Network
Niche/Vertical: Africa

Slides: Africa – the Next Affiliate Marketing Frontier

If you liked this video, be sure to register for the next Affiliate Summit.

Note: the companies and positions listed above were current as of the time of the conference. Some of this information may have changed since then.

JB Glossinger, Founder of MorningCoach.com, will be a keynote speaker at Affiliate Summit East 2017 on Tuesday, August 1, 2017 at the New York Marriott Marquis.

JB Glossinger, MBA, Ph.D., is a self-described “archaeologist of life,” who has studied human potential, performance, and happiness for over 30 years. He is widely beloved as the Morning Coach, with a daily podcast that has been downloaded 22 million times over the past ten years. He has published 4 books including the best selling: The Sacred 6: The Simple Step-by-Step Process for Focusing Your Attention & Recovering Your Dreams.

A sought-after motivational speaker and coach with an international following, JB is also a radio show host The Lifestyle Entrepreneur: Unconventional Thoughts on Business and Success on Hay House radio, and a syndicated columnist for The Business Journals, a 43-paper network. He holds advanced degrees in business and metaphysics but credits his street education—from black eyes to near bankruptcy—with providing the life-changing lessons that inspired the keys to personal transformation he shares with audiences, coaching clients, and readers worldwide.