Are you looking into affiliate marketing, but aren’t sure where to get started? You landed on the right post. This is a complete guide to affiliate marketing with FAQs answered and examples to help lay it all out. Let’s jump right in!

 

What is Affiliate Marketing?

Affiliate marketing is when you talk about a product on social media and if your audience buys that product with your affiliate link, you get a commission.  It is a really effective way to make money because you use products every day and interact with your audience daily.

 

How to Use Affiliate Links

The most common ways people use affiliate links

• Blogging
• Emails/Newsletters
• Instagram stories
• Instagram reels
• YouTube video descriptions
• Paid advertising

Influencers are constantly selling products in their Instagram stories. They talk about their favorite products and then include a special link to tap and view/purchase the item. 

These are affiliate links. The unique links have an ID that tracks clicks, leads, and sales. In other words, the link keeps track of who uses your special ID to purchase an item and then calculates your commission. 

 

The Best Place to Start Affiliate Marketing

 

I recommend starting with Amazon’s affiliate program. The program is free for Content Creators, Influencers, and Bloggers to earn money by promoting their favorite Amazon products.

Almost everyone shops on Amazon, so that helps automate the process for someone to use your link to buy a product. You want to make it as easy as possible for someone to purchase your product and Amazon totally helps make that happen.

Something you’ll LOVE about being an Amazon associate is how you get a commission for multiple products in someone’s cart, even if your affiliate link did not add every product. All it takes is for one of your affiliate-linked products to end up in someone’s cart and then if they decide to purchase anything else in that same transaction, you get the commission for those products too.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. Want to learn more? Il tell you all about the Amazon Affiliate Marketing Program HERE and how to get started.

 

Affiliate Marketing Examples

Sometimes it’s easier to get a grasp on a new concept when you have some actual examples to draw from. Here are two examples from my content when I used affiliate links. One is from my blog post and one is from my Instagram story. 

I wrote in my blog post that I am an affiliate for the mentioned product, but you don’t always have to disclose that. If you are an affiliate, you have more freedom with what you say about the product. 

Side note: If you are partnering with a brand and have filled out an actual contract, you usually need to disclose that you are a brand partner when creating an ad on your social media for the products. It’s different for each brand, so pay attention to what your contract says so you are clear about what’s expected of you.

Now, back to the affiliate examples.

 

Kit

I wrote a post about everything you need to know about Kit (formerly ConvertKit) and mentioned in the post how I am an affiliate for it.

 

 

I threw in a quick paragraph about why people should purchase this product and I used my unique affiliate link in the post, so when people click on it and purchase the product then I will get a commission.

 

Tripod

I have a story saved in my “Tools” highlight bubble on Instagram talking about my tripod. It’s one of my absolute favorite tools to use for filming on my phone. It makes things super convenient and speeds up my content creation process. 

 

 

I included an affiliate link to my tripod and if you notice in my story I tell you about the product and then the text says to type the word “Create” for a link to the product. The link that will be sent to you is my Amazon affiliate link to the tripod.

If you’re wondering how I automated this link to be sent to your dms just by commenting on the story, that’s something we’ll cover in the next section! This is going to be your new secret weapon in affiliate marketing.

 

The Secret Weapon of Affiliate Marketing

 

Have you heard of ManyChat yet? It is THE best chatbot marketing tool and will transform your affiliate marketing strategy. No more having to say “link in bio.” You’ll be able to tell people to comment a trigger word (that you set up on ManyChat) and it will automatically send them a DM with your affiliate links. 

ManyChat is an automated software that you can connect to your Instagram account, Facebook Messenger, Whatsapp, and SMS. It allows you to automate responses to people in your comments and DMs. ManyChat speeds up the process of engaging with your audience and answering your frequently asked questions. If used correctly, this tool can help you grow so much faster than you have been!

It finds you new leads, keeps track of which strategies are bringing you the most leads and sales, instantly answers FAQs, and so much more. And you get all of this by paying only $15/month. 

 

Main Takeaways

• Affiliate marketing is when you talk about a product on social media and if your audience buys that product with your affiliate link, you get a commission. 
• The most common places to post affiliate links are blog posts, social media, and email.
• The Amazon Affiliate program is free to Content Creators and Influencers and is a great place to earn commission through affiliate links.
• ManyChat is THE game-changing tool for affiliate marketing. Click HERE to learn why.

 

 

The Complete Guide to Affiliate Marketing

Now that you have a better understanding of how affiliate marketing works, I hope you get started right away! If you still have questions, these posts will help.

• 6 Affiliate Marketing Tips for Beginners
• The Ultimate Guide to Chatbot Marketing (An Intro to ManyChat)
• What is ManyChat and Why It’s the Future of Chatbot Marketing
• All About the Amazon Affiliate Marketing Program
• An Overview of Deep Linking with URL Genius **This one will transform your strategy!!

Good luck getting started! But remember, you don’t have to do this business thing alone. Follow me on Instagram @iammichellegifford for more tips and encouragement. Plus, you should join my Insta Social Society for the best support while you grow your biz!