My day job is in affiliate marketing for those who don’t know. I’ve been working in this industry for the last 10 years. I started working at an affiliate network, transitioned to working at an affiliate agency, next I went in-house at a home decor retailer, and now I’m back on the network side. For background, I didn’t know what affiliate marketing was until I started working in the industry since it’s so niche. One way that I explain affiliate is that affiliate marketing is another paid channel similar to paid search, SEO, or display. If that still leaves you scratching your head, all you need to know is that I’m very knowledgeable at finding and getting deals for online shopping. Here are my top tips for increasing your affiliate sales.
My Top Tips for Increasing Your Affiliate Sales
- Entry-level commission rates are often not the influencer rate. Are you a content creator tired of seeing low commission rates of 4%, 3% or even 2%? Hopefully this isn’t news to you but I’d say 90% of the time that rate is not meant for an influencer. The reason why is? Brands set their default commissions low to keep from overpaying coupon and deal sites. However, brands are willing to pay influencers and creators because of the value the industry drives. In my experience brands are willing to pay at least double-digit commission (10% and higher) because they know that is what is expected amongst creators. Don’t believe me? Ask the brand what their influencer commission rate is.
- Affiliate commission rates are negotiable. This goes hand in hand with my point above. Just because you see a low commission rate doesn’t mean that is the end all rate. I’d recommend asking for a higher commission. The worst that can happen is the brand says no. In that case, you can always ask for a figure between your requested amount and the default commission.
3. Go direct. That’s right. I’m recommending you cut out the middleman. They are going to hate me for saying this. I’m not naming names but if you’re working with partners that rhyme with Reward Smile or Shop Smile they are taking a percentage of your commission. I can’t confirm the exact percentage but even if it was only 10% shouldn’t you get 100% of your commissions earned for your work instead of 90%? You should in my opinion. How do you do that? Find out where your top-performing brands’ affiliate programs are and join those affiliate networks directly. You can find them by Googling the brand name and then the words affiliate program. For example, I’d Google the HelloFresh Affiliate Program. You’ll likely end up on an application page asking you to create an account. Follow that process and wait to hear back. If you’d like more info on this leave me a comment and I can post more content.
4. Filter for brands with high commissions. This tip seems obvious to me but it can require more intentional thought. In today’s retail world, there are a dozen stores that sell the same item. Make sure you are joined to multiple affiliate programs to shop for the best commission rate. Also, affiliate networks are jumping in to help with this comparison. Now most are set up to automatically provide the link with the highest commission on that item.
Leave a like or a comment if you enjoyed these tips as it lets me know to keep creating this type of content. I love learning new ways to increase affiliate commission, leave your suggestions below. As always, thanks for reading!
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