https://zeropark.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/04/Z_Blog_cover_affiliate-marketing-future-in-2022_2022_03_29_B.png 859 601Alistair BishopAlistair Bishophttps://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/a01a882411cec2f2826fdb95dfffd384?s=96&d=mm&r=g
The last few years have been difficult for many of us but the future of affiliate marketing is looking bright in 2022. Along with the obvious difficulties that arrived with living in a global pandemic came new changes to the way we live and work, which have led more people to work in the affiliate marketing industry.
This means that you can’t take what you already know about affiliate marketing for granted, and you need to keep up with the affiliate marketing trends, or you might get left behind.
Read on to find out exactly what the future of affiliate marketing holds for you and your affiliate marketing campaigns in 2022.
Table of Contents hide
1. Affiliate marketing budgets are growing
1.1. What do bigger budgets mean for affiliate marketers?
2. Which affiliate tools do people actually need in 2022?
3. Where do people learn about affiliate marketing?
3.1. Micro-influencers, influencers but on a smaller scale
3.2. Don’t forget about Gen Z
4. Affiliate marketing top verticals to watch for in 2022
5. Cryptocurrencies aren’t going anywhere in affiliate marketing
6. Automation and AI will retransform affiliate marketing
7. Data will drive brands and affiliate marketers
8. Ad formats like pop ads are still successful for affiliates
9. Push ads perform on mobile devices
10. What’s the future?
10.1. What does this mean for your campaigns in 2022?
11. Conclusions
Affiliate marketing budgets are growing
One of the top affiliate marketing trends we can see this year is growth. Affiliate marketing in 2022 means bigger budgets and bigger campaigns. Statista also shows that in 2022 the US affiliate marketing industry will be worth 8.2 billion, which is an increase of more than 10% compared to 2021. In fact, 80% of businesses in the US use affiliate marketing in some form in their marketing strategy.
It has also been noticed within Zeropark that the average spend per top-up is increasing compared to the last few years. So, it appears that affiliate marketing budgets are growing.
It might be a good idea to increase your top-up and test if higher bids lead to higher conversion rates for your campaigns this year.
What do bigger budgets mean for affiliate marketers?
Well, larger budgets mean larger opportunities, of course. This means more affiliate publishers, more affiliates, more revenue, more affiliate marketing agencies, and more affiliate marketing in general. Yes, that’s a lot of affiliate marketing. As a result, it will also likely mean that there will be a new affiliate marketing program or two coming to your affiliate networks soon.
What’s more, is that Zeropark has a feature that helps affiliate marketers to keep their campaigns running smoothly without worrying that their whole budget will be spent in five minutes. The aptly named Smooth spending feature allows you to spread the budget evenly throughout the day.
And why does this help your affiliate marketing efforts? Well, it prevents your campaigns from traffic spikes and slows down campaign budget burndown. This means you are protected and can leave your campaigns to run with peace of mind.
Which affiliate tools do people actually need in 2022?
We are often asked by affiliate marketers, “Which tools do you really need to be successful in affiliate marketing?”. And the answer is simple, you only need a few tools in your armory to keep the money rolling in.
The first tool we recommend to any affiliate to make sure they have is an affiliate ad tracker, without it you are blindly searching for why your campaigns are losing money, or more importantly where you are making money.
If you learn what works well for your particular affiliate niche then you might have a winning formula that you can repeat, or even automate to bring you further successful campaigns. But again, you are unlikely to know why your affiliate marketing campaigns are doing well without the insights available from an affiliate ad tracker like Voluum, Red Track, or BeMob.
In addition to a tracker, it is generally recommended that you research whether you would benefit from using a lander builder, a spy tool to take a peek at other landing pages, web hosting for your landers, creative tools for improving ad copy and creatives, and potentially some plugins for your browser.
Ultimately, you will need to make up your own mind on what is necessary for your affiliate business as every affiliate marketer is different.
For more offers on affiliate marketing tools be sure to check out the Deals tab once you have topped up your account.
Where do people learn about affiliate marketing?
We all heard about affiliate marketing from different places; some from a business conference, some from friends, some from an affiliate website, some from those loud guys on YouTube bragging about how much they made this month, and some from the Zeropark blog, of course.
