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Is Affiliate Marketing Dead? Or Is It One Of The Best Opportunities Around?

So you can’t help but get this question off of your mind: Is affiliate marketing dead?

This might be one of the most popular questions when it comes to affiliate marketing.

That’s why I decided to create this post for you.

I’m sure you’re anxious to find out more about the current affiliate marketing situation.

So let’s jump right into the juice details.

Note: Feel free to use the Table of Contents to jump to a specific section of the post.

Is Affiliate Marketing Dead? Here’s What You Need To Know About This Popular Question

So allow me to perfectly answer this question before we get to the good stuff:

Affiliate marketing as a whole, is certainly NOT dead.

However, there are going to be some aspects of it that certainly do not work anymore.

Be sure to keep reading on as I talk more about those topics at the end of this blog post.

Until then, let’s talk about a few reasons why affiliate marketing is such a great opportunity.

Reasons Why Affiliate Marketing Is Not Dead

Now, I understand that anyone can give an opinion when it comes to affiliate marketing.

After all, that’s what most people do on the internet.

So here are some of the biggest reasons why affiliate marketing is certainly not dead.

Starting with one of the most obvious reasons (for me at least).

I Am A Professional Affiliate Marketer

I always giggle when I see that video above (talk about a blast from the past)!

If you look at the screenshot of the Youtube video that I added above, you’ll notice:

• A video review that I did (it was for a Clickbank product).
• That video was created back on December 5, 2012 (I outlined the date in red).

I bring up this point because I’ve been doing affiliate marketing since back in 2012.

I still do affiliate marketing now.

Ironically enough, my affiliate marketing results have significantly improved over the years.

However, it wasn’t exactly smooth sailing in the beginning despite a few nice wins that I had.

• I never had a “best way” to begin.
• I also had a tough time initially making affiliate sales.

Anyways, it’s always weird when affiliates blatantly state one of the two phrases:

• Affiliate marketing is dead!
• Affiliate marketing doesn’t work!

Especially for the fact that I make a full-time income from affiliate marketing by itself.

I could probably just end this article from that point all by itself.

Yet I’m sure you’d like more details when it comes to the power of affiliate marketing.

Let’s continue with another big reason why affiliate marketing is not dead.

Online Businesses Need More Leads And Sales

Here’s something that a lot of people fail to realize about affiliate marketing:

• Online businesses need leads.
• Online businesses also need sales.

It’s hard for most online businesses to survive without getting a flow of leads and sales.

That’s why affiliate marketing is so important:

• It allows you to deliver traffic, leads, and sales for other (online) businesses.
• In the process, you get rewarded handsomely for it.

Have businesses suddenly stopped needing a combination of leads and sales?

Don’t think so.

Most new products or services usually come along with some type of affiliate program.

I added a screenshot of the Clickbank homepage above to give you an idea of the numbers:

• Marketers have been promoting Clickbank products for over 20 years.
• In the process, they have earned more than $4.2 billion in commissions.

Yes, you certainly read that correctly.

$4.2 billion in commissions have been generated in the last 20 years just from Clickbank.

Related: Clickbank vs WarriorPlus matchup.

Plus, have you seen the number of niches and products that Clickbank offers?

Just in case you haven’t seen it before, I’ll add a screenshot down below for reference:

Remember how I said that (online) businesses need both leads and sales?

Here’s a quick list of a few niches that also need leads and sales to grow:

• Fiction.
• Games.
• Green living.
• Parenting and families.
• Spirituality, new age, and alternative beliefs.

And you still have all of your big three niches as well (but those are obvious).

Just so you know, the big 3 comes down to health, wealth, and relationships.

It’s pretty crazy just how many products that Clickbank can help you promote.

Heck, there are even strategies for effectively picking your Clickbank nickname.

And Clickbank is just one affiliate vendor that you can take advantage of.

There are also more websites with affiliate programs and products such as:

• JVZoo (see templates for requesting affiliate permission).
• WarriorPlus.

And there are plenty more platforms, but those are great for the MMO niche.

Then there are standalone systems and offers such as PWA that you can promote.

They come with the ability to generate multiple streams of income all at once.

You can learn more about Partner With Anthony in the related article below.

Related Article: Review of Partner With Anthony.

Nevertheless, that’s enough about Clickbank and its products for now.

Here’s some more irrefutable proof when it comes to the growth of this topic.

Affiliate Marketing Keeps Consistently Growing In Popularity

The Google Trends graph is an example of how affiliate marketing started years ago.

Here are some of the facts that we conclude from that specific graph:

• There haven’t been any massive drops.
• It started slow and steady and then quickly became more popular.
• Affiliate marketing has NEVER been dead (otherwise it would be a flatline).

Note: When I say massive drops, I’m referring to reaching close to the bottom.

This goes in line with what I previously stated when we first began the article:

The truth is that affiliate marketing is currently more than alive and has never been in a better position.

I don’t know about you, but I certainly love the current state of affiliate marketing.

However, just when you thought everything was going to be fine and dandy?

I’ve got a curveball coming your way.

Reasons Why Parts Of Affiliate Marketing Might Be Dead

So before we continue, I want to make this very clear again (as I’ve stated before):

Affiliate marketing as a whole is certainly NOT dead.

However, there are aspects related to affiliate marketing that certainly do not work.

Or in other words, these are some of the reasons why people fail at affiliate marketing.

