Affiliate marketing has effectively been re-generated via the rapid rise of the voucher code websites, but does this spell danger for companies who might find themselves wrapped into a perpetual discount culture? And one which likens them to the ‘TV’ sofa companies who are constantly having sales?
Only a short while ago the affiliate marketing boys were king of the hill, but then their game was brought up short as the major search engines decreed that websites which just acted as honey pots for internet users who were then redirected to where the business was actually done, was an undesirable development.
The search engines got heavy and sent out the message that only those websites who actually traded, were to rewarded with higher rankings and sweet page ranks.
The web marketeers answer was the voucher code websites and these are nowadays generating huge amounts of business for their operators, some possibly at the expense of companies that don’t understand how the system truly works.
The trick is to offer content value and ensure that the deal both from the point of view of the voucher code website and the company behind the product, get a fair share of the margin.
And that means a great deal for both. But the company behind the product has to understand the new perimeters, and what it means for their margin. It is not just a case of discount and then more discount, but a question of pricing the product, or service, just right for all parties. And if everyone gets that right – all stand to make a great deal of money.
So, affiliate marketing is not dead, just reborn in a new and arguably better guise.