Do Affiliate Marketing and Social Media Fit Well Together?

Affiliate marketing and social media might seem to go together like peanut butter and chocolate – but do they really? Let’s explore the myths and the facts around promoting affiliate products on social media sites.

First of all, think about why you joined social media in the first place. Most likely it was to connect with your friends and family and to share photos, videos, and updates. You may have gone along this road for several years before you had the idea to get involved with affiliate marketing on some level. So you posted a link to the latest product or course or service and kept your fingers crossed that someone, anyone would click on your link and buy what you were promoting.

It probably didn’t turn out this way at all. Maybe friends and family members thought your social media profile had been hacked, or maybe they were offended that you would post such a thing. No matter what the outcome, you should not have been surprised.

So now let’s discuss the most effective way to use affiliate marketing and social media in unison. I like to think of this as starting a conversation around a topic of interest to many and then drilling down to a more focused discussion about something much more specific. Let’s use dogs as an example.

I own several little dogs (actually, they own me!) and I like to share photos of them on my Facebook page from time to time. It seems that most of my friends love small dogs because they are cute and sometimes act silly. So let’s say that I’d like to recommend a product on how to prepare natural, healthy food for your dog through my affiliate link.

Even though the majority of my Facebook friends are willing to “like” or even “love” my post about how my Yorkie is snoring once again, very few will be interested in cooking healthy meals for their dogs. But I believe that out of my almost five thousand friends there will be a small percentage who are interested, so I’m willing to go for it.

I start the conversation with a photo of my dog sleeping in her basket and make a comment about her snoring. As people begin to comment I gently turn the conversation towards the food I have been preparing for her. If even one person asks me a question about this or shares their own experience in this area, then I will add my link to the product and share why it is a worthwhile one to check out.

What is even more effective is if you create a Facebook page on your general topic and then make recommendations there over time. I would recommend making it breed specific and addressing the common concerns of owners of this breed. Then people who like that page would be good prospects for what you will promote. Does this make sense?

Social media and affiliate marketing can indeed be a good match when you approach it in a logical way where everyone benefits.

I’m Connie Ragen Green, online marketing strategist, bestselling author, and international speaker on the topics of entrepreneurship and inner game mind shifts. Let’s connect to see how I may best serve you in the near future. And please be sure to check out my Really Simple Affiliate Marketing training course.  Affiliate marketing tips will help you to achieve the success you want and deserve. And be sure to pick up a copy of my bestselling book, Huge Profits with Affiliate Marketing: How to Build an Online Empire by Recommending What You Love.