Wherever you first learn about affiliate marketing, there is always more to learn and plenty of places to get information about the topic. But there are also a lot of new terms that you need to get your head around when you are just starting out. For example, you need to know the difference between an affiliate program and an affiliate network.
Our top recommendations for where to learn about the affiliate marketing world are as follows:
- Free and paid online courses (like Voluum Academy)
- Advice from experts (the super affiliates)
- Social media and influencer marketing
- The affiliate marketing forums (STM, affLIFT, and others like Iamaffiliate)
- From good old trial and error on your own campaigns
- Or even an affiliate marketing blog like Zeropark’s
Micro-influencers, influencers but on a smaller scale
Micro influencers might be a new term for you but they have been growing in number in the last couple of years at least according to HubSpot. These mini influencers are spending their free time on their digital marketing side hustle and succeeding on a small scale. They don’t need millions of followers to get the attention of small businesses these days.
These micro marketers need is a few thousand users and they’ll be able to grow their online business deals through affiliate marketing of a few niche products or services. The small-scale affiliate partners use quality content to help to convince their audience to make purchases online through successful video marketing.
Smaller brands are also dipping their toes into the affiliate marketing world with these small influencers. If they are successful this may lead to more affiliate programs from small businesses being added to your favorite affiliate network soon.
Don’t forget about Gen Z
With the rise of TikTok and Instagram growing in popularity, social media has given a platform to many creators to build an audience within their niche and ultimately make money if their following is large enough. This also allows creators the possibility to promote affiliate products to their fans and has led to growth in the affiliate marketing industry.
In fact, Hootsuite suggests that 16-24-year-olds (who are considered as part of Gen Z) use social media more than search engines, not only in general but when researching potential purchases too. This means that these micro-influencers have a huge market to take advantage of and their small scale means they are perceived as more trustworthy.
This trust is the key to their success which will help them to grow into full-sized influencers in the future. This is why you should focus on keeping your ads to be as appealing and trustworthy as possible as it leads to a higher conversion rate. And everyone wants more actual sales.
So, make sure your stats are from reputable sources, your copy has been spell-checked and you have images of people using your affiliate product or services and maybe even throw in a testimonial or review.
All of these things add to the credibility of your affiliate ads.
Affiliate marketing top verticals to watch for in 2022
One of the most frequently asked questions in the affiliate industry is “What’s working in affiliate marketing?” It’s asked by newbie and seasoned affiliates marketers and answered frequently by super-affiliates or experts.
So, we thought we would help you out and give you a definitive list of niches that are working for Zeropark affiliates in 2022. Be on the lookout for the right affiliate marketing for your target audience from these niches.
The top five verticals to watch in 2022:
1. Crypto
2. E-commerce
3. Downloads (Antivirus included)
4. Lead generation (Surveys and sweeps included)
5. Gambling
If you want to learn more about the best affiliate marketing niches in 2022 then be sure to check out this article.
Cryptocurrencies aren’t going anywhere in affiliate marketing
As we mentioned above, crypto offers have been growing in popularity in the affiliate marketing industry in recent years and there’s still time to get in on the action. That’s why it’s next on the list of affiliate marketing trends for you to review.
The rise of NFTs in the last year has meant that cryptocurrencies have hardly been out of the news and with all that awareness about the topic, it’s been easier to promote. No doubt by now, you will have googled and found out that an NFT, is a Non-fungible token. They are linked so often to the cryptocurrency markets as they have the same technology behind them, a blockchain that is.
Well, you don’t need to know everything about whether Dogecoin will drop in price next week or whether Ethereum will be more expensive to be able to promote the latest crypto offers though.
Crypto advertisers simply need to provide access to the market for new customers and need to follow the trends to see which cryptocurrency is trending on Twitter or via google trends and create ads mentioning it. It couldn’t be simpler really. And there are plenty of crypto affiliate marketing programs to choose from.
Just make sure you follow the guidelines set out for financial advice in the GEO you are targeting for your campaigns.
If you are looking for more advice on how to take on the crypto markets and win then check out this affiliate marketing guide to the crypto vertical.
Automation and AI will retransform affiliate marketing
The adoption of artificial intelligence and automation in businesses has led to great leaps forward in innovation. And what’s more, is that it saves people like you countless hours of sorting through data. While it’s been thought of as a useful addition for many businesses it’s now on the list of affiliate marketing trends in 2022.
