Looking For Affiliate Partners To Promote Your Products?

Having trouble finding affiliate partners to promote your products? Many companies have started an affiliate program without ever seeing any hint of success. As a business owner, you don’t need a large budget to set up and grow your own affiliate program that can generate sales and revenue. The use of affiliate marketing strategies for passive income has become increasingly popular and relevant to digital content creators, as consumers demonstrate a preference for online shopping.

It’s now common practice for YouTubers, bloggers, and influencers to include affiliate links with any product mentions or reviews, as it’s one of the best ways to monetize their content. Consumers are generally familiar with the concept of “affiliate links” and recognize hyperlinked product recommendations as such. Now more than ever, it’s a good idea to learn how to get affiliates to sell your product and tap into this performance-based advertising channel.

What is Affiliate Marketing

An affiliate is an individual or business (a third party) that promotes your product or service, as a form of endorsement to incentivize customers, through a trackable URL link. A merchant (the product creator) pays a percentage-based commission on all conversions linked back to an affiliate.

The ecommerce industry recognizes affiliate marketing as one of the most efficient and effective online marketing techniques for retailers of all sizes to reach more people and increase profits in a short amount of time.

  • Minimize costs of advertising through performance-based compensation.
  • Gain wider exposure to larger audiences across channels.
  • Boost SEO with increased traffic and backlinks to your website.
  • Generate sales by creating a passive income stream.

But without deploying multiple effective strategies simultaneously, it can quickly become a draining task to recruit affiliates for a newly-established affiliate program.

23 Budget-Friendly Ways to Find Affiliates and Start an Affiliate Program:

1.Turn Your Customers into Affiliates

Your best salespeople are your existing customers, right? It’s a common method in network and multi-level marketing, where you promote your affiliate program to every customer that has placed an order. A happy customer is inclined to suggest your product or service to their network (and the average Facebook user has 338 friends), so it’s even better if they can earn some money while doing so. But before sending an email to tell them about your affiliate program, first make sure they were satisfied with their purchase.

2. Put the Link in the Right Place on Your Website

Include a link to your affiliate program sign-up page on your website, in the footer. That’s the first place where affiliates will look for a link to join an affiliate program.

3. Incorporate Videos to Explain How Your Affiliate Program Works

Video marketing is equally as important for boosting SEO as the written copy on your website. The majority of internet users consume online content though video, and it also helps you stand out from competitors – with a better retention rate too.

4. Create a Page With Information About Your Program

Build a separate landing page with comprehensive information and compelling copy. Incentivize visitors to join your affiliate program, have a standout call-to-action, and always be transparent with information about payouts and commission structures.

5. Write Clear Terms and Conditions

This goes without saying, but it is important for a plethora of reasons not to mindlessly use generic T&C copy from a template, and rather customize the rules according to your business.

6. No Need to Apply

Don’t implement an unnecessary application process. Make approval to your affiliate program instant, no application required. This means that affiliates will get instant access to their affiliate links and management area to start promoting right away.

7. Use Your Email Signature

Put a brief description and link to your affiliate program in your email signature (or as a PS).

8. Offer an Attractive Commission

Be generous and motivate affiliates with high commissions. Try to get your commission as close to the 20-30% range if possible, and avoid lower commissions unless your products are very costly.

9. Set Commissions on Multiple Tiers

At Tier 1 conversion, affiliates receive a commission when they refer a lead (via an affiliate link) and they convert. If that user then goes on to refer others, with their affiliate link, you receive a commission on those conversions too, which is Tier 2. In a multi-tier program, you can theoretically have an infinite number of tiers, although there are practical limitations which make two tiers the optimal number.

10.  Give Gifts to New Affiliates

This could either be a free offer of your product or a complementary product and it might persuade a potential affiliate to join your program. But if they only receive the gift after making their first sale, make that clear.

11. Use a Live Chat Functionality on Your Website

Allow your potential customers and affiliates to have immediate and direct contact with your business, in real time. The benefits of this are increased customer satisfaction and subsequent conversions.

12. Offer VIP Conditions for Top-Performing Affiliates

Show the rewards for your best performing affiliates (prizes, higher commissions, or special performance bonuses).

13. Find Niche Blogs to Review Your Products

Search Google for niche articles and try to build a relationship with the blogger. Don’t just cold pitch your affiliate program to them. Instead, introduce them to the product, and ask if they would be willing to test and review it – no strings attached, using an affiliate link if they’d like. More often than not, if someone is writing a blog about a particular topic, they have a vested interest in it and are looking to grow their community of like-minded people. So, if the product helps provide useful content, they will write about it.

14. Pay Micro-Influencers to Mention Your Products on Social Media

Millions of people are spending their time on social networking sites and taking life advice from the celebrities of the internet: influencers. They are individuals who have garnered a following of some kind and have a specific niche. Micro-influencers charge as little as $20 for a shout-out on their channels, or will even promote your products for the affiliate commission alone. By selecting a suitable influencer, you can use their reach and their content to increase your sales.

15. Run $1-5 Facebook Ads

Facebook advertising doesn’t cost hundreds of dollars, and you can start with as little as $1 per day to recruit a large number of affiliates. You must install Facebook Pixel on all pages in your funnel and have custom conversions set up to monitor the success of your campaign.

