Many businesses, especially in the fashion and beauty industries, have shifted to online platforms due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But for those that survive (and there are many that do), the world of online marketing and sales simply doesn’t exist anymore. In fact, many small businesses that were previously operating offline will never truly be able to return to that state.
The good news is that there are ways that businesses, even fashion and beauty companies, can continue to thrive during this time of ‘virtual extinction’. One of the most effective ways of doing this is by turning to affiliate marketing. Let’s dive into how exactly affiliate marketing can help.
The Basics
If you’re new to affiliate marketing, the basics are pretty easy to understand. Essentially, affiliate marketing means profiting from someone else’s sales efforts. To perform affiliate marketing, you’ll need to build a good web presence and set up your blog or website to convert clicks into sales. You’ll also need to create unique content that’s valuable to your audience. While you can certainly use product review blogs and websites to promote popular products, you’ll have a better shot at succeeding if you create in-depth articles that teach your readers something new about fashion or beauty.
The Challenges
As with any new venture, there are several challenges that you’ll need to overcome if you want to successfully engage in affiliate marketing. One of the biggest challenges is getting started. Building a good web presence and establishing your blog can take a lot of effort. Once you do, you’ll have to find a way to make money online through advertising, membership fees, or affiliate sales. Sometimes, it takes a while for a business to earn enough to cover the costs of running a blog or website.
The Benefits
The numerous benefits of affiliate marketing are pretty self-explanatory. One of the biggest benefits of this type of marketing is that it allows you to effectively promote products you’re passionate about. If someone clicks on a product and makes a purchase after reading your blog post, you’ll earn a small commission. This may not sound like much, but if you promote a wide range of products, the revenue can add up quickly. For instance, if you have a blog that promotes both luxury and affordable products, you could potentially earn a significant amount of revenue from affiliate sales alone. In addition, those that engage with your content the most (i.e. read your articles and click through to purchase products) are the ones that you’ll want to associate with your brand. This type of marketing allows you to build a following over time and attract potential customers to your site.
Turning An Offline Business Into An Online Business
Many businesses that decide to go the affiliate route find that once they do, it’s almost impossible to turn back. Once you’ve tasted the benefits of affiliate marketing, it’s hard to go back to relying solely on traditional marketing and sales methods. However, for those that do, there are several strategies that can help them succeed in what might appear to be an impossible task.
Product Review Blogs And Websites
Product review blogs and websites that carry affiliate marketing should be viewed as a hybrid form of marketing. Essentially, these types of websites exist to generate revenue through product reviews and affiliate sales. However, many of these websites also provide valuable information about the products mentioned in the reviews. Therefore, they have the potential to both entertain and educate their audience simultaneously. Not every product review or website that promotes products through affiliate marketing will be valuable or even worth reading. But if you see value in product reviews and you want to earn revenue from the content, then blogging or establishing a website might be a good option for you.
Media Outlets
Whether you’ve succeeded or failed to generate any interest in your product reviews or website, you can still use the information to your advantage. One of the best ways to do so is to approach media outlets with an interest in your subject matter with a pitch to write or do an article on your website. The key is to establish a strong relationship with the media person, especially if you want to continue to receive coverage in the future. If possible, try to get the publication or broadcaster to endorse your product or service.
Sale And Coupon Sites
If you’ve ever shopped at Nordstrom, you might be familiar with their ‘boutique’ concept. Boutique sites, such as Nordstrom and Barneys New York, allow customers to purchase luxurious goods at discount prices. Although these sites often carry a couple hundred brands, none of them is truly ‘affordable’. But, what if there was a site where you could find a broad range of affordable luxury goods?
The sale and coupon sites that carry unaffiliated or affiliate marketing have developed a niche market for themselves. Essentially, these sites allow consumers to discover and use coupons and discounts to make purchases at cheaper prices. Some of the most popular sale and coupon sites include Groupon, Swooping, and Coupons.com.
Podcasts
Another great way to get information without having to read an entire article is through podcasts. Podcasts are usually short, often under three minutes, audio or video content that’s both entertaining and informative. In addition to enjoying the content, users can also click on advertising or affiliate links within the podcasts to make purchases. And, since podcasts generally don’t make any money through advertising or affiliate sales, they might be a good choice for those that want to avoid the competition that comes with online marketing.
While podcasts are a great way to get information, not every show is created equal. Podcasts can be hugely successful or completely flop depending on the quality of the content and how well they are promoted.
Direct Subscription
If you have a large enough audience, you might consider trying to negotiate a direct subscription with the product manufacturer or retailer. This could potentially save you money and allow you to provide more valuable content to your audience. Establishing a direct subscription requires a lot of effort, so be sure that you’re willing to put in the necessary time and resources to make it work. In addition, make sure that you’re actually reaching the right audience. If you’re not sure whether or not your audience would benefit from your direct access to a product, then it might not be the right option for you.
Social Media
Since the dawn of social media, people have been using online platforms to share information, news, and opinions with the world. Much like podcasts and media outlets, this content can be used to promote brand awareness, products, and services. The difference is that the content is usually more visual, and can be accessed for free.
One great way to promote your product or service through social media is to create themed groups on the platforms you use. This could be a group for women interested in style or fashion, a group for men interested in fashion, or even a group for parents who want to talk parenting and lifestyle. As long as you have a topic that you can draw on, you should be able to find a group of people that are interested in what you have to say. Once you do, you can use the platform to spread the word about your product. In addition to groups, you can also use your personal account to post about products that you find valuable or entertaining. Ultimately, it’s all about using the right platform and creating groups or communities that are interested in your subject matter to effectively promote your product or service.
The Role Of The Blog In All of This
It’s essential to remember that not all products (or blogs) are created equal. Some products, and some types of blogs, will be much more effective in helping you succeed than others. If you decide to pursue an affiliate marketing strategy, you’ll need to identify the type of product or blog that you’re able to effectively promote. Once you do, you can put in the proper amount of effort to make sure that your blog or website is a financial success.