What to Look for in Affiliate Partners
Contents
When you begin to monetize your website content and pursue affiliate marketing for a living rather than as a side hustle, you’ll quickly realize that the more people and businesses you have in your corner, the more successful you can be. However, getting started with building partnerships can seem like a daunting task.
Which affiliates should you pursue? Are partnerships really that effective? What is expected of affiliate partners?
In this post, we’ll explain what affiliate partnerships are and what makes them beneficial. We’ll also give you a few things to keep in mind as you begin building affiliate partnerships for your online business.
Are you prepared to dive into the world of affiliate marketing? Get started with Pretty Links!
What Is An Affiliate Partnership?
An affiliate partnership is a pretty simple arrangement. Basically, it’s a mutual agreement between you and an affiliate program or your affiliate program and an individual or business to promote one another’s affiliate products or services equally.
What Makes Affiliate Partnerships So Great?
Following are a few reasons you should pursue affiliate partnerships to amp up your own marketing efforts:
- Saves Time. When you begin working with affiliate partners, you can give them a basic guideline for what you’re planning to promote. Then, they have the ability to develop their own promotions without you having to spend additional time creating content for them (unless, of course, you want to).
- Broader Brand Awareness/Visibility. Having affiliates from various walks of life who serve diverse audiences is fantastic because it makes your brand visible to all kinds of people at the same time with very little effort on your part.
- Saves Money. When you have multiple affiliate partners, you don’t need to set aside as much of your ad budget to target specific audiences. You can organically reach these same people through your affiliate partners’ promotions.
- Builds Business Connections. Affiliate partnerships not only help develop your business, they also help connect you with other unique companies and influencers. Those connections can do nothing but help you expand your contact base and meet more partners to work with.
What To Look For In An Affiliate Partner
Ultimately, the qualities your ideal affiliate partner should have will vary depending on your business goals. However, there are a few common characteristics you should look for when searching for ideal candidates to help promote your online business. The ideal partner should:
- Stay Up-To-Date. Any affiliate partner worth their salt will be eager to learn new things about their craft. Great affiliates will be open to learning the latest information and tools to help achieve more and make their (and your) business that much better.
- Be Open To Feedback. No one wants to deal with a person who refuses to take feedback. There may be times when an affiliate makes a misstep or shares something you feel is off brand. Since your affiliates represent your business, you have a right to communicate with them how you want your business represented. A good affiliate will be open to your feedback and never ignore your concerns.
- Be Consistent. A solid affiliate partner will be consistent with their content production and quality. Regular posting and engagement are key factors to look for.
- Be Reliable. Who wants to deal with someone they feel they can’t depend on? This works the same way in affiliate partnerships. If you’re busy promoting another business’ products, and you notice that they haven’t mentioned your company to their audience once, that’s a sign of an unequal exchange.
How To Create A Great Affiliate Partnership
Creating and cultivating a stable and effective affiliate partnership isn’t overly complicated or difficult. Here are a few simple steps you can take toward creating and growing your own.
- Don’t Shy Away From Networking. Whether online or offline, taking time to network with other small businesses and online entrepreneurs will help you meet new people who might be interested in working with you. Attending virtual conferences and events, participating in Twitter Chats, or just simply reaching out to a fellow business via email are all great ways to get your foot in the door and start creating partnerships.
- Ask For Referrals. Another great way to find partners for your affiliate program is to ask around for referrals and introductions. Chances are if your friends and colleagues think a company or affiliate is great, you’ll find them to be suitable business partners, too.
- Seek Out Businesses or Influencers With Common Interests. If you don’t have referrals to look into, another great way to create great affiliate partnerships is to seek out people who you notice share common interests with your business or brand. A simple Google or social media search will quickly help you find individuals and companies interested in what your customers are into and what your business has to offer.
Manage your affiliate links and monetize content that you already own with Pretty Links!
Final Thoughts
Affiliate partnerships are crucial if you want to promote your business without spending a ton of time and money on advertising or crafting complicated campaigns. When you have the right affiliates on your team, you’ll notice your business’ website traffic, social media engagement, email list, and even conversions begin to grow. Just be sure to keep the above tips in mind, and you’ll be establishing worthwhile partnerships in no time.
To learn more about affiliate marketing and how to make the best of your partnerships, be sure to check out these posts:
How to Find Swipe Copy That Converts
The Power of Backlink Audits (And How To Do One)