How to promote affiliate products using social media

In the rapidly evolving world of e-commerce there are several constants you can be sure of, and one of these is the convenience of affiliate marketing for product promotion. Whether you have already been turning over a decent income from your affiliate programs or you are new to the concept and wish to find out more, social media is tailor-made for the task. Here are some basic tips on how to promote affiliate products. 

Understanding social media

While social media can be a terrific method of keeping in touch with friends, it’s important to make the distinction between how you use this platform for its social aspects, and how you would utilize it has an affiliate marketer. The temptation is to keep plugging your products to anyone who will listen. This would be a big mistake because you are just as likely to dissuade anyone from wanting to purchase anything from your affiliate program. The key tip here is using your social media to create a community of valued customers, not by hard selling at every available opportunity, but by engaging your audience in your products in a positive way.

Social media represents is a terrific opportunity to get involved in lively discussions about topical issues, particularly if you can tie this in with your products. You also have access to a potential customer base that is completely unlimited when it comes to geographical location. In this way you can generate genuine engagement in whatever it is you are marketing right across the board, from people living in different countries to niche interest groups. As long as you come across as someone who has something interesting to share with your customers there is no reason why you shouldn’t be successful in converting web traffic to click-through purchases.

Expertise is everything

It has been a long time since anyone invented anything as revolutionary as the wheel, so it is highly likely that whatever product or service you have promoting is already being sold somewhere on the Internet. So why would any of your customers feel obliged to choose your website or blog as the ‘go to’ channel to buy this item? The answer to that is you must become an expert in your field. Prior to even signing-up to the relevant affiliate program you need to do some extensive research on the product.

Once you are seen as an expert on your subject, possessing the relevant voice of authority will be worth its weight in promotional gold. If your public are convinced you are offering something unique, they will be far more likely to seek out your particular services. In order to establish the required level of expertise you want to be blogging on your subject regularly, as well as publishing articles in networks such as LinkedIn.

The tip here is that you don’t want to be touching base with your contacts by sending them direct links to your affiliate products. Your aim should be writing articles that are highly knowledgeable on the subject and then posting them in your social media. This content should be engaging, ensuring your readers don’t simply skim through before clicking onto another page.

Write product reviews. Liaise with the network of affiliate marketing websites. Share your thoughts on social media. The key is to manage a balancing act between enthusing about the items, without coming across as seemingly desperate for sales. Remain professional and objective at all times. But do include a link to the affiliate program within the body of your text.