How-to guides are among the most popular affiliate marketing content types. They can take the form of articles or videos and should be informative and honest without sounding salesy.
The goal is to help your audience understand a product or service by providing step-by-step instructions that will improve their lives. Examples include product reviews, comparisons, and roundups as well as tutorials.
Create a Resource Page
A resource page is a great place to feature the tools you use on your website, and can also be used to promote affiliate links. But to make this type of content useful, it’s important to provide more than just a list of links. A good way to do this is by writing a helpful description next to each tool, and explaining how you’ve found it useful in your business. This will help your audience understand why you are recommending the product and build trust.
In addition, you can include a CTA that asks visitors to sign up for your newsletter to receive special offers and discounts. While this may not generate as many sales as a direct affiliate link, it can still give you the visibility and authority that can lead to other conversions. Finally, don’t forget to add a disclosure that you may earn a commission when your audience clicks on the links on your site. This is not only good practice for ethical reasons, but it’s also required by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
Once you have a well-established resources page, you can start to promote it in other ways. This can include linking to it in your blog posts, as well as placing a “learn more” call-to-action in a sidebar on your website or in the footer menu. It’s also a great idea to link to your resources page from any other pages on your website that mention the tools or services you recommend, such as your homepage or About Us page.
Another way to promote your resources page is to create a dedicated affiliate banner. While this can be more time consuming than creating a blog post, it can be very effective in driving traffic and generating sales. Just remember to test all of your links regularly using a broken link checker to ensure that they are working properly. You should also add a cloaked URL to your banners so that you can easily update them in the future without affecting other content on your website.
Create a Blog Post
Blog posts are an excellent way to generate traffic for your affiliate links and can be used across a variety of content formats. They are especially effective when used in conjunction with search engine optimization (SEO) techniques, as they are more likely to generate a high number of clicks.
A good affiliate post will be able to engage your audience and provide them with valuable information about a product or service. It will also include an affiliate link in a natural manner, allowing you to promote a product without coming across as too pushy or sales-oriented.
One popular type of affiliate post is a product review. These are in-depth posts that cover all aspects of a specific product. For example, a site like PCMag might write a full review of the new iPhone 14. This type of post is very effective because it can provide an unbiased opinion to your audience. Ultimately, they are more likely to trust you and purchase the product based on your recommendations.
Another effective type of affiliate post is a round-up or comparison post. These types of articles will list multiple products that meet a specific criteria and include an affiliate link for each product. For example, a travel blog might publish a list of the best gear for taking photos while traveling. This type of article is a great way to build trust with your audience and will likely result in a high conversion rate.
How-to or tutorial posts can also be an effective form of affiliate marketing. These types of posts typically feature a step-by-step process that requires the use of various products. For example, a DIY tutorial on how to create paper flowers would require various craft supplies and specialty papers. This type of post is effective because it provides a valuable guide to your readers while making you a small commission on each purchase.
Finally, email newsletters are an excellent tool for promoting affiliate products. By adding an affiliate link in the body of a newsletter, you can target a niche audience while simultaneously building trust and credibility. However, it is important to remember that you should only add affiliate links in the body of newsletters that are relevant and informative. Otherwise, your readers may be put off and lose trust in you.
Create a Video
Before you start shooting video, you should have a clear idea of the purpose and goal. This can help you narrow down the audience and product type that your video will be best suited for, as well as set your budget.
It’s also important to know where you plan to share your videos. YouTube and other video-sharing sites have their own priorities, and they may or may not allow you to post affiliate links in your videos. For example, YouTube prioritizes keeping viewers on their site, so they won’t allow you to link directly to an eCommerce store. However, other social platforms like IGTV and LinkedIn have no problem with affiliate links in your videos.
While some videos do not need a script, most affiliate marketing videos require at least a basic outline. This can be used to map out the shots that will be taken, the music you want playing over the video, and other components of the production. Having this outline will not only ensure that the video moves in a logical way, but it will help you stay on track with your desired outcome.
Tutorials are a great way to promote affiliate products. They show people how to use the product and help them make a purchase decision. Often, people who watch tutorials are further along in the buying process than those who just view a product promotion on a website or social media.
Another great type of affiliate marketing video is a comparison video. These videos show multiple different products side-by-side to help consumers choose which one is best for their needs. They are also a great way to reach a wide audience, since many people will watch multiple videos from the same person before making a decision.
Lastly, live-stream videos are a fun and creative way to promote products to your followers. They can be recorded on your phone and uploaded to your social media accounts, as well as your blog or website. They are often more engaging than written content and can increase viewer retention by allowing your audience to interact with you.
Create a Social Media Post
Social media affiliates are an incredible way to move warm leads down your sales funnel. They can also be a powerful tool for creating brand awareness, especially when working with influencers. If you’re a business owner looking to take your social media affiliate program to the next level, here are some things to consider:
Encourage your affiliates to talk about your products on their own channels. This will help them feel more like part of the team rather than a sales force. This can be done by incorporating product posts into their regular content in a natural cadence so they don’t oversaturate their audience’s feeds.
Make sure your affiliates have access to high-quality images they can use for their social media promotions. This will ensure that they post beautiful and effective ads that are more likely to drive conversions. You can even offer them access to custom-made graphics if you want to go the extra mile.
Another great way to get social media affiliates excited about your products is to run giveaways. People are always drawn to contests, and they can be a great way to increase engagement on your Facebook page and boost affiliate clicks and sales. The easiest way to organize a giveaway on Facebook is with the plugin RafflePress, which allows you to create engaging giveaways in just a few clicks.
One of the best ways to promote your affiliate programs on Twitter is through hashtags. These can bring in thousands of new followers, customers, and leads. Find out which ones are trending in your niche and make sure to include them in your content.
If your products are visually appealing, you can also work with influencers on platforms like Instagram and Pinterest to promote them. These influencers can share their photos of your products in their feeds, with a swipe-up link that will take viewers directly to the product’s sales page. Alternatively, you can partner with YouTubers to create product videos and tutorials. These can be very helpful for people who are considering making a purchase, and the videos can showcase the actual product in action, which is important when it comes to building trust with potential buyers.
