With the pandemic raging in full force, businesses have come to realize that they have to adjust and work around the new normal. The older tricks of the trade have faded out and new ways to capture the interest of the audience; have to be worked upon. Businesses have now started investing more in Analytics, AI, et al, not only to survive but also to thrive.

This is happening because the expectations of the audience, platforms, technologies all have undergone a major change and it’s imperative to stay in the loop if businesses wish to sustain even in these challenging times.

Here we will be sharing some trends which you can opt to enhance your Digital Marketing initiatives:

1. Want better results? Then focus on Agile Marketing- Marketing and service communications are two areas that have undergone a major transformation, especially post COVID-19. Businesses should be prepared to handle these situations and for that, they should use agile methods. One should be focused on the best of the breed approach in the selection of the marketing method one should opt for, i.e. one which lends flexibility, individuality, and personalization. One should have a forward-based approach that focuses on the development of one’s inherent capabilities which ensures timely results and reduction in un-called for complexities and complications.

2. Optimized Testing- Though many companies used to prefer a 360-degree comprehensive interaction with their consumers, not only is this time and money consuming, but might also result in getting not-so-clear responses. This can also result in delaying the digital marketing initiative. One should opt for measures that will yield desirable results in a short span of time. This is where technology comes in, with various testing tools like Multivariate testing, Split or A/B testing, where you can get nearly accurate if not absolute results. These methods don’t require huge data to process information and give indicative genuine responses, what one is looking for.

3. Focus on interactive email marketing- Engaging the audience with enhanced interactive tools and techniques is still not prevalent practice, across businesses worldwide. Due to the pandemic, ways of interacting with the audience have to undergo a major transformation. It is important to use attention-grabbing techniques to attain higher conversion rates, for instance, surveys, forms in emails, live videos, in-shopping videos, etc. to capture the interest of your audience. But at the same time, businesses should understand the viability of these techniques. As there are a lot of technical possibilities, but they won’t work out the same way for every client and customer. Therefore, only after proper assessment, should one decide which form of interactive marketing to go ahead with.

4. Voice Search- The global market for smart speakers is on the rise, with China being a dominant market player of the same and the USA gaining momentum. We can expect this trend of voice search to surge in the near future and honestly with the rise in the use of smart communication devices like Alexa, Cortana, and Siri, the trend is for everyone to capture. It will be beneficial for businesses to understand and move in that direction but at the same time be aware of the challenges associated with it. These can be showing up with accurate search results, not intruding on the privacy of the people, etc. Depending upon your requirements you should show up in relevant search queries if operating a local business or display your SEO content in the most useful and productive way for the audience.

These are just some of the suggestions to get you started on revamping your digital marketing strategy for the upcoming year. The point to capture here is that trends come and go, but the key here is to understand what is that your customers are looking for and whether you are able to deliver that. These trends can definitely come in handy while trying to capture and/or create an audience for your business. So we suggest you, be prepared and go out with renewed optimism to beat the pandemic blues and focus on being the best in your field.

Affiliate marketing has been in trend for the last few years with the boom seen in the E-commerce sector and many bloggers have made a fortune for themselves by cleverly following the market trends and making the use of that information to market certain goods and earning good commission on that. Prior to starting off, it is important for one to understand the niche they wish to operate in, setting up a dedicated website for the same, as well as choosing their affiliate programs. Depending on the type of program one chooses to go ahead with, will decide the level of conversions and the resultant sales, therefore, this decision is of Prime importance.

By choosing a good affiliate program, you can effectively monetize your blog and gain handsome income. As well as, with the right affiliate, you can partnerships and run a great business too.

What is affiliate marketing?

Affiliate marketing is a type of program which is based on revenue sharing. In here an individual promotes products via an affiliate network and earns commission based on sales generated from their website. This can happen by writing full length reviews of the products, placing links into your content, et al.

Affiliate marketing is a valuable proposition, especially in today’s times because of the following reasons:

• No product support is needed
• Low cost of startup
• Work as per your own schedule

Some Tips While Choosing Affiliate Marketing Programs

1. Define your niche- This should be the point of start for anyone, because finding products that are important for your blog will ultimately generate revenue for you. It is good to explore new product areas, especially if they are untapped areas of opportunity and/or they are new to you. You can and should be creative as well as innovative when it comes to affiliate marketing, as this is vital in capturing the interest of your audience. The best part here is that you needn’t limit yourself to the said area of operation but can diversify into its related ancillaries, for instance if you write about food and recipes, then you can foray into promoting recipe books, ready to eat food kits, etc
2. Opt for higher priced products- Although there is a general preference to promote goods on the lower end of the spectrum, because many bloggers and marketers feel that it will not yield the desired results and are harder to promote. It is simple mathematics; the cheaper the product higher the number of units to be sold and vice-versa. If you are convinced of the prowess and usability of your product and believe that it can be of use to the people, then we would suggest you opting for a product belonging to the higher end. Most of the affiliate marketers tend to promote products covering all the demands of the audience, i.e. both expensive and cheaper products, this is to ensure a wider range of appeal. Offering a wide range of products and services will offer greater opportunities to earn money.
3. Up-selling- This is another way via which the marketers tend to increase their profit. In here, once when the customers is done with purchasing the initial product, then they are offered a variety of other product packages, which are available only at the time of purchase. This helps the marketer to earn higher, if the user opts for it. For instance, if a person clicks on to buy a new washing machine, then there can be a special deal to buy a washing machine cover, laundry detergent etc. In case a person goes ahead to buy this, then you can earn higher commission on these extra products.
4. Product Quality- The product you are selling should be of high quality because what you are promoting influences your reputation in the market. Happy customers will always form the backbone of your business and ensure the success of the same, and that can happen if the products are of good quality. If the product has a higher return rate, then that signifies the poor quality of your marketed product(s) as well as, creates a trust deficit between you and your consumers. Promoting good quality products will not only boost your reputation but also increase your earnings, in the long run.

 It is of prime importance, to be convinced of the product that you intend to sell but to earn well and carry your reputation it is important to be passionate about what you are doing, as well as, be convinced about the product’s utility and productivity. At the end of the day, loving what you do is all that matters, and trust us; this is what will reflect in your relationship with the clients, thus ensuring long-term success for you.