16. Showcase Reviews & Build Social Proof

Use a review platform that enables customers to publish reviews which you can display on your website. Social proof influences people to make decisions differently to what they would have, if they had only their own judgment to rely on. So, leverage third-party influence to sway potential affiliates into selling your product or service.

17. Run a Limited-Period Affiliate Contest

Contests are a good way to convince affiliates to focus their marketing efforts on your program. They can be content-based or run alongside a product launch campaign. After choosing a goal and deciding on the type of affiliate contest, you must decide on the rewards and prizes. The increased promotional efforts will translate into more sales and commissions.

18. Provide Affiliates with Free Promotional Tools and Training

Create all the marketing materials that they would need for a successful launch, including: links, blog reviews, articles, email templates, videos, banners, signatures, social media copy, Facebook ads copy, and swipes.

19.  Do Targeted Research & Cold Outreach

Find websites or LinkedIn profiles that appear to be an appropriate match for your product or service, and reach out with an invitation to join your affiliate program.

20.  Advertise on Groove Marketplace

Groove has a free marketplace for members where you are able to create and publish your affiliate program. Not only does it attract super affiliates, but many already have experience promoting products and have an existing list. You could also try listing on other marketplaces, including freelance platforms such as Fiverr, but this can often be like finding a needle in a haystack.

21. Join Affiliate Communities & Attend Events

Get active and start networking! This will give you the opportunity to meet with potential affiliates, in a more casual and inexpensive way. Don’t just pitch them, but listen to them. Use one-on-one facetime to try to help them solve their pain points, and promote your affiliate program in a more indirect way.

22. Affiliate Networks & Directories

This is an obvious but tried-and-tested method. Join one of the popular and reputable affiliate networks, such as ClickBank, JVZoo, or CJ Affiliate, to promote your affiliate program and have affiliates come to you. Some networks and directories will charge you to list your product and others will take a commission on each sale. This will only work well if you are offering a competitive commission structure and lucrative incentives.

Aside from these networks, you can also find affiliate programs directories to promote your program (many of these are free). There are also paid services that can help you connect with potential affiliates whose blog or site matches your needs – or you can do it yourself.

23.  Have an Amazing Product and Post-Sale Service

Offering high commission is not enough for an affiliate program to thrive, there needs to be trust too. If you sell a bad product that will ultimately attract lots of complaints and negative reviews, and then have poor customer service to handle issues, this will detract top-quality affiliates. In the world of affiliate marketing, you have no control over the order fulfilment and customer service. By giving affiliates peace of mind that they won’t end up damaging their reputation or hurt their brand by associating with your product or service, you will attract loyal affiliates.

Choosing Affiliate Tracking and Management Software

Affiliate software is used to track and manage the performance of your affiliate partners. The ability to track affiliate conversions and revenue in real-time is impossible without the convenience of software solutions, so a robust platform is an essential component of running an affiliate program.

There are a number of these software solutions on the market that can be integrated into your marketing stack, such as Groove.CM, TapAffiliate, iDevAffiliate, OSI Affiliate, Tune, and Post Affiliate Pro. And all these tools have the following basic features:

  • Generate unique affiliate tracking codes and URL links.
  • Track referring traffic sources.
  • Monitor affiliate performance by traffic volume, clicks, and conversions.
  • Detect fraud or terms and conditions violations.

Groove.CM is the world’s fastest growing all-in-one CRM for digital and ecommerce marketers, and it includes a vast array of software applications to build a successful affiliate army.

GrooveAffiliate™ is a robust affiliate tracking platform that works in conjunction with GrooveSell™ to track the sales of your products and pay out commissions with ease.

GrooveAffiliate™ & GrooveSell™

It’s no secret that Groove has the most powerful affiliate software and integrations on the market. Plus, there’s no need to pay for multiple software subscriptions (which can average at $99-$299 per month, per application) and struggle with duct-tape solutions to run your online business.

While each app can function as an independent platform, they are designed and developed to be easily integrated with other Groove apps to have one place for all your business needs. With Groove.CM apps, such as GrooveAffiliate™ and GrooveSell™, you can streamline your operations and save money at the same time.

GrooveAffiliate™ – affiliate tracking software

  • Switch between affiliate or vendor view
  • Get reporting on your funnels and affiliates
  • Track your promotions and create unique tracking links
  • Deliver bonuses to anyone who signs up to a product through you
  • Access a marketplace of affiliate products to promote

GrooveSell™ – sales and affiliate system

  • No monthly fees
  • No transaction fees
  • Free templates
  • Unlimited product funnels
  • Unlimited affiliates and powerful affiliate software
  • Comprehensive analytics and data
  • Track and manage your customers, leads, and sales

To find free training for Groove.CM apps, search our regularly updated platforms:

How to Contact GrooveFunnels Support

Go to www.groovesupport.net and select from the following options:

  • Search the self-help articles in the knowledge base,
  • Select the live chat option in the bottom-right corner, or
  • Create a ticket in the top-right corner.

(For more information on the Groove Affiliate Partner Program, go to www.groovejv.com and start earning 20% commission by promoting Groove products, using a free Groove.CM account.)