Dave Yovanno is a professional who has been offering strategic leadership to companies in the SaaS and MarTech spaces for nearly two decades at this point. He's personally helped a wide range of organizations grow through key phases of their fiscal development and has enjoyed a tremendous amount of success to that end.

In 2017 he joined the team at Impact.com - an organization dedicated to positively transforming the way that enterprises of all sizes both manage and optimize their relationships. The company is particularly notable for its partnership management platform - a true end-to-end solution that manages partnerships across the entire lifecycle, all in a way that lets organizations activate rapid growth as the "Partnership Economy" continues to grow and evolve.

In a recent interview, he gave his insight into the future of the affiliate industry - including where it currently stands and where it might be headed moving forward.

Overall, Yovanno indicated that he believes that the foundation of the next five years of affiliate marketing already exists. It's simply up to savvy businesses to continue to build from it in the future.

Case in point: he envisions a future where businesses begin working more frequently with their partners on a direct basis, as opposed to the more traditional affiliate network model. The issue he sees is that when you go through an affiliate network, the network essentially "owns" that relationship.

Direct relationships, on the other hand, open up the door for innovation. This is especially true in terms of how publishers can then take the time to get behind a brand and truly understand their business and why it matters. With this direct connection, publishers can simply make better and more relevant recommendations and get a lot deeper. Because there is no longer that "middle man," they can share data and explore other opportunities to simply create a better relationship across the board.

Affiliate networks still have a role to play, mind you - it's just that this role is evolving. They'll likely facilitate that direct connection between a business and their partners, at which point they'll essentially step out of the way. It will be a change from the way things are done, to be sure - but it will also be beneficial for all involved if executed properly.

He's also excited about a diversification in partnership types that he's already seeing play out across the industry. While it's true that he still talks to businesses who are operating under the traditional model on a daily basis - something that can be effective if managed in the right way - he also sees a significant amount of opportunity in the rise of content being published by influencers and major brands. He sees a bright future where businesses can vary up the type of content they're putting out into the world that enhances the customer experience - something that should always be a top priority for all involved.