Whether you are new to affiliate marketing or have been using it to grow your business for some time, finding the right people to promote your brand is a key priority. Most brands invest a lot of time and resources to find the best affiliates, but the thing is, you don’t have to look that far for the best partners. This is because your customers make the best affiliates for your brand.
Affiliate customers provide you with an organic way to drive sales and build a community. However, converting customers into affiliates requires precision. You’ll have to offer them the best incentives and create an efficient system for running the campaigns.
In this article, you will learn how to get customers for affiliate marketing so you can harness the potential of your brand community to grow your sales.
Why Do Customers Make The Best Affiliates
Your customers already know and trust the brand. They are talking about it online and recommending your products to their friends. Whether by sharing a snap of your product on Instagram or posting a review on your website, your loyal customers give you the social proof you need to attract more customers to your business.
Customers are trustworthy
When customers talk about your product online, they uplift your business so that other forms of marketing cannot. This is because their messages are authentic, thus giving you a genuine voice to reach your target users. 90% of consumers trust the opinions of other shoppers more than any other form of advertising, making word of mouth a valuable asset for your brand.
With affiliate customers, you will not have to create ads or come up with catchphrases that make customers feel like they are being sold to. Instead, the affiliate customer explains what made them buy your products and why others should too.
Customers offer unique insights
There are so many options online that make the shopping experience overwhelming for the average consumer. In most cases, the ads are misleading or fake. That’s why people use what others have to say about a brand to guide their shopping decisions.
When customers share their experience with a specific brand, they provide unique product insights that draw more customers. They can share their experience through detailed reviews and how-to guides that are more powerful than ads and other branded content.
Customers love being rewarded
The opportunity to become an affiliate for your brand can be quite exciting for your customers because they know they will earn rewards for every successful referral. Customers love rewards, and an affiliate program gives them the chance to earn monetary compensation, discounts on future purchases, and content upgrades. Take Dropbox, for example, which grew 3900% with a simple referral program. Such win-win situations give you the chance to build brand loyalty and improve your sales.
Here’s How To Convert Customers Into Affiliates
Wondering how to affiliate products with the help of your customers? Use the tips below to convert your customers into productive affiliates for your brand.
1. Get the word out online
The first thing you need to do to bring customers into your affiliate marketing program is to let them know that an affiliate program exists in the first place. You can use several channels to promote your program to the customers.
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Emails
Send emails to your customers to inform them about your affiliate program. Tell them how the program works and what they gain when they become your brand affiliates.
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Social Media
Promote your affiliate program on social media. With most of your loyal customers following you on social media, advertising your affiliate program on your social profiles is an effective way to bring productive affiliate customers on board.
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Banners
Display banners on your website to advertise your affiliate program. Make sure the banner has all the details about the program, such as how to join and the benefits.
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Blog posts
Create a blog post to advertise your affiliate marketing program. Explain how the program works in the blog and include CTAs to entice people to join.
2. Offer great deals
One of the effective ways to persuade customers to join your affiliate program is to offer great deals. What will the customers gain for joining the program? Will they get monetary compensation or discounts on future purchases?
These are some of the things customers will consider before joining the program. If your offers are not impressive, you will struggle to convince people to become your affiliate marketing customers.
3. Offer great customer service
For many people, great customer service is the main factor that determines if they will work for your company or not. So, to boost your chances of attracting the best customers to your affiliate program, you need to provide stellar customer service. And when you finally land your desired affiliates, your excellent customer service will guide your affiliates on how to interact with potential customers.
4. Offer rewards and surprise deals
It’s no secret that shoppers love freebies and discounts. Your customers are no different thus providing coupons and discount codes will help you attract more customers and generate more sales.
Offering such kinds of rewards will not only help you boost your revenue, but it’s another effective way to make people talk about your brand. Happy shoppers will share your praises online, which will give you the social proof needed to appeal to demanding customers. Such users are prime candidates for your affiliate program, and with a bit of persuasion, you can get them to join the program.
5. Personalize content
There’s nothing more attractive to your customers than personalized content. Customers are naturally attracted to brands that know who they are and can personalize how they communicate.
Personalizing customer communications is easy, and you can start by including their names in emails to give them a personal touch. You can also recognize special events in your customers’ lives, such as birthdays, and send them something special to show you care.
6. Actively ask for feedback
Affiliate customers will only stick with the brands that value their opinions. And since you cannot read the minds of your customers, you need to find a way to get their feedback. You can do this by asking them to leave an online review after purchasing a product. Also, offering surveys and having a suggestion box are excellent ways to learn what customers have to say about your brand.
When customers see that you are actively seeking their feedback and acting on it, they are more likely to stick with your brand and recommend it to others.
7. Analyze data
Track customer actions and use analytics to understand customer behavior. Create a system that will help you understand how people found your business when they purchase online. You should be able to tell the pages they visited, the ads they clicked, which products they viewed, and more.
Use this information to understand the best ways to target and recruit the best customers. The information will also guide you on how best to convert the customers into affiliate partners and improve your customer experience.
8. Segment email lists
Email is an effective communication channel for online brands, but you shouldn’t send the same message to your email subscribers. As your email list grows, you will quickly realize you have a diverse subscriber base. The members have different needs, and you’ll have to segment your email list to serve them effectively.
You can choose to segment your list based on their purchase amount, subscription level, or how often they interact with your support team. With your lists defined, you can create custom messaging to connect with your users at a personal level.
9. Reach out
Lastly, take time to connect with your potential affiliate customers personally. When they comment on your posts online, make sure to engage them to show that you value their contribution. For example, when they share your social media posts, be sure to thank them and encourage them to join your affiliate program. Not only will they be happy you noticed their interaction, but they will be more likely to review your program and join your affiliate team.
When you create a network of affiliate customers ready to promote your brand, you need to ensure the activation process is as smooth as possible. Set clear expectations about how the affiliate will promote your brand, the channels they will use, and the key message they should focus on.
You also need a smooth setup for running the logistical aspects of your campaign. Try Atisfyreach. It’s AI-driven algorithm matches brands with the ideal influencers based on the campaign’s goals – be it an increase in brand awareness, more engagement, or boosting revenue at scale.
Using an AI-based platform like Atisfyreach will help you generate affiliate links to track the campaign performance of your affiliate customers. This will ensure a smooth experience for you as a brand and your affiliates.
Register today to get started.
