#affiliate-marketing

#affiliate-marketing

Authorities in Europe and Israel have targeted companies and suspects behind fraudulent social media advertising campaigns as part of a crackdown on a massive cryptocurrency fraud and money laundering operation, which allegedly scammed thousands of victims with fake online investment schemes. Coordinated actions by law enforcement in Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, and Israel in November led to two arrests and other suspects questioned, Europol said Thursday.

People aren't finding products the way they used to. Tools like Google's AI Overviews and ChatGPT's new conversational shopping feature are compressing the traditional funnel. Instead of starting with a search and clicking through multiple sites, consumers are increasingly discovering and comparing products directly within AI platforms. Recent data shows nearly 60% of Google searches now end without a click - a trend that will only accelerate as AI takes a more active role in summarizing content and generating recommendations.

As OpenAI seeks more ways to make money, ChatGPT's potential as a shopping assistant is one promising idea: You tell the bot what you're thinking about buying, and it will help you make comparisons, sort prices and answer intricate product questions. With any luck, those answers might even be right. Crucially, the assumption is that many people will prefer to shop online this way rather than use their current methods,

Relying on one gig is like putting all your eggs in one very fragile basket. The most successful gig workers I know have multiple income streams flowing at once. Think about it this way: If you're driving for Uber, you're already in your car. Why not deliver food between rides? If you're freelance writing, why not offer social media management to the same clients? The key is finding gigs that complement each other instead of competing for your time.

Now, a new crop of storefronts want to make it easier to shop what we see on our favourite creators' feeds by positioning them as the curators of their own online stores. As the traditional wholesale model falters, it's shaping up to be the next creator economy battleground. In the last three months, ShopMy launched direct-to-consumer (DTC) creator storefronts on its platform, which currently provide affiliate links to creators to tag their recommendations.

Affiliate programs are often sold as "partnerships," but for most publishers, they function more like a long-shot gamble. You generate traffic, clicks, and conversions, and then wait to see if the brand's tracking system recognizes your contribution. Spoiler alert: it often doesn't. Ad blockers, private browsing, cookie restrictions, and platform bias all eat away at affiliate tracking. Even when a publisher does everything right - driving legitimate traffic to a partner brand - many clicks go unrecorded or uncredited.

For years, brands tried to split the difference by hiring a PR agency for visibility, an affiliate manager for commerce coverage and affiliate partnerships, and a media buyer for paid social scale. Seven years ago, I, in fact, was one of them as the former VP of Marketing and Founding Team at Ritual. On paper, it made sense. In practice, I found it created silos, competing agendas, and a lack of shared accountability and synergy across agencies and partners.

"Unlike transactional affiliate programs, Gap Inc.'s new social media advocacy platform is a centralized hub for creators to engage deeply across Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, and Athleta," Gap Inc. indicated. "Modeled to create community, it will offer [creators] early access to new releases, product seeding, and exclusive promos, as well as content collaboration opportunities and the ability for creators and their content to be amplified across paid, social, and brand-owned channels."

They're moving spend out of paid media that they would have previously done on linear TV, like big ad spots, and chopping that up and using it to bolster and support the creator economy,

Joining the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program grants access to resources for building solutions on its platforms, fostering opportunities for passive income streams.

B2B brands that invest in growth hacking strategies don't focus on wide-reaching influencers with millions of followers. They typically focus on micro-influencer campaigns since smaller influencers likely have a much more targeted audience base that is aligned with your industry.

The CoolCabanas beach shelters can be set up in under two minutes by one person and provide twice the shade of a standard beach umbrella.

InsideEVs may promote products or services they believe are valuable, and affiliate links are used to earn commissions at no extra cost to the consumer.

The best news is that it's easy to get paid for enjoying these hobby suggestions.

Creating and selling online courses can yield significant income, as exemplified by one creator earning over $2 million from an affiliate marketing course.

In product management, relationships matter. It’s about investing time and genuinely caring about your work, which ultimately drives product success.

Transform your shower into a spa-like experience with handmade aromatherapy steamers crafted from essential oils that help you relax and breathe.

Transform any room with realistic flameless candles. Luminara's patented flame-effect technology creates the most lifelike flicker, adding warmth and ambiance without the risk of open flames.

Social media has made it easier for creators to earn 'passive' income through affiliate marketing, a sector expected to grow significantly in the coming years.