In affiliate marketing, a merchant hires an affiliate to advertise their products or services. The affiliate receives a predetermined fee, usually a percentage, for every sale that occurs using their distinct tracking code.
The advantages of affiliate marketing extend to all parties, from merchants and networks to affiliates. It’s no wonder that this marketing strategy has become increasingly popular and shows no signs of slowing down.
You can utilize the gathered affiliate sales tips and tactics below to broaden your audience, optimize your performance, boost your credibility, and improve your passive earnings. These suggestions are applicable to all affiliates, regardless of the program or brand they are affiliated with.
14 Proven Affiliate Marketing Tips And Tactics That Still Work In 2023
1. Use key performance indicators (KPIs) to track your success
Achieving a high number of clicks on your affiliate links may seem fantastic, but it’s crucial to determine whether these clicks are generating sales. Refrain from being preoccupied with meaningless metrics and instead prioritize the figures that truly count.
Metrics known as key performance indicators (KPIs) are utilized to measure the effectiveness of your marketing efforts. KPIs have the capability to indicate which campaign has generated the highest sales, which campaign is not yielding any significant ROI, and which campaign requires improvements. The subsequent are a few metrics to monitor closely:
- Click-through rate (CTR): The number of clicks in comparison to the number of views. Use this metric to review the performance of your digital ads, links, call-to-actions, and more.
- Conversion rate: The number of conversions in comparison to the number of clicks. While conversions tend to be sales-related in affiliate marketing, a conversion can technically be any step you want your visitor to take. This includes downloading an ebook, signing up for a newsletter, or scheduling a free demo.
- Revenue by traffic source: The total income generated by different sources. Use this metric to determine which of your platforms (website, Facebook, YouTube, etc.) generate the most revenue.
- Average time spent on page: The average amount of time website visitors spend on a specific webpage. Use this KPI to determine which pages are valuable enough for readers and which ones should be reviewed.
Regularly monitoring your KPIs can aid in boosting your affiliate sales using the resultant analytics.
2. Link to conversion-optimized landing pages
Converting clicks into sales is not a guaranteed outcome. To maximize your potential for clicks, direct your traffic to the most appropriate landing pages and improve the likelihood of generating more affiliate sales. Your landing page should not only pertain to the user’s interests but also offer multiple conversion opportunities.
Suppose you are a travel affiliate and your blog focuses on holiday packages to the French Riviera. In that case, provide a direct link to the company’s page that allows readers to purchase the packages without delay.
3. Use A/B testing to identify your best-performing content
Perform A/B tests to establish which version between two campaign elements performs more effectively. Engage in A/B testing across various platforms including webpages, blog posts, banner ads, emails, among others, to identify the optimal point of generating the highest affiliate sales.
Learn the steps to conduct an A/B test on your own:
- Choose which element you would like to evaluate. Typical choices include headline copy, call-to-actions, visuals, and layout.
- Decide which KPI(s) will measure the success of the test. For instance, if you’re testing your email subject line, you will probably want to look at the open rate.
- Choose a sample size (the number of tests needed to determine a winner).
- Create two versions of your test, with the only difference being the test element.
- Run your test.
- Evaluate your results based on your pre-determined KPIs. Take note of any external factors that may have affected your test.
Check out a selection of top WordPress A/B testing tools that can enhance your conversion rate.
4. Create (or update) your ‘tools’ webpage
A web page that lists your favorite tools and services can be beneficial for your followers, regardless of the number of people in your audience, since they are following you for a reason.
Increase your chances of earning an affiliate sale by linking your tool list to conversion-optimized pages or other valuable content like personal reviews and comparison articles. Ensure that it is regularly updated and easily accessible to your audience.
5. Write (or update) product reviews
Online reviews wield considerable influence, as evidenced by the fact that 93% of shoppers consult them prior to making a purchase. By offering valuable insights and expertise, your own reviews have the potential to drive traffic and establish your credibility within your field.
You’re right. They can also boost your affiliate sales! Not sure what to cover in a review? Here are a few ideas to help you get started:
- What problem(s) did the product or service successfully solve?
- Did it live up to its expectations?
- Is it worth the price?
- Would you recommend it to a friend?
- What are your favorite features?
- How can the product or service be improved?
It is crucial to ensure that reviews are truthful and precise since affiliate marketing centers around building relationships. Giving a glowing review for a mediocre product or service can result in a loss of credibility within your network. It is recommended to review any existing evaluations and confirm that your viewpoint of the item hasn’t altered.
6. Don’t rely on one affiliate marketing program
Wise counsel for Easter egg hunts, financial portfolios, and even affiliate marketers is to never place all your eggs in one basket. If you depend on one affiliate program for the bulk of your earnings, it can be hazardous as you are vulnerable to the company’s judgments and economic strength.
7. Focus on the conversion rate, not the commission amount
The potential commission for affiliate sales is insignificant if there are no buyers for the product. The conversion rate holds greater significance as compared to the commission. The importance of conversion rate is exemplified through the following scenario:
- Company A offers a $200 commission with a 1% conversion rate
- Company B offers a $20 commission with a 12% conversion rate.
