Social Networking and Affiliate Marketing
Many affiliate marketers have already come across the term "social
networking" in the last year or so, but not all of them know what this
means. And most affiliates have no idea how to use social networking
websites to promote their affiliate products.
Social networking sites are also referred to as Web 2.0 sites. These are
simply an extension of the community based websites you probably already
use. Forum, discussion boards, and active blogs for instance, are all a form
of social networking. They contain groups of people who are all interested
in the same or similar topics.
The social networking sites which have become popular lately, tend to
integrate a little more interactivity into the mix though. Some of them
allow members to broadcast messages to each other; some allow uploading of
pictures, videos, or audio files; some have hundreds of different discussion
boards for members to talk on; some allow you to save and share your
bookmarks with friends; and some even allow you to earn additional
advertising or affiliate revenue from the content pages you add to their
network.
One of the most important things you need to know about social networking
though, is that each site has it's own individual rules. In some places you
might be allowed to link directly to an affiliate product or program for
instance, while in others you may be restricted to links which lead to your
own blogs or websites only. And there are some places which say you're not
supposed to link to anyplace where you're trying to sell stuff.
By using social networking sites which allow you to link to an affiliate
sales page, your own website, or a blog you run, you can dramatically
increase the amount of income you're making as an affiliate though. As long
as you play by the specific rules for the sites you're using, and you do
your promotions consistently and well.
On forums and discussion boards for instance, you can't usually just go in
and post an advertisement. Instead, you need to join the discussions which
are already in progress. Try your best to provide helpful and useful content
to other members of the board, and be sure to post as often as possible too.
In each post, you should have a forum signature which contains a small ad
for what you're offering. Link that signature to your website, blog or
affiliate sales page. Then the more you post, the more that signature will
be seen. And the more helpful and useful your posts are, the more other
members will be inclined to click your links.
If you use a social networking site which allows you to create and share
your website bookmark links, then you'll want to link to your website, blog,
and affiliate sales pages of course. Be sure to put a brief description on
the links if you're able to, because this can help entice other members to
see what you're linking to.
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