As an online marketing consultant, I get to have my brain and hands into a little bit of everything. Having come from a start-up environment, I wouldn’t have it any other way. In fact, I see many advantages and cross benefits to leading different marketing channels. One of the most obvious to me is affiliate marketing and social media.
I am passionate about social media and affiliate management for many of the same reasons. The biggest reason is the ability to engage one on one with people I would never normally get to meet. Whether it is an awesome affiliate where common grounds go beyond business or a social media fan who reaches out on such a personal level I feel I made a new friend. And we always have one thing in common…love of the brand.
So here is when I started connecting the dots and merging my affiliate recruitment efforts with my social media initiatives. I am not talking about writing a post about “Make money with my brand.” I am talking about introducing Brand Enthusiasts to affiliate marketing. Here is how it works
1) Establish a strong relationship with your brand enthusiasts on social media.
2) Reward him/her for participation. It does not have to be expensive. It could be as simple as a water bottle, t-shirt, etc.
3) Take the relationship to email or Direct Messaging. Usually this happens in the reward process.
4) See if they are interested in monetizing their passion for the brand and introduce them to the concept of affiliate marketing
5) Provide him/her with a step by step How To for linking and signing up. Remember, this person is not a standard affiliate most of the time
6) Reward differently as an affiliate, remembering their first passion is the brand
7) Communicate uniquely since this is a personal relationship you do not want to treat them like a business partner because at this point they see you as a friend
Does it take a little extra time? Yes but in a world where content is king and quality leads are supreme it is well worth it!
What are your favorite affiliate recruitment channels?
Thank you http://blog.hear-our-voices.org for the image