One of the key ingredients of successful affiliate marketers is their ability to recognize and quickly act on opportunities as they arise day in and day out. It doesn’t take long to notice there are some recurring events that happen every year that result in some of the biggest paydays for smart affiliates. Here is a list of annually occurring events to help you bring in spikes of cash from impulse buyers.

1. New Years – January 1

Every year people all over the world commit to personal self-improvement and self-development goals for them to embark on this year. This creates a gold mine of emotionally-driven purchase decisions that affiliates can capitalize on in a very short time frame. Some of the best offers to promote revolve around the health & relationship niches; particularly, weight loss, exercise, getting out of debt, quit drinking & smoking, education, etc.

2. Valentine’s Day – February 14

Whether you have a significant other or just hoping to hook up for a romantic night out; nothing brings out the credit card faster than buying gifts to show appreciation & impress the love of your life. Flowers, chocolates, restaurant gift cards & dining reservations are all hot offers for the first two weeks of February. You can even target the single men & women out there with dating sites and relationship advice offers.

3. Mother’s Day – Second Sunday in May

I love my mom, you love your mom, we all love our mom and want to show her that bringing us into the world was the greatest thing ever. No one wants to stiff their mom on Mother’s Day so get your offers ready for cards, flowers, brunch and spa treatments.

4. Father’s Day – Third Sunday in June

While there is less fanfare around Father’s Day there are still plenty of moms, daughters and sons buying gifts for this special day for dad. Skip trying to capitalize on the traditional tie and go for the gusto with offers focused on gadgets, games and sporting goods. Of course not every man wants “more stuff” so for the minimalists you can foray into beer clubs, golf packages or a day on the water.

5. Super Bowl Sunday – First Sunday in February

It is the most watched television event that happens every year and advertisers pay up to a million dollars per second of airtime to capture the hearts of football-loving Americans. This presents a huge opportunity for affiliates leading up to the event to include travel & merchandising offers. Once a Super Bowl Champion is crowned, it’s a good idea to turn up your merchant campaigns to capitalize on the inevitable impulse buys of fans who want to purchase new Super Bowl champs gear.

6. Black Friday / Cyber Monday – Follows Thanksgiving (Fourth Thursday in November)

The biggest online shopping day equals huge checks to publishers that know how to give holiday shoppers exactly what they are looking for; or at least able to convince them this is the best gift ever! In reality this opportunity extends beyond just the long Thanksgiving weekend all the way to December 20th when shipping deadlines for December 25th hit. Review past circulars to prep yourself early on what’s hot then pay attention as the current year circulars get leaked online at sites such as bfads.net.

7. Mardi Gras / Fat Tuesday – Between February 4 &March 10

Beads, booze and you know what take center stage when New Orleans throws the grandest party in the continental United States; however, it now takes place in every major metropolitan area which creates a huge opportunity for affiliates on top of their game. There are plenty of party tickets & VIP passes to capitalize on along with the insane number of beads sold every year for Mardi Gras. You might also explore promoting glow sticks, body paint and costume masks.

8. Independence Day – July 4 (U.S.)

Americans love national holidays, barbeques and big explosions so it is no wonder that these all come together to celebrate the independence of the United States every year. You would be hard pressed to find an American who doesn’t love a family & friends BBQ followed by spectacular fireworks displays all across the country from Boston Pops Fireworks to the San Diego Big Bay Boom. Although this holiday is exclusive to the U.S.; you can leverage any national independence day if you know the right offers to target for that country.

9. Easter – Between March 22 & April 25

Easter is another one of those golden opportunities during the year that you know people are spending extra cash on their family. It’s kind of like the first day of school with candy instead of school supplies; many families have a tradition of buying a new set of clothes for everyone to wear to the ceremonial church service. A few steady performers year after year include clothing, candy and toy offers. You might also tap into inspirational books, music and movies that appeal to Christians as a whole.

10. March Madness – Most of March

When the President of the United States participates in Bracketology you know it is time to jump on the NCAA basketball championship tournament bandwagon. The tournament takes place over three weeks and includes 68 college teams playing 67 games before crowning a national championship. That equals a ton of airline tickets, hotel bookings, game tickets and college fan gear galore. You can pick a few teams to focus on or run offers for all 68 teams; either way there is no lack of traffic for affiliates to arbitrage.

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