Affiliate marketing is very prevalent in the world of digital marketing today. Because of its effectivity, many have taken advantage of social media to increase their presence in the competitive space of the World Wide Web. Of all the social media sites available, one of the most popular is Instagram. Because of its ease-of-use and real-time updates, many social media users now tend to update their Instagram profiles more than other social media accounts.
Apart from personal Instagram accounts, there are also numerous business accounts. From selling their own products to other forms of marketing, such as affiliate marketing, these are popularly seen and done on Instagram. Hence, when you talk about digital marketing, it seems as if affiliate marketing and Instagram go hand-in-hand.
Affiliate marketing means of working as an affiliate to promote the goods and services of a company. You use your social media following (in this case, Instagram) to market goods and products. For every Instagram post that you dedicate to these products and services, you are paid a fee. Or for every new client that purchases from them because of your post, you are paid a commission on top of your fee. If you want to learn more about Instagram affiliate marketing, also check out informational websites such as journalreview.org.
This is precisely why Instagram has become a very bankable avenue for affiliate marketing. For starters, you do not even need to have a million followers. Even with as little as 1,000 followers, for as long as you are engaging, you begin to increase your Instagram presence. This means that the more followers you have, the higher your fees become too.
If you are interested in walking this path, here are some tips on how you can make money through Instagram affiliate marketing:
- Start Building A Strong Following
If you only have 500 followers as of the moment, do not be dismayed. Bear in mind that the most popular Instagram influencers at present also had to start with just a few followers. You cannot naturally expect to be an Instagram success overnight. It takes a lot of patience and hard work. And one of the first steps that you will have to go through is building a strong following.
A strong following doesn’t necessarily equate to millions of followers. What are these millions of followers going to be worth if you do not take the time engage with them? Companies who are looking for affiliate marketers are constantly on the hunt for Instagram accounts that have always been engaging with the current followers that they have. They want to see that you know how to grab your followers’ attention, and you know how to put your account to good use. You can also buy Instagram accounts to increase the followers count.
Here are some of the best ways you can build a strong foundation of followers:
- Be interactive and respond to comments on your account.
- Tag the location that you are in. This is, in a way, marketing the place. And, it also gives you the chance to increase your followers, as it puts you on the global “Explore” map.
- Take the time to comment and like other influencers accounts and follow them, too.
- Get free instagram followers without a trial
- Always Post Links On Your Instagram Account
Digital marketing is all about linking. And the same goes for affiliate marketing. As an influencer, it is your job to use Instagram to link to websites of products and services that you are trying to promote. But the tricky part is this: as of late, Instagram has yet to allow links to be posted on the caption of photos. So, how can you be effective in posting links on your account? Here are some tips:
- Tag the location of the place that you are in. These locations can be clicked, or it makes it easier for your followers to remember these places, or take a screenshot and manually type it on their browsers.
- Alternately, you can also tag the Instagram account of the company/place/service that you are trying to promote. This is still related to the process of linking.
- Post the links that you are promoting on your bio space, on the top part of your account, close to where your photo is. Links on the bio field can be clicked, and successfully opened.
- If you have at least 10,000 followers, you can include links on the “Swipe Up” feature of Instagram Stories, wherein when a follower swipes up, the page is transported to the web page that you are promoting as an affiliate.
Links also allow you to have a stronger Internet presence. The more that you link to other users or websites, the higher the chances your followers would increase as well.
- Ensure Your Photos Are In Good Quality
There’s a reason why the term “Instagrammable” came into conception. For you to have a stronger presence on Instagram, you have to make sure your photos are in good quality, too. There’s really no problem in using cellphones to record photos and videos of what you are trying to promote, but keep in mind that you need to make some adjustments. Take the time to ensure that the lighting is better, that the filters work great, or that you are using the same or similar filters throughout your feed. Keep your Instagram photos coherent and, most of all, clear. This is how you can attract the attention of other Instagram users, and even of brands that may want to sponsor you or send items you can promote.
For example, if you are sent tickets to a resort for you to promote it, be sure that your posts are beautifully done. After all, it as if you are doing a marketing campaign. When you are effective in keeping your photo quality excellent, more and more brands will approach you, resulting in better income.
- Stay Positive On Your Instagram Account
No company would ever want to be affiliated with an influencer who’s constantly posts negative or depressing content on their Instagram page. As much as possible, keep your page holistic, so that it can be viewed by people of all ages. Spread some positive vibes all over your Instagram account, and try not to post or engage any negative comments.
Of course, it’s inevitable that you might have some opinions about hot-button topics or issues that you feel very strongly about. This is not to say that you are to sugarcoat your opinion. However, do keep in mind that if the primary purpose of your Instagram account is to let you become an influencer and an affiliate marketer, it’s still best to approach sensitive topics without being negative or hateful. There are intelligent ways to voice out opinions in a way that won’t seem hostile or detrimental to both your brand and your followers, especially if the majority of them are young.
- Take Advantage Of The Video Option, Too
Instagram has regularly been evolving. There are new changes brought about in this platform, and it could be to your advantage to use these changes for your benefit. Instead of keeping yourself confined only to photos, you can also switch it up a bit from time to time by using the video option as well. Post videos whenever you can, and take the time to interact with your followers, too. This will strengthen your engagement and interaction with your followers, which is also very attractive for brands who are searching for Instagram influencers.
For example, perhaps you can take the time to say hello to your followers through a video or to update them with what you have been up to—all in 15 seconds. Or show a short clip about how you incorporate certain products and services in your life to make your efforts more convincing. With videos, your followers will get a stronger sense of who you are as a personality, and how you would like to be more in touch with them as well.
- Stay Relevant
If you are a married woman with kids, perhaps you should say no to brands that are trying to promote dating services. It just wouldn’t match, and you wouldn’t sound realistic either. Your followers are smart enough to know that, obviously, because you are already married, there is no way in the world that you are using the app. It is an ad. Hence, you cease to be effective as an affiliate marketer.
Remember that the goal of an influencer is to be able to reach out to their target audience in an authentic manner, as opposed to celebrities, for example, whose status may not be attainable to your followers. People generally tend to shy away from personalities who are blatantly promoting ads compared to those who do it in a subtle and more realistic way. Hence, be sure to choose the brands and companies carefully, too. Make sure that it is relevant and realistic to who you are in real life, and keep it within that level. You are making yourself more bankable when you are establishing a particular niche to which you belong, in comparison to being all over the place, grabbing every chance to promote every single item that is sent to you. While you get a lot of items you can promote, the danger here is that the credibility you’ve built may be challenged if a certain product or service proves to be faulty or inefficient.
Conclusion
If you take a good look around Instagram today, you would see that Instagram influencers are flourishing everywhere. Instagram has become a very profitable means of making money. These influencers work in affiliate marketing, and they do earn a substantial income. Others have enjoyed Instagram affiliate marketing so much that they have even left their daily jobs. The pay is quite competitive as well. If you were previously on the fence about whether or not Instagram affiliate marketing is right for you, perhaps these tips on how to start can help you make a more firm decision. Why not put all those hours spent on social media to good use?