You certainly don’t want to miss these.

So let’s get started with the first affiliate marketing topic that I’d like to talk about.

Spamming Affiliate Links (Big No No)

This is one of the biggest mistakes that new affiliate marketers make.

• They find a hot affiliate offer.
• They get access to their newly acquired link.
• Then ponder how to quickly make money online and get their affiliate links out there.

And do you wanna know what the first thought is that usually comes to mind?

Spamming the hell out of their affiliate link.

I see this all the time on my YouTube channel and even on social media outlets.

Heck, it gets even worse.

I’ve even had quite a few people signup for my email list only for one simple reason:

• Reply to my first follow-up email.
• Randomly spam their affiliate link and nothing else.

Yes, I certainly need help generating my first $100 from some random spammer.

Helpful Note: The above statement was sarcasm 😉

And people wonder why the affiliate marketing industry gets a bad rep.

This is also a big reason why companies have dedicated affiliate managers.

• Not only to help others make more sales and affiliate commissions.
• But also to weed out many people who plan on using best practices for promotion.

So at the end of the day?

Spamming your affiliate links all day long is certainly a dying breed.

Yeah, you might even be able to make a few commissions in the process too.

However, spamming affiliate links is simply not:

• It’s certainly not sustainable.
• It’s not welcomed, wanted, or warranted.
• And companies will give you the boot when they see that happening.

Let’s take another look at why most people fail when it comes to affiliate marketing.

Affiliate Marketing Laziness (Another Big No No)

Unfortunately, people tend to forget that affiliate marketing comes with work.

There are two types of work and I recommend using both of them:

• Hard work like creating YouTube videos, blog posts, courses, etc.
• Smart work like creating systems, outsourcing work, running paid ads, etc.

So here is the fact of the matter when it comes to affiliate marketing.

This is a very important topic too.

When people come into affiliate marketing, they usually have only one of the following:

1. Time.
2. Money.

So what does that mean for you in terms of affiliate marketing?

• If you have time but not a lot of money?
• Then you’re going to need to put in the work to get started.

Then, on the other hand, we have the flip-flop version which isn’t as popular:

• If you have money but not a lot of time?
• Then you can rely mostly on systems and outsourcing to get started.

If you have both then you can give yourself a high-five because you’re a rare breed.

Helpful Note: I started on unemployment so I only had time.

Either way, taking action is a necessity when it comes to seeing affiliate marketing success.

Too many people have unrealistic expectations when it comes to affiliate marketing:

• Affiliate marketing is not a get rich quick scheme.
• If you want to get paid, you’re going to have to do what it takes.

So those are the two big no-nos when it comes to affiliate marketing in general.

Let’s move to the conclusion now where I can give you some helpful advice.

Is Affiliate Marketing Dead? Summary Conclusion

So here are some of the big reasons why affiliate marketing is still thriving:

• I do it full-time (how can something be dead when people are doing it).
• Every business needs an abundance of new leads and sales.
• Affiliate marketing keeps growing in terms of overall popularity.

Don’t forget about the increase in affiliate marketing programs as well.

You can even add the increase in affiliate marketing spending to the list as well.

So if any affiliate marketer wants to boldly make a claim and state:

Affiliate marketing is dead!

You now have quite a few reasons to hopefully point them in the right direction.

Even better, you can just share this blog post with them.

So you might be wondering what it takes to become a successful affiliate.

Allow me to leave you with a few tips that you can run with before we wrap things up.

Successful Affiliate Tip #1: Find A Specific Traffic Source

Affiliate marketers have a wide variety of traffic sources that they can choose from.

This is a good thing!

So I recommend focusing on only one traffic source if you’re just getting started.

Here are a few hot and proven traffic sources:

• You can become a blogger and leverage the search engines for traffic.
• Create a YouTube channel for video content and become a video blogger.
• You can leverage email marketing by creating a list of targeted subscribers.

And don’t forget about all of the popular social media outlets that you can pick from.

Whether it be Facebook, Instagram, or even TikTok if that’s your thing.

The fact of the matter is that you need to take advantage of a traffic source that you like.

If you’re not good at it yet, you can always learn more and improve in the process.

Helpful Note: I sucked at everything when I first started my affiliate business.

So don’t worry about it, just get started as quickly as you can.

Successful Affiliate Tip #2: Focus On Finding A High-Converting Offer

Beginning affiliate marketers often fail to realize just how important an offer is.

I remember when I first started looking for affiliate products to promote.

Back at the time, I came across a bodybuilding book that I absolutely loved.

• It was nicely written.
• It was simple to follow.
• And it also helped me get great results (fitness-wise).

But here is one thing that took me so long to finally figure out:

It had one of the absolute worst sales pages and it just never seemed to convert.

I probably promoted that specific offer for a few months, too.

And what did I end up getting out of it?

One or maybe two affiliate commissions after everything was said and done.

As an affiliate, there’s much more to just looking for great affiliate programs.

You also need to look for high-converting offers as it will make your life so much easier.

I also added a picture of the Shopify affiliate program homepage above you.

Simply for the fact that it’s both a popular and proven offer (it sells itself).

So there you have it.

I don’t want to keep carrying on with the tips as I’ll have plenty more in other articles.

Either way, I hope that this helped you get a good idea of the affiliate marketing status.

Thanks for taking the time to read this post, and feel free to leave a comment down below.