GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 47 - July 2020

know we are all going through a rough time right now. I know I am. It’s hard to run a business and home school and man- age a team and be in social isolation all at the same time. For some, it has created a new opportunity that previously might have been overlooked or missed. For others it’s been a disaster — loss of business, loss of jobs and mental wellbeing all hanging precariously in the balance as the world fights its way through a pandemic of epic proportions. I’m kind of sick of discussing the impact of COVID right now, so I’m not going to be talking about it in this article. Instead I’m going to share some of the things I’m learning about af- filiate marketing. If you have met me, you’ll know I’m a one trick pony. I love, live and breathe affiliate strat- egy and I’m immersed in it every single day. I also have a passion for other digital marketing segments and geek out on things like in- bound marketing and fun- nels. I look outside of our industry a lot because that’s where I learn new things to apply to ours. Some things work well, others not so much. Every day I’m learning and that’s possibly the biggest thing I love about the industry we work in. I feel blessed to be here. I am thrilled to still be learning about all of it. Affiliate marketing is one of the toughest jobs in digital. It requires a unique set of skills that is a combination of a lot of different jobs. You need to be innovative to work in this space because it uses the principles of targeted media buying and combines it with planning, strategy, sales, account management, technology, data and relationship building. It has come a long way with increased regulation. We have de- fined a number of best practices to ensure fair and transparent data and customer tracking. It is also one of the fastest growing digital marketing channels that brands can use to expand their reach, build their reputation and engage new audiences —without ever having to pay a cent for that exposure upfront. THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT G P W A t i m e s . o r g 40