Just like how headings are important on landing/product pages, affiliate links are important for affiliate marketing.
There are several reasons affiliate links have enhanced the marketing journey.
Having said that, let’s start from the beginning and see just how to promote affiliate links to make them work even better.
First things first!
What are affiliate links?
An affiliate link is a URL that is used exclusively to track the traffic or sales that is sent from your website to the website of the advertiser you are promoting as an affiliate partner.
An affiliate account has a customizable unique URL or referral link, which may contain a username, a series of randomized numbers and letters, or other identifiers.
For example, https://demo.storeapps.org/?ref=2.
Plugins like Affiliate for WooCommerce also provides a coupon that can be used instead of the link for promotion.
You can run your own successful affiliate program with this plugin.
This powerful tool allows you to manage referrals, sales, and commissions, make payments, create commission plans, create marketing campaigns…all from one place.
Affiliates also have access to a self-care dashboard to track their affiliate commissions, clicks and sales.
Typically, you only get paid if the visitor buys something, but you may also get paid for leads.
Affiliate marketing programs track activity with cookies in addition to your individual ID. Affiliate links generate cookies on readers’ computers. If the cookie duration is up, the sale will be credited to your affiliate account.
How to get affiliate links?
You must join a website’s affiliate program or partner network before you can promote affiliate links.
Join an affiliate network or affiliate program
First, find programs that align with your digital marketing goals, content topics and interests. Among the top partner networks are:
You can also sign up for relevant affiliate programs of other websites, your friends whom you feel have the products that can be a game changer for users.
Log in to your affiliate accout
Log into your affiliate account once you’ve been approved.
Your exclusive affiliate links will be automatically generated for you to promote. You may also get coupons to promote.
Paste the link into the content
You’ll find your affiliate link which you can copy and suffix it to different product pages or landing pages URL.
For example, if an affiliate is promoting a product, the affiliate URL will be https://demo.storeapps.org/smart-manager/?ref=2
Choose from banners, text ads, videos, swipe files, depending on what type of promotion you’re running.
Keep track of your affiliate links
Your affiliate links are now live, so you can track their success from the dashboard.
7 effective ways on how to promote affiliate links
Your success depends on choosing the right affiliate products. But so is choosing the right promotion. Let’s find out the ways for better results.
Use affiliate links in product reviews and tutorials
Reviews and tutorials are crucial to content-focused affiliate marketing. Reviews and comparisons are your moneymakers. Targeted sales result in actual sales. In your chosen niche, tutorials and guides are more for traffic and authority building.
It’s important to have both if you want to build a brand.
Make sure potential customers know everything about the product. Don’t be afraid to mention potential weaknesses of the product with examples and screenshots. Feel free to share your tips and first-hand experience. Transparency is key.
You can use YouTube videos also for reviews and place the link in description.
As a final step, place at least one CTA on the page using your affiliate link.
Make resource pages affiliate-friendly
Your resources page can list the top tools and products that you endorse and use. Make sure you don’t add items that you don’t actually use. Describe each product briefly and include your affiliate link, preferably one that leads to a free trial.
It is important to add a disclosure to every promotional page.
It is necessary that you have an audience before sending out emails to your blog subscribers. Start by creating an email sign-up form for your website.
There are several things your newsletter does. It’s a way to build relationships with your readers, promote your affiliate products and distribute blog content. Preferably in that order.
To get visitors to sign up for your newsletter, you must share useful content. If possible, you should also offer perks such as your own exclusive guides and affiliate offers.
Engage in paid ads (PPC ads)
Another effective way to get in front of potential audience is to pay for Google Adwords based on common search terms. A similar approach applies to Facebook ads that target audiences or peer groups that match your ideal demographics.
It is particularly effective to highlight your affiliate commissions in these ads, provided they are competitive.
Your audience goes to social media for inside scoops. Make sure your affiliate link also promoted on the social media platforms your audience uses.
Promote your affiliate links with engaging posts. Don’t forget to vary the wording and imagery of your posts to grab affiliates’ attention.
Stay connected with trends and conversations in your niche by joining industry-related forums and social media groups.
Furthermore, they provide a great way to find experts willing to share products. Show your expertise, answer their questions, and solve their problems.
You might even be able to get them to promote the brand if the product or service is a perfect solution to their problem.
Make sure you personally reach out to the relevant experts after you have established a presence in the forum or group. Tell them what’s in it for them and all the relevant information.
Include links to your own products
Affiliates also sell ebooks and online courses. Another way to promote your affiliate link is to place it inside your product. Keep it subtle so it doesn’t seem like a sales pitch.
Now let’s talk about what we shouldn’t do.
Affiliate links: what to avoid
Make sure to avoid these three common pitfalls when promoting your affiliate links:
Don’t promote links across different industries on the same website
Your affiliate website must be relevant not only for keyword rankings but also for product-audience fit. It’s probably a good idea to target the same audience for different products within the same niche.
However, if you’re going to offer affiliate offers across industries, you need separate sites.
Avoid limiting affiliate links to one type
Profit from affiliate marketing by diversifying your link types. Utilizing various link placement strategies can optimize your affiliate links.
Affiliate links with no value to your audience should be avoided
Over-placement of affiliate links is not a good strategy in the long run. Trust is key to generating sales.
Creating content that matches your visitors’ intent and gives them what they want is the only way to earn their trust.
Conclusion
With this information, you know where to find your affiliate link and how to utilize it for affiliate marketing. Using the options listed above, you can choose where you want to place your affiliate links.
By finding the right audience for your offer, you can start reaping the rewards.
Comment on how you applied the ideas mentioned in this blog, and tell us what you would like us to cover next.