Affiliate marketing is tailor-made for improving the sales figures of any business. As an e-commerce concept, it has been growing steadily for years, and no wonder. The retailer takes on-board various affiliates, rewarding them for new custom introduced by their marketing efforts. Unlike costly advertising gimmicks such as banners ads, having these affiliates at any advertiser’s disposal is ideal because a lot of income can be generated for at little expense.
While most of these marketers will likely generate modest turnovers, the more astute and experienced ones can earn thousands per month. So here are five marketing techniques that will give you a good chance of joining this band of experienced and savvy affiliates.
#1. Social media platforms
Of all the areas currently inspiring users to connect with the Internet, the one at the top of that list is social media. In many ways this is what the web was invented for, combined the natural social traits of humans with all manner of topics. Such as online shopping, with social media representing a ready-made customer base that can be tapped into. But there is an important caveat when it comes to using this platform to boost your business through affiliate marketing.
In order to make the most of this technique, you need to approach it wearing your social media rather than your marketing hat. By all means connect with friends, colleagues and business associates as you would normally do, but not from the point-of-view of ‘I have some products, please come and buy them.’ The savvy technique is to be far more subtle about this interaction. You don’t want to be seen as promoting the affiliate products directly. Instead nurture your customer base by writing engaging articles about the topic you have expertise in, applying the necessary hyperlinks so they appear within the context of the content rather than standalone links to a sales page.
#2. Engage with your customers
If social media is the platform, content is the all-important bait that will either entice regular customers or dissuade them from connecting with you. If you are running a business customer engagement is critical, and the easiest way to do this is via well-written articles on your website or, better still, a blog.
Whichever form of communication you are using, there are several crucial aspects to be taken into consideration. Blog posts must be razor-sharp in the message they are putting across. No waffle or attempting to get overly-wordy unless you’re able to play with words in an interesting way. Get your points across precisely, building content around product reviews. Other important aspects include maintaining basic website house rules. Use appropriate SEO in your web pages and ensure your blogs are posted regularly.
#3. Email
While the rules about not excessively plugging your affiliate activities certainly apply for blogging or engaging with your social media network, the exception to this is with emailing. Email shots are a terrific way of getting product news across to a wide and diverse customer base in an instant.
Again, you need to achieve a balance between enthusing about your items and not wanting to be seen as pushy. But emails differ because people expect them to be more succinct so you would get away with pushing your product in this way. The key is to nurture lists of valued customers who you connect with regularly in any case, whether that’s by sending out bulletins about your business or offering discounts. An email shot is a fantastic method of blanket coverage advertising – that is free.
#4. Incentives
These valued customers can be rewarded in other ways. Offer them low-level subscription rates but ensure they can see the distinct benefits of coming on-board with your business. Incentives might include dedicated newsletters about forthcoming products, or bonuses for recommending items to others.
#5. Product reviews
Another excellent way to engage with customers is to write compelling reviews of the products. Even better, create a short video overview, a visual demo that will allow potential buyers to view the item in action. Post this onto your social media platform and invite comments and shares. Discussing innovations are ideal if you have aspirations to achieving a top paying affiliate marketing program.