One way that you can do just this is by using the rule-based optimization (RBO) feature while setting up your affiliate campaigns in Zeropark.
Once you set up a few rules you will be able to take control of your campaigns. As you can see in the example below you will be able to ensure your campaigns can bid up to gain more traffic when necessary for example. More importantly, you will be able to pause a failing campaign automatically, even when you are not at your computer.
This means you will be able to stop your campaigns from burning your budget and it’ll allow you to keep earning money while you sleep. This is just one way that Zeropark can help you scale your affiliate marketing business.
Data will drive brands and affiliate marketers
You read that right, the next affiliate marketing trend is all about data, and keeping an eye on your data will keep your campaigns on track. After all, the numbers don’t lie.
The global big data market size is projected to grow from USD 229.4 billion by 2025 according to Forbes. This is as we see a growing number of businesses take control of their data and find new ways to use it to become more profitable and more efficient.
More data from Forbes suggests that those that invested in big data over the last decade have gained insights into areas of improvement for their business. In fact, in the last five years, more than 50% of leading companies have taken steps to establish a CDO function and appoint a Chief Data Officer within their organizations.
If it works for large organizations then it seems like it is something that the average affiliate marketer should be doing to make the most of their campaigns too. So, it’s time to make data a core part of your affiliate marketing strategies.
Whether this means you need to use your ad tracker more, or simply use the data given to you in the Zeropark dashboard more carefully, it means you need to make sure the numbers are on track if you are to see any positive results from your campaigns.
Even at Zeropark, we have been looking at data more carefully, we have published an insightful post about how our business analysis team has found exactly how frequency filtering affects campaign performance.
If you want to learn more about how to make the most of data for your Zeropark campaigns then read this article on 5 tips on how to read data.
Ad formats like pop ads are still successful for affiliates
This won’t come as a surprise to seasoned Zeropark partners, but the classic affiliate marketing ad formats are still making people money. So, this is less of an affiliate marketing trend, it’s rather a constant state within the affiliate world.
What are the classic affiliate marketing ad formats? Well, put simply these are the original and best ad formats used when affiliate marketing started back in the mid-nineties. And they have only gone from strength to strength since then. If you need reliable affiliate traffic for your website then look no further.
Take a look below and you’ll see exactly which advertising formats we are talking about.
- Pop ads
- Domain redirect ads
- Push and in-page push ads
- And the new kid on the block – Search Marketplace ads
You will see all of these ad formats available in Zeropark today, click on the image below to get started with a demo and start your first campaign now.
Push ads perform on mobile devices
As we have already said, push ads are here to stay and there has been a noticeable increase in both supply and demand for this ad format, on mobile in particular.
Mobile device usage has been growing year-on-year since their invention and the days of the huge brick-sized phones but it appears there is still no slowing down. In fact, according to Statista in 2021, the number of unique mobile internet users stood at 4.32 billion, which is 55% of all internet devices. And although desktop devices were thriving during lockdowns put in place as a result of the pandemic, people are back on the move again. That means mobile campaigns are going to be back on top.
So, make sure you are testing to see if the affiliate marketing campaigns you run in your niche work better on desktop or mobile devices this year. You might be surprised by the results.
What’s the future?
The future looks bright for affiliate marketing this year, and for years to come. This is a result of many factors such as an eagerness to succeed from many affiliates, the pandemic, a new business environment, and new technology to help push businesses forward. And of course, many new affiliate marketing trends to take advantage of in the last year.
What does this mean for your campaigns in 2022?
It probably means that there will be a high amount of competition in the industry this year. One way to make sure you come out on top is by tracking your campaigns and optimizing them accordingly. Another way is by not being afraid to make mistakes, as that’s when you learn the most in this industry.
Conclusions
It seems that we can predict some aspects of the future of affiliate marketing by reviewing what has worked in the past. Some affiliate marketing trends will fade but as you can see the traditional ad formats such as push, pop, and domain redirect continue to work well for affiliate marketers in 2022.
But what’s interesting is the growth of search as a source of revenue for affiliate marketers. With more brands looking to increase their brand awareness to new audiences, Zeropark Search Marketplace might be the tool to help you do just that.
Get started with a demo from Zeropark!
