After setting up an online store on Shopify, you might be looking for ways to promote and grow your business. Digital marketing tactics can help to drive traffic to your website, but what if you want to grow more?
An affiliate marketing program can be an effective way to spread your name even further. Your affiliates can help drive more traffic to your e-commerce site and generate more sales. Here are eight tips for creating a profitable Shopify affiliate program that can help your business grow.
1. Recruit the Right Affiliates
When making a Shopify affiliate program, you need affiliates. After you get set up, it’s time to start recruiting affiliates to your program. There are several ways to find potential partners. Here are a few places to get started.
Your Social Media Accounts
The vast majority of consumers are active on at least one social media platform these days. In fact, approximately 67% of affiliate marketers connect with customers through their social media accounts. Because they’re already there, social media is a great place to recruit affiliates. Be sure to include the benefits of joining to help draw more applicants.
Your Website
Promote your affiliate program directly on your website. Again, highlight the benefits of joining your program and provide information that potential affiliates might want to know. Create a link that takes them to your signup page or application form, too.
Your Email Subscribers
According to the AffStat 2016 Affiliate Marketing Benchmark Report, email has the most significant impact on affiliate engagement. If you send regular emails, consider sending information about your affiliate program to your subscribers and encourage them to join.
Your Current Customers
Your current customers are likely going to be some of your best affiliates. Consider inviting customers to join your affiliate program. Current and repeat customers know you, and they know your products or services. They’ll also be able to provide genuine recommendations via social media or their blog posts that can send new customers your way.
2. Carefully Review Affiliate Applications
The success and profitability of your program depend on your affiliates. Reviewing applications before you onboard any affiliates is vital. Start by making sure applicants meet some basic criteria. Are they established in the same industry or niche as your business? How many social media followers or blog subscribers do they have? What are your first thoughts when you scroll through their posts?
Next, take a closer look at a potential affiliate’s website and social media profiles. You should know who will be representing your brand. Assess factors such as professionalism, web traffic, and how the applicants rank in specific keyword searches. Look at the content they post, consider their values, and make sure their personality fits your brand image. Finally, reach out if you have any questions or concerns before you make your decision.
3. Onboard and Activate Your Affiliates
For the best results, accept partners who align with your brand. When you find ones you believe to be an ideal fit, send them a welcome email that contains all of the information they’ll need about your program and how to promote your products or services. Make sure you have taken steps to appropriately onboarded affiliates.
Next, follow up with your new affiliates, especially if you see that they’re not generating any traffic. They may have signed up but have yet to take the first steps to begin promoting your business. Work with them to make sure they set up their affiliate link and get their first sales.
You might also consider incentivizing an affiliate’s first sale. Something like a higher commission for an affiliate’s first sale within 30 days of signing up can provide some extra motivation for them to get established and start promoting your business.
4. Engage Affiliates With Regular Updates
Regularly engaging with your affiliates can help to motivate them and ensure that they remain a part of your program. Send regular newsletters to keep them informed of what you have going on. Include information about your latest products or services, specials, and promotions. Also, make sure to let them know how they’re doing with regular activity reports.
You can also offer tips and resources for boosting affiliate performance. Include new creatives (such as banners and product photos) that they can use to promote your brand. When you regularly engage with your affiliates, you can help boost their success. In turn, that helps to boost your success, too.
5. Offer Incentives
In addition to an initial incentive for new affiliates to make their first sale, consider offering additional incentives throughout the year. You can center rewards around specific times of the year through holiday promotions or offer rewards during slower times of the year as a way to boost sales. You can also incentivize sales by offering rewards for your top-performing affiliates.
6. Treat Your Affiliates as Partners
Your affiliates are more than just marketing tools. Sure, they help you promote your business, but they’re also a part of your team. As such, you should treat them as partners. Treat them as you would the employees who work for your business. Your affiliates are likely to be happier and more willing to continue promoting your products or services when you treat them as individuals rather than cogs that keep your business running.
7. Use Automated Tools
You only have so many hours in a day. While devoting time to your affiliate program is important, your main focus should be on running your business. You can save valuable time with automated tools. For instance, you can automate welcome emails, follow-up sequences, and activity reports with LeadDyno.
8. Choose the Right Tracking Technology
When it comes to tracking affiliates on Shopify, one of the last things you want to do is create a program on one platform, only to have to switch to another one later down the line. This can be frustrating and time-consuming, to say the least. A platform that works well is a must.
LeadDyno integrates easily into your Shopify store with a few clicks. It’s simple to set up, is highly customizable, and allows you to monitor the performance of your program. You can engage with your affiliates, automate emails, view your clicks and leads on an easy-to-use dashboard, reward your affiliates for their sales, and more.
Ready to Launch a Profitable Affiliate Program for Your Shopify Store?
Creating a profitable affiliate program requires more than setting up a program and providing affiliate links. You’ll need to find ideal affiliates, review applications carefully, and provide your affiliates with the tools they need for success. When you put in the effort, you’re sure to see results.
Are you thinking about creating an affiliate program for your Shopify store? LeadDyno is here to help. For more information and to start your 30-day free trial, visit LeadDyno today.
