Over the past five years, spending on Affiliate Marketing in the US has increased by more than 65%. In the year 2017, companies spent 5.4 billion on affiliate marketing. This year the number is expected to reach at least 8.2 billion.

Curiosity about the advantages of affiliate marketing has grown even more. Search volume for affiliate-marketing-related keywords rose by 300% during the same time.

The growing popularity is a sign that marketers expect benefits from affiliate marketing. And with good reason. Read on to better understand how to maximize those advantages in increasingly competitive markets. Spoiler: Snatch competitor's affiliates.