FAQs
Is affiliate marketing still viable in 2022? ›
Combined with your PR and social media marketing strategies, affiliate marketing is just what you need to put a successful campaign together. Let's look at how affiliate marketing works and the five reasons why it's still a good way to grow your biz in 2022.
What is the growth of affiliate marketing in 2022? ›Statista reports that the projected expenditure for affiliate marketing in the United States alone was expected to reach $8.2 billion in 2022, up from $7.4 billion in 2021.
Is there a future for affiliate marketing? ›Affiliate marketing has become an increasingly important part of the digital marketing landscape in recent years. According to a study by Rakuten Marketing, affiliate marketing spend in the US alone is projected to reach $8.2 billion by 2022.
Does affiliate marketing still work in 2023? ›Yes, affiliate marketing is still profitable even in 2023. To earn a profit through affiliate marketing, you will need products that your audience is willing to buy, quality content that ranks on search engines, and an engaged audience.
Why affiliate marketing is booming in 2023? ›With 2023 being more about digital advertising and social marketing, companies will strategically place their trust in nano and micro-influencers. These small-scale online influencers have much more potential to reach niche users, who could eventually become loyal customers of the brand.
How to make money with affiliate marketing in 2023? ›- Show your product expertise with blog posts.
- Join the Printful affiliate program.
- Use TikTok to create a bigger audience.
- Create an Instagram affiliate storefront.
- Use Facebook ads for a more targeted audience.
- Build trust by disclosing affiliate relationships.
Affiliate marketing has a market value of over $17 billion as of 2023. It is estimated that affiliate marketing spending in 2023 will be around $13 billion. 16% of online orders in the United States come through affiliate marketing. Affiliate marketing is used by 83% of marketers to raise brand recognition.
What is the best course to learn affiliate marketing 2022 2023? ›| Course | Workload |
|---|---|
| 1. The Ultimate Affiliate Marketing Course For Beginners 2022 (Udemy) | 11 hours |
| 2. How To Make Money With Affiliate Marketing (Miles Beckler) | 7 hours |
| 3. Affiliate Marketing Tutorials (Ahrefs) | 1-2 hours |
| 4. Affiliate Marketing Mastery (Matt Diggity) | 9 hours |
According to a recent eMarketer report, affiliate marketing spending in the United States alone is projected to reach above $8.2 billion by 2023.
What is affiliate marketing in 2023? ›Affiliate marketing is a process where publishers earn a commission by promoting a product or service made by another retailer or advertiser using an affiliate link. The affiliate partner is rewarded a payout for providing a specific result to the retailer or advertiser.
How many people quit affiliate marketing? ›
The allure of affiliate marketing is undeniable; who wouldn't want to make money while asleep simply by recommending products to others? While this is obviously said tongue in cheek, it's also important to note that as many as 95% of those starting out in this industry fail.
How powerful is affiliate marketing? ›Affiliate Marketing Is the Most Successful Channel for 20% of Brand Marketers. Affiliate marketing is the most important customer acquisition channel for 20% of brand marketers. 54% rank it among their top three channels. This is more than organic/paid search (16%) and display ads (15%).
Is Amazon affiliate marketing worth it in 2023? ›Yes, affiliate marketing is still profitable. If anything, there is more money to be made than ever, because spending has skyrocketed. Competition might have become a little stiffer, but as you will see in the rest of this article: it is certainly still worth it to start affiliate marketing in 2023.
What are the predictions for marketing 2023? ›In 2023, I expect a rise in brands looking to establish long-term partnerships with influencers and create content that aligns with their business objectives, values and audience. In today's crowded content landscape, brands can stand out by creating content that is authentic and memorable.
How to start affiliate marketing for beginners in 2023? ›- Find an affiliate program and a niche.
- Decide your traffic channels.
- Target the right keywords.
- Create killer content that builds trust.
- Promote hard and grow your audience.
- Engage with your audience.
- Scale it up.
There are three main types of affiliate marketing: unattached affiliate marketing, related affiliate marketing, and involved affiliate marketing.
How much can a beginner make in affiliate marketing? ›How Much Can Beginner Affiliate Marketers Make? Beginner affiliate marketers could make as little as $0 to as much as $1,000/month. While having a pre-existing audience will speed up your business's growth, total beginners might require some time to set everything up before making affiliate sales.
