As an affiliate marketer, you invest a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into developing and updating your website. This commitment causes a lot of marketers to overlook the importance of establishing a social media presence to build brand awareness, attract followers and drive traffic.
The following is an overview of strategies for building your social media presence, deploying effective content, and earning shares and likes!
Don’t attempt to operate on every social media channel unless you have a team of people dedicated to the cause. Instead, identify two or three platforms on which the interests of the audience align with the products you wish to promote.
Try to do too much and you will get overwhelmed and have poor accounts. You need accounts on which you can post non-promotional messages, spark conversations with audience members and build engaged followers. Only then will your affiliate links and site shares drive traffic.
If you sell tech products that appeal to young millennial professionals, for instance, Twitter is a great channel.
Build trust and credibility with a targeted audience on the right channel before sharing products.
Amazon is the largest affiliate program and one that many affiliate marketers care the most about. Amazon allows affiliates to promote products on social channels as well as on their websites. However, you need to read through their rules and FAQ content to become familiar with restrictions on trademarked words.
Other third-party platforms restrict social media marketing for an affiliate marketer. Some social tools do not allow you to post affiliate links either, although the major mainstream platforms generally do. Facebook won’t allow direct affiliate links because it wants to protect users from unsolicited promotions. Using redirected links may work better on Facebook, Twitter and other tools, although some affiliate programs require that you use original link formats when posting.
Success on social media as an affiliate marketer is found in similar ways as success succeed in other sectors. The number one rule of thumb is to build relationships through engagement first, and promote second. Don’t load your timeline with product pitch after product pitch; no one goes on social media to receive these types of messages.
Focus first on offering content of value to the target audience. Offer concise tips and insights, share posts from your blog, and offer helpful videos. If you promote cameras and photography, for instance, offer your followers tips on how to take great pictures before you recommend affiliate products. Infographics and images capture much more attention to your social posts, and offer important visual support to your product messages.
In essence, affiliate marketing on social media is very similar to social selling. Prioritize trust and credibility and garner respect that helps you drive referral traffic toward products.
Promotional offers on products of interest to your followers often capture more attention than regular product-based messages.
Affiliate marketers, identify your preferred social media platforms, set up your accounts and begin promoting today!