Are you considering starting an affiliate marketing program for your business on Instagram?
It’s a smart move! With over 1 billion Instagram active users, running an affiliate program and collaborating with influencers could allow you to reach an enormous and highly profitable audience.
Here, we’re explaining what affiliate marketing is, the way to start as a brand or business. And how you should use an affiliate program to fast-track your growth and success!
Table of Contents:
- What is Affiliate Marketing?
- What Are the Benefits of Affiliate Marketing?
- The way to run an Affiliate Marketing Program on Instagram
- 4 Brands with Next-level Instagram Affiliate Programs
What is Affiliate Marketing?
Affiliate marketing is a system that allows influencers to advertise a brand’s products or services. Then the influencers can earn a commission from the clicks or sales that they generate.
It typically includes four major players. They are the brand, the affiliate network, influencers (affiliate marketer), and the customer.
You may have seen affiliate marketing appear within the type of unique discount codes, where an influencer shares a code, specific to them, that their followers can use to get discounts from brands.
However, influencers sometimes use unique, trackable links that are offered by an affiliate network. Thanks to these links, so we can measure exactly the number of clicks and sales that an influencer generates.
Creators can add Affiliate links wherever on Instagram that allow links. Instagram Stories, IGTV descriptions, and Instagram’s link in bio are all affiliate link sweat spots for influencers.
When there is a sale from an affiliate link, the influencer will earn a set rate commission amount of the full sale value. This rate can be different depending on the individual brand but typically ranges between 10%-20%.
Users can include affiliate links on Facebook, YouTube video descriptions, TikTok bio, Twitter, and even on their websites — anywhere on the web where a link can live.
However, today we are diving into Instagram affiliate marketing. Here’s why:
- All of the main affiliate networks or programs you would use to earn money are on Instagram (such as ShareASale, CJ Affiliate, Pepperjam, Rakuten, and AWIN).
- Instagram has both image and video options to showcase and sell products.
- Instagram is a free and effective platform for getting traffic and converting followers into customers.
What Are the Benefits of Affiliate Marketing?
There are tons of advantages that brands and businesses can get from Instagram affiliate marketing!
To start, affiliate marketing is a fast-track method to reach more potential customers. There are thousands, if not millions, of influencers you can work with — each with its own niches, curated communities, and platforms!
In a nutshell, partnering with them via affiliate marketing will allow you to reach more people at a faster rate.
Think about it this way: if you ran a campaign only on your own social media, you would likely reach only your own followers. However, by working with influencers to promote on their social media, you benefit from all of their audiences combined.
Another great side of this strategy is that it’s more organic.
When an Instagram user sees a product or service posted by a brand, they know that the brand is trying to promote something. Right when they see an influencer (or any content creator) vouch for a product, the suggestion is perceived as much more genuine and authentic.
Actually, 90% of shoppers are impacted to make a purchase by user-generated content.
So, the brand using this strategy sees the growth in customer interest and brand loyalty. And the influencer earns a proportion of any sales they drive by sharing their honest suggestions. It’s a win-win!