Like most innovation in the digital era, affiliate marketing has had its ebbs and flows. In a phase where the market may appear to be oversaturated, forward-thinkers are developing new ways to earn passive income. As a result, affiliate marketing on Facebook has come to the forefront.
One thing is for certain, Facebook has the largest audience of all social media platforms with 2.45 billion active monthly users. This makes it a great place to devise a strategy to earn money.
Facebook offers multiple tools to help any business in any industry to reach its target audience. It is up to the user to learn how each tool works and how to capitalize on it in their overall campaigns.
Affiliate marketing is more than devising a scheme to make a quick dollar. This type of thinking has done more to damage the concept than bolster it. The money will come easier as you perfect your techniques and stay abreast of industry news and concepts.
Are you looking for ways to grow your affiliate marketing reach? Keep reading for a beginner’s guide on how to make money posting links on Facebook.
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What is Affiliate Marketing on Facebook?
Affiliate marketing on Facebook is no different than marketing on any other social platform. The goal is to figure out how you can be successful on this platform.
In its purest form, affiliate marketing is advertising a product or service with the goal of getting people to click on a link and make a purchase. The product being sold is not owned by the marketer. In affiliate marketing, you’re acting as a middle-man to raise brand awareness for a company.
To earn revenue the person clicking on the link has to complete a purchase. Affiliate marketers receive a code that is attached to the link. The amount earned is based on the contract between you and the brand.
The link to make a purchase can lead to the brand’s website, an Amazon page, or another associated website.
There is a lot more that goes into the process. Choosing Facebook as a platform to reach buyers provides tools and opportunities to increase your revenue.
Build a Website for Your Business
Increasing visibility for the links you are promoting is one of the most important steps. Because lengthy posts are not ideal to gain traction on social media it is always a great idea to have your own website.
In affiliate marketing, you can use your website to showcase the products your promoting. Create a blog site that allows you to post full product descriptions and images, and then include your affiliate links in the call-to-action (CTA).
You can also build a product page visitors can go to and see everything you are promoting. This is useful when you’ve established yourself as a trustworthy marketer.
You can make money posting links on Facebook that lead to your website. This is in addition to links that will take people directly to the brand’s page to make a purchase.
Use SEO to Give Content a Boost
Search engine optimization will always have a place in marketing. It is important to optimize the content on your website and it is equally important to optimize on Facebook.
When it comes to Facebook affiliate marketing and SEO, you want to use strong keywords to attract people looking for a brand or product in your links. Include these keywords in the post text. Also, include them in the file name of your images and videos.
Be mindful when drafting your product descriptions to use descriptors that people will be searching for. Use the product name, colors associated with the products, and trending hashtags or themes.
Your website URL’s should also incorporate strong SEO practices to ensure when the links are shared to social media they include the correct image and blurb.
Create a Facebook Business Page
If you’re thinking about using affiliate links on Facebook and posting them to your profile page, think again. Facebook does not take kindly to businesses marketing via their profile page.
Profiles pages are for sharing with family and friends, not advertising to potential customers. You may get away with it for a while but it is important to understand how Facebook algorithms work. They seek out business-related content and minimize its reach when posted on a profile.
To create a profitable strategy on Facebook at a business level, you’ll need to create a Facebook business page. Facebook offers different tools to help businesses promote what they are selling.
It also increases the probability that the content will be seen by people interested in what you are offering. They opt to “like” your page and engage with its content. This is unlike posting on a profile page where people want to interact with friends.
Be Strategic in Your Facebook Posts
In everything you do to boost the visibility of the products you are advertising, you must be strategic. The goal on Facebook is to spark conversations and meaningful interactions with your followers and targeted audience.
You cannot expect people to automatically click on a link simply because it was posted on your page. In reality, the vast majority of people that like your page will never see what you post unless you boost the content.
For those who do see your content in their timelines, it is because they selected the option to follow your page. Imagine someone scrolling trough the posts from family, friends, and pages. What will separate your content for everything else?
The strongest argument for posting links in your posts is to isolate the potential buyer from all the distractions on Facebook. Don’t forget to use vibrant images, short videos, and attention-grabbing text.
Incorporate Groups Within Your Business Page
One of the latest tools Facebook offers to businesses is the ability to incorporate groups within their pages. With groups, you have the option to build an audience that is open to the public or private.
