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From Influencer to Affiliate

April 30, 2024

Influencers can be a huge part of an affiliate marketing program for various brands. If you’re an influencer or microinfluencer, which is someone who has less than a certain number of followers on their social media sites, breaking into affiliate marketing can help you make money from the content you create online. Here’s what you need to know about affiliate marketing, influencer content creation, and partnering with brands.

What Is an Affiliate Program?

An affiliate program is a type of marketing where an individual writes content, then inserts links into that content, directing a potential customer to another website to make a purchase. Affiliate marketing is unique on both ends of the spectrum because it’s paid on commission. When you write content, you don’t get paid until someone makes a purchase. It’s also very popular, with 81% of advertisers and 84% of content publishers using it.

Brand ambassadors and influencers can also use an affiliate program. Oftentimes, rather than placing links within written content, as many other publishers would use, you may receive a coupon code that your followers can use, which will give you a commission. 

What Should You Know Before You Become an Affiliate for Brands?

Before you become an affiliate, you need to keep a few things in mind. Here are some tips:

  • Creating Consistent Content Is Key

Consistent content is always going to be what pulls marketers to your content specifically. When you create consistent content, you’re more likely to have affiliate marketers who are interested in selling with your content. The more consistently you upload content, the more likely that you’ll have a strong audience who will try out products from affiliates.

  • Beginner Brand Affiliates Often Make Less

As a beginner brand affiliate, you’re likely to start out with a lower tier of affiliate commissions. This is because you’re not going to have a track record yet. As you keep creating affiliate content and prove yourself to brands, you’ll be able to request more for the affiliate programs you’re part of.

  • Using Software Is Important for Success

Finally, it’s important to remember that affiliate marketing software can help you succeed. Whether you’re an established affiliate for brands or you’re just joining, software helps you get more out of your partnerships and become a better partner overall. Plus, it can help you discover new affiliates.

What Are Some Similar Programs That Aren’t Affiliate Marketing?

There are some programs similar to affiliate marketing that aren’t affiliate marketing.

Brand partnerships are one common option for influencers. With brand partnerships, a company may pay you a specified amount of money to make a certain number of partnered posts. This is not considered affiliate marketing because you’re not being paid based on performance, but instead being paid a specific amount of money.

Another option is brand-sponsored content that’s paid per click. If you’re an influencer who makes clickable content, like YouTube videos, you might be able to get sponsored content from brands that pay you a certain dollar amount depending on the number of views your content gets. While this is a type of performance-based marketing, you’re not paid when someone purchases from the marketer, but instead paid based on the number of eyes on the sponsored content.

How Does Refersion’s Affiliate Marketing Platform Work for Influencers and Brand Managers?

The Refersion Affiliate Marketing platform is well-known for its benefits on the brand affiliate programs side, but what about as an influencer or brand ambassador? When you join, you get immediate access to several benefits.

  • Quick Access to Your Performance

Tracking your performance with first-party cookies is an important part of understanding what you’re doing right and how you can do even better. You can use coupon codes, affiliate links, and emails to reach out to potential customers, then track exactly how many of them use your links and make purchases. This makes it easier to narrow down whatever’s working and whatever might not be.

  • Commission Payments on a Regular Schedule

One of the most frustrating experiences you might have with an affiliate marketer is an individual who doesn’t pay out regularly. The Refersion platform makes that super-easy, which means that you’ll get paid on time and be paid the amount you’re owed. Plus, it’s easy to see exactly what terms the marketer is using for their payments, so you can prepare for those payments. Additionally, RefersionPay allows you to receive these payments as direct deposits into your bank account.

  • Simple Tax Calculations

The benefits of RefersionPay don’t just stop at direct deposits. With RefersionPay, you’ll also get a 1099 at the end of the tax year. That means you don’t have to add up the payments you got all year and calculate your tax requirements. You can just input the numbers on your 1099, making the process much easier and eliminating user error.

  • Active Communication With Brand Partners

On the Refersion platform, it’s exceptionally easy to communicate with the brands that you’re partnering with. Communication helps both you and your brand partner, which means that this communication is built to benefit you both. If you ever have any questions or concerns, then you can message the brand you’re working with directly on the Refersion platform.

  • Easy Access to New Brand Partners When You Want It

Additionally, the Refersion platform is always open. If you decide you want to work with a new brand partner, then you can go on the Refersion marketplace and start looking. If you decide you no longer want to work with a specific brand partner, then you can just stop publishing content with those affiliate links or coupons. The process makes it easy to find great brand partners that suit your current content.

The Bottom Line

When selecting software to help your publishing journey, it’s important to find software that has plenty of benefits, including access to new brand partners, tax calculations, and on-time commission payments. Refersion can help you with these benefits and more, allowing you to enhance your position as an affiliate for brands within an industry.

FAQ

How do you handle negotiations with brands for better affiliate commission rates? Negotiating for better affiliate commission rates involves demonstrating value to the brand, like showcasing successful past campaigns or highlighting audience engagement. Building a strong case with data and maintaining a professional relationship can enhance negotiation leverage.

What are the common pitfalls for influencers new to affiliate marketing and how can they be avoided? 
Common pitfalls for influencers new to affiliate marketing include choosing irrelevant products, ignoring audience fit, and lacking transparency about affiliate partnerships. Awareness and strategic alignment with audience preferences can prevent these issues.

How does an influencer’s niche or content type affect their success in affiliate marketing?
An influencer’s niche or content type significantly affects affiliate marketing success. Audiences in certain niches might be more receptive to product recommendations, leading to higher engagement and conversion rates. Tailoring affiliate strategies to the influencer’s specific audience and niche is crucial for effectiveness.

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Written by

Ruthie Carey
Ruthie Carey