Affiliate marketing, although an emerging and lucrative industry, is one of the toughest kinds of marketing out there. Affiliate marketing demands an innovative approach at attempting to sell products and services on myriad websites. By virtue of its nature, affiliate marketing is heavily dependent on link building, as links play a seminal role in the process. Marketers need to constantly resort to creative, yet pragmatic means of acquiring backlinks and crafting fresh strategies to attract sustainable traffic who purchase/avail the product via the affiliate link.
What is Affiliate Marketing?
A predominantly performance-based marketing, it works through rewarding the affiliates for each customer they are able to convert into sales. For instance, an affiliate marketer for Amazon would sell the products from the Amazon marketplace on different websites using his/her affiliate link. If a prospective customer makes a purchase using the link, the affiliate marketer would get a percentage of the sales, which is also applicable for incent app downloads.
The four major players in affiliate marketing are as follows:
- the merchant
- the network
- the publisher
- the customer
Affiliate links are product links that contain the affiliate’s ID or username. This link allows companies to track and record the traffic that is sent to the advertiser’s website. It also allows them to track cumulative sales made by the marketer. Affiliate link building can be a daunting task, and top agencies offering digital marketing services constantly resort to creative measures for making actual sales. Let us look into a few tips for effective affiliate link building:
1. Carry Out In-Depth Research
Research is essential for familiarizing yourself with the nuances of affiliate marketing. Try and learn about the various kinds of marketing strategies, along with the innovative ways in which you can market your product. You should also conduct extensive research on your client base, garner an understanding of audience personas, and so on. If you do not have a thorough understanding of your product and customer base, you are bound to fail even before you start.
2. Incorporate Visual Appeal
While good content is indispensable, you must also focus on other forms of promotion. Visual representation works best, in the form of comparison charts, infographics, videos, pictures, reviews, and the like. However, do not rely solely on visual support, as you would also want to include meaningful content to boost readership.
3. Steer Clear of 404 Errors
404 errors are bad news, always. These errors tend to have a major impact on legitimacy and create an unfavourable impression for potential customers. If an existing link is broken, people assume that the website is dubious and distrustful. You can use Chrome extensions, such as ‘Check My Links’, along with tools like Ahrefs to identify broken links and fix them.
4. Offer Relevant Content
While photos, videos, and infographics add panache to your website, quality content is always the best way to get recognized. Offering relevant content that is in sync with the product you are trying to sell, can definitely help you convert more leads into sales.
5. Use Link Localizer
Link localizers are an easy way to redirect customers to the original site for completing the actual purchase. Link localizers make the transfer process more easy and efficient, which is why this is a great tool for affiliate marketers. However, it is advisable that you use it at your own discretion.
Here’s wishing you a fruitful affiliate marketing journey!
