The Linked Photographers Guide to Online Marketing and Social Media

There is a common misconception that the best thing you can do for your business is to get a bigger one. The truth is that having more monetary resources at your disposal doesn’t necessarily mean your business will flourish. That is why you should always look into alternative methods of increasing your sales, such as affiliate marketing, which we will discuss below.

Why Affiliate Marketing?

Paid advertising is powerful, but there are many things that you cannot control. One of the biggest issues with paid advertising is that you cannot measure the results of your adverts. This makes it very difficult to determine whether or not your investment in paid advertising is actually yielding results. Even worse, you have very little control over the type of people that you will attract to your site with your adverts. For any business, this can be highly unproductive and potentially damaging to your brand.

On the other hand, affiliate marketing is a type of marketing that is based on the relationship that you build with your audience. This form of marketing is extremely effective and much more reliable than paid advertising as you have full control over the type of people that you will attract to your site with your affiliate marketing campaigns. In addition, you can measure the results of your affiliate marketing effortlessly as you will be presented with clear indicators of success or failure.

It should come as no surprise that nearly all successful businesses and brands have adopted an affiliate marketing strategy. This includes household names such as Apple, Amazon, and WordPress among many others. Given the fact that nearly all successful businesses use affiliate marketing it would be a missed opportunity not to take the time to learn more about this form of marketing.

How Does It Work?

At its very basic level, affiliate marketing works by generating revenue for your business when someone clicks a link or buys a product that is promoted on your behalf. When a customer clicks a link and makes a purchase after being presented with content related to your niche, you will get a small commission. The upside is that you don’t have to devote huge amounts of capital in order to get started. The downside is that you have to find a way to present the consumer with content that is relevant to their needs.

There are many different methods that you can use to begin offering your affiliate services, but the simplest and most effective way is to use a tool like ClickFunnels, which we will discuss below. Once you have set up your account, simply start putting up content about your niche as you know it.

Keep in mind that the type of content that you put out there will have a huge impact on the success of your affiliate marketing. Make sure that you put out content that is going to be engaging and useful to your audience.

How Can You Get Started As An Affiliate Marketer?

If you are interested in getting started as an affiliate marketer, the first thing you need to do is register with affiliate marketing networks such as ClickFunnels, which we will discuss below. These networks will give you the opportunity to join affiliate programs that are relevant to your niche, as well as allow you to connect with brands and businesses that are interested in working with reputable digital marketing agencies.

Once you have joined relevant affiliate programs, you can begin creating content and promoting products that are aligned with your niche. In addition to content, you can use your personal social media accounts to begin interacting with your audience and garnering interest in your product or service. For example, if you are an affiliate marketer for luxury goods, you can use your Twitter account to begin engaging with people and showing them the exclusive offers that you have access to as an affiliate marketer for luxury goods brands. This will help drive traffic to your site and help you build credibility fast.

The Role of the Web Designer

Even though you are not a digital marketer or developer, you will inevitably become involved with the design of your website as you begin to grow your business. If you are looking for a more professional appearance, there are many free web design tools available that can be used to create elegant websites without needing any coding skills. In terms of functionality, you should look into making your site as mobile-friendly as possible as it is likely that consumers will be visiting your site from mobile devices.

With the rise of virtual assistants and online marketplaces, the role of the web designer is evolving. Today’s web designers need to be knowledgeable not only in coding but also in marketing and sales techniques as well as business management.

The Role of the Developer

If you have a flair for coding and web design, you can also build custom platforms, tools, and applications for clients. This is a great option for those that are looking to create a highly professional and personalized website for their business. To get started, you can use something like Shopify, where you can create an eCommerce store with all the bells and whistles.

The best part about this option is that it does not require a huge amount of technical expertise as you can easily find a freelancer on UpWork or similar freelancing websites to assist you.

The Role of the Search Engine Optimizer (SEO)

As the name would suggest, search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the ranking of your site on search engines such as Google. To get started, create a free account on Google Adwords, where you can begin collecting keywords and phrases that are relevant to your niche. Make sure that these keywords are incorporated into the content of your site as this will increase the chances of your site being spotted by potential customers when they are searching for related products and services.

How Can You Use Social Media To Grow Your Business?

If you have a social media account, you can use it to engage with customers, build credibility, and gain traction. The most effective method of using social media to grow your business is to find relevant people that have a large and engaged audience and follow them. By doing this, you will begin to see an increase in your following and eventually gain a valuable audience that can become highly engaged with your content.

In addition to gaining credibility and interest in your product or service, you can use your social media accounts to engage with potential customers and drive them to your site.

For example, if you are an e-commerce store owner, you can use your Twitter account to begin engaging with people and showing them the exclusive offers that you have access to as an affiliate marketer for luxury goods brands.

This kind of content will have the dual effect of drawing in potential customers while also establishing your brand as an expert in your chosen niche. As a result, you may see an increase in both your sales and brand recognition. Keep in mind that this is a very competitive arena, so make sure that you are presenting your offers and content in a way that is unique and of value to your target audience.

Final Takeaways

The above is a small selection of the methods that you can use to grow your business using online marketing and social media. As you can see, the options are endless and nearly all businesses and brands have adopted an affiliate marketing strategy in one way or the other. In addition to building a website, you can also use platforms like Google Analytics to track the performance of your blog and social media accounts. This way, you can easily determine the effectiveness of your overall marketing plan and make necessary adjustments as needed. Good luck out there.