Is affiliate marketing a long-term career? ›It's also a long-term game. Knowing that the majority of people who engage in affiliate marketing never generate any sales is worth taking into account. But while profitability is a valid concern, it's also true that most affiliates who never make sales don't put in the effort that's required to be successful.
Can you make $10,000 a month with affiliate marketing? ›Making $10,000 per month through affiliate marketing is definitely achievable with the right approach and strategies. To make $10,000 per month, you will need to find high-paying affiliate programs with products or services that have a high demand in the market.
Which niche is best for affiliate marketing? ›- Technology – the top niche for affiliate marketing. People love using the latest apps and gadgets. ...
- Wealth Building – the most profitable niche for affiliate marketing. Everybody wants to be rich. ...
- Health and Fitness. ...
- Fashion and Beauty. ...
- Lifestyle. ...
- Hobby. ...
- Pet care. ...
- Travel.
What affiliate marketing makes the most money? ›
What are the highest paying affiliate programs? The highest paying affiliate programs are typically for software services or digital courses rather than physical products. For instance, brands like Fiverr and HubSpot pay up to $1,000 for a single sale, while BigCommerce and Shopify offer even higher payouts.
How fast is affiliate marketing growing? ›Based on Google Trends data, search interest in the query “affiliate marketing” has increased steadily over the past few years. Between 2015 and 2020, the search interest is up over 200%.
What is the average monthly income from affiliate marketing? ›Brand-new affiliates with decent website traffic can earn up to $1,000 per month, and super affiliates with a dedicated following can earn more than $100,000 per month!
Is affiliate marketing still a good way to make money? ›Is affiliate marketing still profitable? Affiliate marketing can still be extremely profitable. On average, publishers make around $52,000 annually from affiliate marketing, but there are many that make a lot more than this.
Is it hard to get started in affiliate marketing? ›Being an affiliate marketer requires skill, experience, and work. It is not a quick or easy road to success, but when done properly, it can generate impressive income. Here are some of the qualities you will need to be a successful affiliate marketer: An interest or expertise in a certain niche.
What is the best affiliate marketing platform in 2022? ›- eBay Partner Network.
- Atera Nexus Program.
- M4trix Network.
- CJ Affiliate.
- Affiliaxe.
- Algo Affiliates.
- ShareASale.
- Fiverr.
If you want to become successful as an affiliate marketer in one month, you should take online courses about affiliate marketing. There is no doubt, one can be successful easily with the help of a mentor, and without it, there is more possibility of wasting time than doing some productivity.
How long does it take to see results from affiliate marketing? ›Working with Affiliates to Promote Products or Services
You can generally expect to start seeing results six months to one year after you launch your program.
- Choose Affiliate Programs Wisely. ...
- Understand Your Audience. ...
- Be Trustworthy. ...
- Offer a Bonus. ...
- Create a Variety of Ads. ...
- Keep Your Ad Strategy Relevant. ...
- Create Great Content.
In 2023, major trends will likely center around influencers, chatbots and creative content that engages your audience. But no matter which strategies and platforms you use, the most important thing to keep in mind is how you will use them to enhance your brand's presence.
Which is the best affiliate program? ›
- Amazon Associates. It is the best affiliate marketing platform for beginners as you need not worry about reaching a certain amount of sales volume for earning a higher commission. ...
- Awin. ...
- Flipkart Affiliate. ...
- Reseller Club. ...
- BigRock Affiliate. ...
- ClickBank. ...
- Optimise. ...
- Cuelinks.
- Decide on a Niche. ...
- Select a Platform. ...
- Create a Website. ...
- Join an Affiliate Program. ...
- Write Excellent Content. ...
- Drive Traffic to Your Affiliate Website. ...
- Cloak Your Affiliate Links. ...
- Track Your Affiliate Campaigns.
Can You Lose Your Affiliate Status on Twitch if You Lose Followers? Yes, you can definitely lose your affiliate status on Twitch if enough people stop following. To maintain that lucrative position in the catalogs of channels they enjoy watching, affiliates need 500 average viewers per stream.
What is the average age of affiliate marketers? ›22. Most affiliate marketers are between 35 and 44 years old. The majority of affiliate marketers are within the age range of 35-44 (32%).
How long does it take to lose an affiliate? ›Rather, this element is designed to allow Twitch to terminate members of the Affiliate Program that walk-away from the program through a complete lack of participation for longer than 12 months.