Sending 1,000 customers to each company would generate $2,000 from Company A and $2,400 from Company B. Despite Company B having a lower commission rate, its higher conversion rate makes it the more lucrative choice.
Moreover, when you increase your sales volume, you have the opportunity to negotiate higher affiliate rates, further highlighting the benefit of prioritizing sales volume.
8. Focus on recurring commissions
A wise approach to increasing earnings in affiliate marketing is by advertising products with recurring commissions. It’s logical: securing a customer who subscribes every month will result in continuous payments.
Referring a few dozen people could result in earning a full-time income if the commissions are high.
9. Negotiate exclusive discounts and promote them
To prompt immediate buying, it is effective to provide a limited-time, exclusive discount to those seeking a particular item. Reach out to your affiliates and inquire if they are able to provide a discount for individuals who utilize your affiliate link.
If they give their consent, you can enhance conversions by utilizing exit pop ups and authentic scarcity when promoting these affiliate promo codes. Rather than spreading the discount all over the page, I prefer to adopt a distinct strategy.
The strategy is to display the complete cost of the product on the page as a means of establishing its worth, and subsequently present a discount through an exit pop-up, drawing the attention of the reader who now perceives the product to be more valuable, assuming it must be paid for at the full price.
10. Emphasize the consequences of not taking action
Utilizing fear as a driving force to increase conversion rates can be incredibly effective due to its primal nature. However, it may seem as though I am a callous affiliate marketer who aims to bully consumers into making purchases, which is not the reality.
By illustrating the implications of abstaining from a purchase, you can assist your audience in comprehending the jeopardy they are exposing themselves to by failing to take action.
To effectively convey the message, it’s crucial to keep things simple. Clearly and briefly state any possible outcome without resorting to excessive scaremongering. Employing too many frightening tactics can make your content seem forced and insincere, notably if the stakes are low.
11. Highlight external reviews (for consultants)
As a freelance developer or consultant who earns affiliate commissions, you are well aware of the difficulties in convincing your clients to sign up for a new tool.
Including customer reviews or featuring third-party endorsements is an effective strategy to strengthen your proposal and enhance your likelihood of securing an affiliate sale. The nature of external reviews varies across different sectors, with some companies having designated pages on their website for reviews.
12. Create comparison pages and listicles (or both)
In the affiliate industry, both comparison articles and listicles have proven to be highly effective forms of content. Just like reviews, they have the potential to boost your website’s traffic and credibility, as well as facilitate more sales as an affiliate marketer.
A compilation of details about two or more products or services is what makes up a comparison article. Its purpose is to equip readers with sufficient knowledge to make wise purchasing decisions. They are favored by content creators due to the substantial benefit they provide with minimal effort. What’s more significant is the readers’ appreciation of their user-friendly navigation, uncomplicated structure, and catchy titles.
By combining the characteristics of comparison articles and listicles, you can create a hybrid article that integrates links to conversion-optimized content, ultimately enhancing your chances of producing affiliate sales.
13. Employ proven copywriting techniques
Over the past century, effective techniques have been created, improved, and polished for crafting impactful sales copy. Below are a few of my preferred copywriting methods for affiliate marketing:
Focus on benefits and visualizations
Individuals tend to make buying choices driven by emotions rather than reasoning. If you want to integrate this factor into your affiliate content, you should itemize the characteristics, elaborate on their advantages, and paint a lively image of the benefits that come with them.
The reader is more likely to make a purchase due to the feelings evoked by this particular type of advertising copy.
Implement the problem-agitation-solution framework
Although mainly implemented in lengthy sales copy, the Problem-Agitation-Solution (PAS) structure can be applied to your affiliate content as well. The following is how it functions:
Issue: Recognize the issue that your audience is encountering and demonstrate sympathy towards their difficulties.
Stir up the issue by using emotional language and vivid examples to increase its urgency – this is agitation.
Proposed rephrased text: Demonstrate how your product or service offers the ideal resolution to the problem, highlighting its ability to eradicate discomfort and yield advantages.
It is advisable to refrain from using aggressive sales techniques in affiliate content and instead reserve them for sales pages. It is suggested to allot only a sentence or two for every stage.
14. Repurpose your existing content
While constantly generating new content can be challenging, existing content may not always achieve its maximum potential in just one use. Utilize your content to its fullest extent by repurposing it to suit multiple platforms.
You can enhance your affiliate sales by broadening your reach and catching the attention of followers you may have previously overlooked using this approach. The following are some instances of how you can modify your content:
- Create a YouTube video based on content from a blog post.
- Create an infographic based on the key takeaways of a blog post.
- Cut your Facebook video into chunks and make a mini-series for IGTV.
- Use key quotes from a blog post to create unique images for Instagram.
- Create an ebook that combines the content from several related blog posts.
