If you’re a brand new blogger, you may have heard this term just a couple of times so far. Or maybe you’re still not exactly sure what it really means.
Affiliate Marketing is a type of sales where individuals (or in our case, bloggers) promote another company’s products or services in exchange for a commission when a signup is achieved or sale is made.
Affiliate Sales are most effectively made after building a loyal following and trust from your readers. And in order to maintain that trust, you must always, always, always disclose that you are a member of an (or the) affiliate program(s) you are promoting in each post where you include such links to your audience.
Ideally, placing a disclaimer before you post your first affiliate link (where your reader will potentially click to make the purchase) is the way to go!
Some people, and I’ve been guilty of this too, have a tendency to make a purchasing decision before finishing an article.
Chances are, your post is not the first one they’ve read promoting that particular product! Instead, this individual is near the end of the buyer decision process and is seeking confirmation that they are indeed making a good choice when it comes to spending their hard-earned money.
Put yourself in this situation: a consumer is considering purchasing two different types of televisions.
The first is an LG and the second is a Samsung.
When speaking with a salesperson at an electronics store, that person is then convinced to buy a Samsung TV after hearing a salesperson’s pitch for it.
Once the television has been purchased and loaded into her car, the store manager then advises her that Samsung is offering employees a $25 Spiff (Immediate Bonus for a Sale) on all televisions sold that week.
How would you feel?
When promoting affiliate links, image that you are talking to a friend over coffee!
Including images of yourself using the product or screenshots, if it is a digital product, also adds another element of authenticity.
You’ll build trust with your audience and your opinion on that product will feel that much more genuine.
Also…
Thank you for the tips! I’m new to the blogging game, and really appreciate your content.
Beth