Planning for Success: It’s All About Seasonality for Affiliates
Whether it’s Christmas, Kwanzaa, or good old Chinese New Year’s, everyone loves a holiday. But, to the seasoned affiliate, these celebrations represent more than an avalanche of gifts and finger-
Seasonality is one of the biggest factors you should take into consideration, regardless of the
In this article, I’ll define seasonality and tell you why you should always keep an eye on this phenomenon to build a winning campaign.
Defining Seasonality
Simply put, seasonality is the term used to describe periods of the year in which some products are popular and others aren’t. For example, swimming trunks and sunglasses are popular products during summer, whereas raincoats and jackets are considered winter goodies.
While it may seem simple, this concept covers the four seasons (spring, summer, autumn and winter) as well as all the different holidays. And, as you probably know already, all markets and GEOs have different holidays, so the possibilities are almost endless.
Unfortunately, a lot of beginner marketers overlook the power of seasonality, so they are not successful in their endeavors. And it’s no surprise, especially if you’re trying to sell ice fishing equipment in the middle of summer!
Does Seasonality Affect All Verticals the Same?
It’s worth noting that seasonality only affects some verticals. The list of industries that are not affected by the different seasons includes, but it’s not limited to:
- Gaming
- Finance
- Sweepstakes
- Gambling
- Apps
- Dating
At the same time, some verticals are influenced heavily by the different seasons, for instance:
- Nutra
- Health and wellness
- Travel
- eCommerce
- Entertainment
- Candy
Read also: Affiliate Marketing 101: The Easiest Verticals to Start With
Seasonality and GEOs
Besides holidays and seasons, you also need to pay attention to the GEOs you work with. In the US, the traditional holiday season is between November and January, while Europeans take most of their vacations between July and August when the weather is at its best.
This doesn’t mean you can only promote certain offers during these two seasons. You also have to pay attention to long-term celebrations like Ramadan, Pride Week, or Easter, and take advantage of those as well.
Countries in the southern hemisphere, like Brazil and Australia, have different seasonal cycles. The coldest months are between June and August, while December, January, and February are the hottest times of the year.
Therefore, you’ll have to take on offers and adjust your creatives to stay relevant.
Identifying and Understanding Seasonal Trends
Identifying seasonal patterns goes beyond looking at a calendar. You have to ensure the product you’re promoting is actually getting searches when you decide to launch your campaign.
Enter Google Trends.
This great tool allows you to see how popular your product is based on location, search volume, and time of the year. You can easily see the search patterns for the keywords you want to use and determine if it’s the best time to set up your campaign or if you need to find a new plan.
Additionally, you should also learn to read the patterns and adjust to them. For instance, if you want to promote portable ACs, you may have a hard time getting conversions during winter. But, you can always look for portable heaters, electric blankets, and similar products during the colder months instead.
Ensuring the Season and the Offer You Choose Both Work Together
Even though the time of year is very important, it’s not the only element you need to keep in mind. To increase your chances of success, you should also ensure that the offer you’re promoting is trending.
Google Trends is still the best tool to test how trendy your product is. There are different approaches you can take, but you should try a healthy combination to help find the best offers. You need to verify that the product or offer is trending based on:
- Location: Besides country, you can also look at popularity by city or subregion.
- Time of the Year: You can look at search popularity for the past years, months, weeks, days, or even hours, depending on how accurate you want to be.
- Category: There are dozens of categories and subcategories available, so browse through them and see which one is more relevant to your offer.
- Search Type: Don’t focus solely on web search, but also pay attention to image, news, and other types of searches.
- Related Topics: Surprisingly enough, the related topics may help you identify potential alternatives and keywords that help you determine whether the offer is worth taking.
Examples of Seasonal Offers and Campaigns
Keep in mind that some industries can have different offers that work for both summer and winter. Here are some examples:
Nutra
Nutraceuticals are a great example because the vertical includes some offers that are suitable for cold months and others that are ideal for warmer periods.
| Fall/Winter | Spring/Summer |
| Vitamins Antioxidants Immunity boosters | Detox products Beauty supplements Weight loss products |
Ecommerce
Ecommerce includes a huge variety of subcategories that can be divided into:
| Winter | Summer |
| Self-heating clothes Hoodies, pajamas, and warm comfy clothes Ice melt and holiday decoration | Bug repellent Swimwear Liquid lawns and gardening equipment |
Travel
Although it’s seasonal, affiliates working with travel offers need to be extra careful. Depending on the region, the best times for travel campaigns may be inverted.
In Brazil, Australia, and other parts of the southern hemisphere, winter is the best time for traveling. In England, mainland Europe, and the rest of the north, summer is the go-to season.
Learn More About Seasonal Campaigns By Staying Tuned!
The concept of seasonality is easy to understand, but you’ll have to hone your skills over time in order to truly master this effective technique. The tips above should help you understand the different seasons and give you an idea of the adjustments you need to make in order to be successful.
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