Social media is an obvious answer, in fact, so obvious that I am going to gloss over it. I have found that the best way to really generate engagement with affiliate links is in value-forward and higher-conversion environments.
Let me explain.
Value-forward is the name of the game. No one wants to be barraged by incessant sales pitches because that kind of communication is very one-sided from a value perspective. The audience gives up some of their time in exchange for something that is valuable only to the other party.
On the other hand, when the sales pitch isn’t a sales pitch but content that the audience will find valuable that’s where you want your promotion to live.
Start by creating value for your audience, then piggyback your promotion on the tail end of that value.
By now you have probably realized that I am talking about content marketing. There are a million ways to build a profitable content marketing strategy but they all revolve around a value-forward mindset.
Content marketing can be as simple as a blog post with a CTA, or as complex as a series of professionally shot explainer videos. But a value-forward mindset isn’t the best way to promote your affiliate links. It’s just the way you get your foot in the door.
The real money comes from interactions that take place in higher-conversion environments. Social sharing of affiliate links can work for low ticket products or unique, quirky items that fit the social mood, but a lot of the technique there is spray and pray or to rely on influencer status. Not only that, but social media is a crowded and competitive landscape where your audience has a dwindling attention span and is more interested in cat videos anyway.
Use a value-forward mindset to build a rapport with your audience so that they invite you into their lives.
That means email.
Let’s briefly revisit the steps to starting your own affiliate marketing business using a content marketing strategy.
Relying on cold traffic to convert on your content, no matter how discoverable, will yield mediocre results at best. But once you collect your audience’s information, then you can leverage your rapport and the history of value you have provided to them to influence their decision-making process.
Email is the perfect medium for this communication. Think about it. Sure, everyone gets a million emails a day, but unlike scrolling through Facebook or Twitter, there isn’t something else jumping out at you and urging you to keep moving on when you open an email. For that brief window of time you are focused on one thing at a time.
Email marketing continues to yield the highest conversions despite the advent of new digital marketing strategies.
In my opinion, the best place to promote your affiliate links is in an email. One-on-one, in a higher-conversion environment, with a history of providing value (a value-forward mindset).
For new affiliate marketers, check out my article on the topic: Exactly How to Win at The Affiliate Marketing Game
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