How to protect your digital marketing business in times of COVID-19?
What impact can Corona have on your affiliate marketing business?
Coronavirus has disrupted every industry. The digital marketing and affiliate marketing industry hasn’t been left untouched by this pandemic either. If you have a successful website, you might notice the drop in traffic and conversions. In these times, it is essential to modify your strategy so that you can maintain your income and, with little effort, grow it as well.
You might be thinking, but what should you be promoting in such times?
Before we go into that, let us look at the impact of coronavirus on affiliate marketing businesses.
What impact can Corona have on your affiliate marketing business?
The effect of coronavirus on the affiliate marketing business is pretty stark. The effects include:
- Low traffic:
Across the world, digital marketers, Webmasters, as well as affiliate marketers, are reporting low traffic. Even though people are housed, but they are not searching for things that are luxury in nature and which are not necessary. That is why, if you operate in any such niche, you will experience low traffic.
The hardest-hit sectors are luxury goods, travel, automobiles, and so on. People are not committing to any financial liability. That is why; sectors like real estate are also hit.
Also, the slowdown in spending due to coronavirus has a lethal effect on other sectors as well. That is why; the overall consumer spending is on the lower side. When consumers do not have any intent to buy, the search count of various keywords is on the lower side as well. As a result, the traffic online is reduced considerably in most of the niches.
- Less conversions:
Even if you’re getting traffic, the conversion rate has fallen drastically. It is because people do not have the confidence as to whether they can spend the money they have. Due to this reason, the conversion rate is on the lower side. The lower conversion rates mean that paid advertising campaigns are no longer profitable. Even if you rely on social media traffic or search engines, the conversion rate is on the lower side. It is another side effect of the coronavirus.
- Supply chain disruptions:
The main disruption, however, is due to the supply chain being deteriorated. Chinese factories produce most of the goods sold these days globally. It is because they have economies of scale. China is the epicenter of coronavirus had to close most of its manufacturing facilities. As a result, the products are simply not available.
The supply chain disruptions mean that you do not have a choice even if your website is getting traffic or if you can run campaigns profitable. Chances are, sooner than later, the products which you are promoting (assuming that they are physical products) would go out of stock. You cannot earn commissions.
Sites like Amazon are also cutting down on inventory of non-essential products. It is because; they need to prioritize the delivery and storage of essential items. Thus, the entire supply chain has been disrupted.
These three are the main side effects of the coronavirus. However, all is not lost.
You have a few opportunities in these dark times as well. If you know what you should promote, you can easily make a good deal of money during these times as well. We will give you some such ideas below.
What should you promote instead?
You need to stick to the essentials when you’re looking for products to promote in these dark times. We will highlight some such products below.
- Face masks:
The most apparent product which you need to promote during such times is the face masks. Due to the threat of coronavirus propagating and entering the respiratory system, the demand for face masks is through the roof. You can promote facemasks. Amazon has quite a few such masks which you can promote. Some examples include:
• Aooba 3 Pcs Fashion Protective Face Masks
• FOLE Disposable Face Mask
The best thing about such facemasks is that they are the need of the hour. That is why, if you’re promoting such facemasks, you will not have to put in a lot of effort into promoting them. It is easier to get a high conversion rate, as well. If you’re looking for a new product to promote, these should be on top of your list.
- Survival kits:
Many cities, as well as states all over the world, have been locked down for quite some time. During this lockdown, it is difficult to get essential supplies. You do not even know whether you can rely on utilities during this time or not. That is why; many consumers are looking for survival kits that can help them during such a situation.
The survival kits consist of a lot of equipment like:
• Food supplies
• Water supplies
• Multipurpose tools
• Emergency power sources
• Communication sources
• Water purification tablets
• Protective gear
• And so on
There are specific survival kits designed for pandemics as well. You can promote these as well. When promoting these, you are helping consumers find a solution to the lockdowns. That is why; it is a great product to promote.
Some of the examples of such pandemic survival kits include:
• Ready America 70280 Emergency Kit
• Complete Earthquake Bag
• ER Emergency Ready SK1BG 1-Person Basic Bagged Survival Kit
These are some examples of kits that you can promote. The survival kits consist of all the essentials, including tools, food, and water supplies as well. So, these are beneficial not just for you to promote but also for the consumers to buy. It is a win-win situation for both.
- Household essentials:
Chances are, if the lockdown lasts longer, the essential household items will be out of stock. So, there is no other option but to procure them in advance. That is precisely what most consumers are doing.
They are stocking up household items with longer shelf life. It can be anything from soaps, shampoos to ready to cook meals. That is why, as an affiliate marketer, it is a better idea to promote these as well.
Once again, when you’re promoting these products, the amount of effort put into the promotion will be on the lower side. It will be easy for you to gain conversions. You can easily promote various products from Amazon or Walmart when you’re searching for such products.
- Disinfectants & Sanitizers:
Coronavirus cannot thrive when it comes in contact with most of the alcohol-based disinfectants. Thus, people need to sanitize their homes and various surfaces to keep the virus at bay. Some of the disinfectants which you can promote are:
• Barbicide Disinfectant 64oz Conc
• Australian Gold PH Neutral Disinfectant Cleaner
Another product that can help consumers tackle coronavirus is hand sanitizers. It is recommended that you sanitize your hands after coming in contact with any foreign object. That is why; they are in high demand as well. You can promote hand sanitizers as well to gain higher conversions.
- Work from home software:
Most companies have instructed their employees to work from home. Also, governments and authorities all over the world are asking companies to provide work from home opportunities to their employees and staff as well. As a result, the software which aids employees to work from home while keeping productivity levels constant, are certainly in high demand as well. You can think about promoting that software as well. There are quite a few of them like:
• WebEx
• GoToMeeting
• Zoom Meetings
Video conferencing, as well as video meetings, have become a need of the hour for small and large businesses. Many large companies might already have an inbuilt solution in their portals, but the same is not the case for small businesses.
Small businesses are looking for suitable solutions to stay in touch with their employees and clients. It is one of the primary reasons that you can think about promoting the software as well.
- Online money making opportunities:
What is the main side effect of lower consumer spending?
Yes, you guessed it right!
The loss of jobs. It is what is happening as well. As stores and businesses downed shutters, lots of people have lost their jobs as well. They need to find methods to make money right from their homes. That is why the number of people searching for online money-making opportunities is going to rise in the coming few months. Many people would be looking to supplement their job income as well. That is why you can certainly think of promoting online money-making opportunities.
You can think about promoting recurring programs as well. These recurring programs can help you make money every month. You can search for legit money making opportunities across various verticals like:
• Forex
• Affiliate marketing
• Social media consultation
• And so on
There are quite a few such legit opportunities available as well. As long as you’re promoting a legit opportunity, you can make a considerable amount of money.
It is not as if there are no opportunities to make money online due to coronavirus. You need to focus on the right niches and products. Once you focus on these niches, it will be easier for you to make a handsome amount of money even during such tough times.
The effect of coronavirus on digital marketing and affiliate marketing cannot be denied. However, if you’re nimble enough and if you change your business model pretty soon, you can easily make money. Our guide above can certainly help you with the same. Instead of waiting for the regular consumer spending to recover, you can promote the products which are in need now. It will help you earn money during these tough times as well.