The 10 Best Ways to Sell With Affiliates

If you’re an affiliate, you can use a number of methods to promote products. These include social media, communities and forums, and email.

Creating quality content is essential, but you also need to believe in the product you’re promoting. That means using it and testing it over a period of time.

1. Offer a generous commission

Affiliates are marketers who promote products to consumers on behalf of sellers and earn a portion of sales. They usually have a specific audience and personal brand, which helps them to attract consumers who are likely to purchase the product.

A generous commission will motivate affiliates to drive more traffic and sales. However, it is important to balance this with a competitive rate that makes the offering attractive for new and existing affiliates.

For example, eHarmony offers an affiliate program that pays out commissions on completed subscriptions, registrations, and questionnaires. It also provides a variety of marketing assets, including promotional materials, seasonal eBooks, professional banner templates, and newsletters. In addition, the company offers a tiered system that rewards affiliates with higher commission rates when they hit certain sales goals. This helps affiliates feel rewarded for their work and boosts loyalty.

2. Make it easy for them to promote

Affiliates use their websites to promote products, typically by publishing high-quality content such as reviews, comparison articles, and tutorials. Some also leverage social media channels to reach a broader audience.

Often, affiliates will include coupon codes in their content that they can share on social media (making sure that the promo code is relevant to their audience and that it complies with Facebook’s guidelines). This will help them generate short-term sales.

Other affiliates will create gift guides to attract more consumers to their site, where they will then make a commission on each sale that the consumer makes after clicking the link. These types of guides are a great way to engage audiences. However, it is important for affiliates to be transparent about their relationships with brands and make clear the benefits of a specific product or service.

3. Make it easy for you to track

Many affiliate marketers are tempted to oversell products by using hyperbole. This can be unethical and could cause a loss of trust in the audience. This is why it’s important for them to disclose that they may earn commissions on purchases through their affiliate links.

It’s also important for them to focus on quality content and provide a lot of value for their audience. For example, they might create a video review of the best dog beds or write a blog post about the latest fitness trends.

Finally, they should make sure to collect their audience’s email addresses. This way, they can connect with them directly and avoid wearing them down with too many offers. In addition, they can use a tool like Semrush or Ahrefs to find local keywords that will help them generate organic traffic and boost their conversion rates.

4. Make it easy for them to find you

While some affiliates will promote anything and everything to boost their earnings, the best ones will be selective about the products they endorse. This helps maintain a good reputation and builds trust among audiences.

For example, Buzzfeed pushes only top-rated products in its round-ups of trendy topics like "best TVs" and "best last-minute gifts." The site also provides prices in local currencies for global shoppers.

To make it easy for potential affiliates to find you, add a pop-up form to your website that asks visitors for their names and emails. This lets you comply with GDPR requirements while also getting a list of interested people to send marketing emails to. Then you can follow up with them and show them how to become an affiliate for your program. This will help you increase your conversions.

5. Make it easy for them to contact you

In addition to promoting products through their websites, affiliates also use social media and YouTube to reach audiences. They often publish trending content, such as product round-ups, to drive traffic and engagement. For example, Buzzfeed’s “Best Winter Jackets” post drives a lot of traffic to Amazon and other affiliate links.

Webinars are another great way to promote affiliate content, especially when they feature a guest interview with the product creator or showcase the product in action. This helps build trust and increases sales.

Affiliates must disclose their relationships with the companies they promote in order to avoid violating FTC guidelines. This disclosure usually takes the form of a disclaimer at the top or bottom of their content. However, some merchants go further and provide a disclosure in their Terms of Service. This is a big win for consumers because it builds trust and reduces friction.

6. Make it easy for them to create content

The best affiliates create content that resonates with their audience and encourages them to purchase the product. This can be done through blog posts, social media posts, videos, and email newsletters.

Video content is a powerful tool for promoting products, as it provides a dynamic way to share recommendations. For example, creators Colin and Samir frequently promote their affiliate link for Public in YouTube videos, sharing screenshots of how they use the app to show their audience that they genuinely love it.

Additionally, product roundups are an effective marketing strategy, as they allow affiliates to direct their audiences to different options based on their unique needs. However, make sure to diversify your affiliate programs so that you don’t rely on one particular program or product to drive sales. This will protect you in the event that a vendor closes down its affiliate program or slashes commission rates.

7. Make it easy for them to share content

One of the best ways to make affiliates more successful is to provide them with quality content. This could be in the form of informative articles, product reviews, or even video tutorials. This will help to build trust with consumers and increase conversions.

Social media is a great place to share affiliate content. But make sure to avoid being overly salesy or your audience will be turned off. Instead, try sharing first-hand experiences and tips to add value.

Similarly, you can use email to promote your affiliate content. Just be sure to include a trackable link so that you can monitor the performance of your affiliates. This will also prevent any confusion over attribution. You can also convert your customers into affiliates by asking them to promote you in post-survey thank you emails. This is a great way to maximize your return on investment.

8. Make it easy for them to create ads

A coupon code is a string of characters that an online shopper can enter at checkout to claim a discount on a purchase. Offering promo codes is a great way to attract customers and boost conversion rates. Research shows that 89% of millennial shoppers would try a new product if it was offered at a discount.

The best affiliate marketers focus on providing value to their audiences. This may mean writing reviews that compare the quality of products, or creating tutorials that show how to use them. They also make sure to disclose that they’re receiving commission when promoting the products.

Affiliates can also use social media to promote their content and drive traffic. They can also repurpose their content into email marketing copy and YouTube videos. However, it’s important to ensure that the content is relevant to the audience’s search intent.

9. Make it easy for them to create landing pages

An effective affiliate landing page can help drive promising leads to your offer and nurture them into long-term sales. It needs to include compelling visuals, a benefit statement, and social proof.

Use a hero image to pique interest and a call-to-action to encourage visitors to take the next step. A countdown timer is another great way to increase urgency and drive action.

It’s also important for affiliate marketers to be transparent with their audience and disclose any relationships they have with the products they promote. This helps them build trust and comply with Federal Trade Commission guidelines. The Wirecutter, for example, has a disclaimer at the top of every product review to let readers know it’s an affiliate recommendation. It also uses tools like Shopify to allow customers to see prices in their local currency. This is especially helpful for global shoppers.

10. Make it easy for them to earn commissions

If someone clicks your affiliate link and buys something on the merchant’s website, you get paid. That’s why it’s important to provide clear and concise links, and let your audience know that you may receive a commission.

Providing content that provides value for your audience will increase the likelihood of them clicking on your link and purchasing products you recommend. This could include reviews of products or services (as long as they are accurate), or a how-to guide.

Avoid making unsubstantiated claims about the products you promote, as this can damage your reputation and result in lost sales. Instead, focus on building trust and sharing information that will help your audience solve a problem.