Groups give you the opportunity to segregate the content you are offering via your affiliate marketing on Facebook. There is the probability that the products you’re offering come from different industries. Groups will allow you to join people interested in beauty products in one group and those searching for technology devices in another.
Groups also allow you to address questions in a setting that does not interfere with or overwhelm people searching for different information.
Although many affiliate marketers work independently if your groups are a big success you can assign moderators to help you manage them.
Employ Organic Engagement
You are there to make money by posting links on Facebook but this cannot be your only method of engagement. People buy from people who they make a connection with. You cannot connect with people if your only content is links for them to buy something.
Create ways to connect with your audience and build a trusting relationship. Help them feel welcomed on your Facebook page even if they only say hello, or like the post. The more organic content you post the more likely people will share your content.
Organic engagement can be popular social media topics such as Monday Motivation, Wednesday Wisdom, and Throwback Thursday. You can also give people a glimpse into your personal life by sharing photos from a day at the beach or a community event.
Utilize Facebook Story
Stories have become a strong selling point on Facebook and businesses are finding ways to work it into their marketing strategy. Stories isolate content from regular timeline feeds and make it viewable for 24 hours.
Story content includes images and short videos. If you decide to advertise your content in the story feature, it will be promoted between the content posted by other Facebook users.
Facebook owns the popular social media platform, Instagram. When you advertise on Facebook, you can also elect to have your content appear on Instagram.
Go Live to Promote Products
Live video is a highly popular option on social media. Businesses have the option to go live on their pages. It is a great way to increase viewership and promote the products in your affiliate links.
In addition, live videos allow people to get to see beyond the posts on your page. If you are engaging and energetic, expect people to share your content. The more people aware of your business the more sales you are likely to make.
Budget for Facebook Ads
The adage that you have to spend money to make money also applies to affiliate marketing. This is the moment you will need to decide how serious you are about building a successful business.
Facebook ads are inexpensive and can get thousands of views on your content. If you craft a strong campaign you can recoup the investment quickly. Since gaining followers is important to the success of affiliate marketing it is well worth the investment.
Facebook advertising allows you to create a target audience. This is a huge benefit when you’re selling different products to different demographics. Your ads can promote a post or it can redirect them to your website or the site of the affiliate link.
Encourage Recommendations and Reviews
To help grow your affiliate marketing business on Facebook, make use of its recommendations app. This is where people rate your business and can also leave a written review.
With their new recommendations platform, if someone tags your Facebook page in their profile posts, Facebook will ask if they want to rate your page. They are prompted to rate your product or service between one and five.
You also have the option of asking people that have made a purchase from a link generated on Facebook, to go back and rate your service and leave a comment.
Look Into Using an Influencer
We’ve all heard of the influencer on social media platforms who sells products based on their popularity. These are usually well-known celebrities. Chances are you are not about to spend that kind of cash to sell someone else’s product.
You can explore free influencer marketing tools to learn the success brands are achieving from using influencers and the techniques they are using.
These apps can also help you find out if the products you’re pushing are also being sold by an influencer. You can then strategize on how to legally incorporate their content into your Facebook posts without infringing on their relationship with the brand.
Research Successful Facebook Marketers
Networking is always recommended in business. Learning from your peers will provide a shortcut to learning what works and what doesn’t. Affiliate marketing is a growing field so it should not be hard to find people on the same path as you.
Once you learn who they are, like their pages on social media. Engage with their content. When the time is right, reach out to see if the person is willing to connect offline.
There is no perfect formula for networking online so don’t put all your eggs in one basket. If someone ignores you or says no, it doesn’t mean the next person won’t be willing to work with you.
Make sure the relationships you build are reciprocal. Look for them to engage with your content as you have with theirs. The ultimate goal is to build your following and gain credibility from the relationship.
It’s Time to Grow
Affiliate marketing on Facebook will give you exposure to the largest audience on social media but should not be the only platform you utilize. Each social site has its own nuances and audience behaviors. Just because someone doesn’t react to techniques on one platform doesn’t mean you can’t reach them on another.
The ultimate goal is to be persistent and stay abreast of marketing trends.
I hope you found this quick guide useful in your journey to becoming a success on Facebook. Aside from this article I have plenty of resources to help you on your journey. Give them a try, they are sure to help make your marketing life easier.