Can you become a millionaire from affiliate marketing? ›What we mean by this is yes, affiliate marketing can make you rich, but it almost certainly won't happen overnight. Those known as 'super affiliates' often spend years crafting their process and getting to know their audience intimately to be able to earn themselves six-figure salaries from affiliate marketing.
Is it worth becoming an affiliate marketer? ›Yes, affiliate marketing is worth it. Affiliate marketing can be highly profitable for marketers who are able to build an audience and promote products that align with their interests. To be successful in affiliate marketing, it is important to choose a niche that you are genuinely interested in.
Can anyone be successful in affiliate marketing? ›Affiliate marketing can take time, but you'll grow faster by testing out different channels and identifying the best ways to connect with your audience. It also helps to have a large audience, so you'll grow faster in affiliate marketing if you also spend time growing your social media following.
How much do most Amazon affiliates make? ›Amazon affiliates get paid $100 to $20,000 in the Amazon affiliates program on average. The payments will depend on how many referrals you generate for Amazon. The Amazon affiliates program runs on a commission basis, which means you make a percentage of every sale you commission.
How many sales do you need to keep Amazon affiliate? ›Amazon requires its affiliates to make three sales within their first six months. Amazon associates must also strictly adhere to the company's guidelines on affiliate marketing, such as not using link shorteners or purchasing products using their own links.
How long does it take to become an Amazon affiliate? ›
Commission income are paid by direct deposit, Amazon.com Gift Certificate, or check approximately 60 days after the end of the month for which they are being paid.
What will marketing look like in 2025? ›By the year 2025, virtual reality will take the lead in marketing trends. Customers will enjoy the amazing emotional experience as they shop for product brands with colorful, engaging advertising. They will come back time and time again, increasing their loyalty to a product brand, possibly even more than chatbots.
What are the emerging media trends in 2023? ›Authentic, unpolished content and a concerted focus on personalized interactions are paramount to social media success in 2023. To prepare, marketing leaders need to expand their idea of who can contribute to this type of content.
Can I start affiliate marketing without money? ›The only way to start affiliate marketing with no money is to get an affiliate link and start sending it to people you know. While this is possible, it's not scalable and won't make you much money unless you're constantly networking.
Can I learn affiliate marketing myself? ›There are a number of ways to learn about affiliate marketing, including taking one of many online training courses. Experience is often the best teacher, and you can also learn about affiliate marketing by trying it out!
Which affiliate marketing is best in 2022? ›- GiddyUp.
- DFO Global.
- Amazon Associates.
- Widitrade.
- ClickBank.
- eBay Partner Network.
- Atera Nexus Program.
- M4trix Network.
- Choose a niche based on research. ...
- Choose the right platform. ...
- Pick profitable affiliate programs. ...
- Create optimized affiliate content. ...
- Drive traffic to your affiliate site. ...
- Build a simple affiliate marketing funnel. ...
- Track and increase your affiliate revenue.
The growth of e-commerce: E-commerce is on the rise, and this trend will likely continue in 2022. This is because e-commerce platforms allow you to sell products directly to consumers. As a result, affiliates can earn a lot of money by promoting these platforms to their followers.
What is better than affiliate marketing? ›In a dropshipping business, you will have a higher chance to attract customers and make them repurchase your products compared to affiliate marketing. It also allows you to sell various products worldwide, reaching a wider audience.
Who is the highest paid affiliate marketer? ›Who is the highest-paid affiliate marketer? Pat Flynn is one of the successful affiliates who earned over $3 million. Almost 80% of his income comes through affiliate marketing.
What is the state of affiliate marketing 2023? ›
Affiliate marketing has a market value of over $17 billion as of 2023. It is estimated that affiliate marketing spending in 2023 will be around $13 billion. 16% of online orders in the United States come through affiliate marketing. Affiliate marketing is used by 83% of marketers to raise brand recognition.
What is the most important thing in affiliate marketing? ›Own the relationship with your audience
The key to making money as an affiliate marketer is to have a loyal, engaged audience who care about what you have to say. That's hard to do if your content marketing campaigns are struggling to reach them.
Affiliate marketing can take time, but you'll grow faster by testing out different channels and identifying the best ways to connect with your audience. It also helps to have a large audience, so you'll grow faster in affiliate marketing if you also spend time growing your social media following.