When most people think about the world of affiliate marketing, they assume that all of it happens in front of a conventional personal computer, whether that’s a desktop or a laptop. However, the world of technology has evolved considerably in the last several years with a bigger push toward smartphones and tablets. As a result, the push for mobile affiliate marketing has also continued to increase.
Google has begun placing a much greater emphasis on mobile this year, effectively rewarding websites that either have mobile-optimized or responsive web designs such that the user experience on a mobile device like a smartphone or tablet is the best it can be. Conversely, Google is effectively punishing websites where the mobile experience is not as friendly, intuitive or easy to use.
The recent shift at the world’s largest search engine, along with the continued trend globally toward increased mobile Internet usage among the populace at large, means that affiliate marketing professionals must be equally cognizant of the mobile experience and their marketing strategies need to reflect this change. This also means that advertisers and networks alike should be paying closer attention to affiliate programmes for mobile and offering these programs to affiliates.
Moving forward, the notion of mobile affiliate marketing must be considered from two key directions.
First, the existing set of conventional affiliate offers must be configured such that they are optimized for viewing and promotion on mobile devices. With so many people casually browsing the web and actively searching for products, services and information on the Internet, an incredible opportunity has availed itself for advertisers and affiliates alike.
Just as Google is heavily encouraging website owners to offer a mobile-optimized theme or, better still, a responsive web design to allow for the best mobile experience possible, Internet marketing professionals must be equally diligent in offering mobile-friendly affiliate programs. For example, WOW Trk currently has hundreds of mobile optimised affiliate programs in its offer directory. The ad creatives and other supporting assets need to be available in such a way that they can be best displayed on the smaller screens of today’s smartphones and tablets.
Second, a growing number of affiliate programmes for mobile devices and mobile users must be made available. In the context of more traditional affiliate marketing on the web, some offers may have converted when the user installed a piece of software or added a particular toolbar to his or her web browser. These kinds of offers were PC-focused, in this regard, because the assumption was that the user was already on a computer when he or she saw the banner or read the email.
This sort of assumption is not nearly as safe anymore, as so many people are spending so much more time online using their smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices. Offers that specifically target users on mobile devices can be incredibly lucrative and fruitful in this way and this is a growing demographic that simply cannot and should not be ignored. Mobile affiliate offers are a growing segment and it can only continue to get bigger.
Whether it’s on a new Samsung Galaxy device, a new iPad or any number of other mobile devices, traffic from smartphones and tablets is equally ripe for monetisation as traffic from regular desktop computers.
