There are plenty of ways you can market and promote your business online with the help of social media and other free tools available on the web. However, one of the most effective methods in building traffic and boosting sales is through using affiliate programs that pay affiliates or marketers commissions when they refer customers to certain products and services.
Affiliate marketing involves paying people (referred to as "affiliates") who agree to send visitors to websites where those sites will then receive payment if someone makes a purchase there. The more purchases made by referring clients, the higher commission earned. This type of advertising is often used by companies selling digital goods like software, but it's also popular among e-commerce stores that sell physical items such as clothes, electronics, books, furniture, etc., which means anyone running a website offering these kinds of products could benefit greatly from this form of promotion.
In order to have success in affiliate marketing, you should understand what exactly does the term "discount" mean, and learn all about its benefits so that you can use them effectively. In this article we'll explain everything you need to know about discount codes. We'll start off by explaining what an affiliate discount code is, before moving onto talking about how to obtain them, their purpose, and how they're different than coupons. Finally, we'll discuss some of the advantages associated with having discount codes for your site.
The first thing you need to consider when setting up any kind of promotional campaign is creating your own unique promo code. You don't want something generic that everyone else has already created, because that would make your offer look unoriginal and not worth promoting. Instead, choose something that represents what your brand offers and that stands out from competitors'. If you're working with WordPress, our guide to writing content for your blog will come in handy here. Here are two examples of creative promo codes you might find useful:
1) Save $50 on All Your Digital Goods!
2) 50% Off - Get A Free eBook!
You'd probably also appreciate something that looks nice too, so you may wish to take inspiration from the following example codes:
3) Buy 1 Book, Get 2 FREE [Amazon]
4) 10% Discount For New Customers At My Store!
5) 25% Off Everything at My Shop!
6) 5% Back On Every Order!
7) 20% Off First Purchase Of Any Item!
8) 15% Off Orders Over 30$ With Code '15OFF' [Shopify]
9) 20% Off Any Order Before 6pm With PromoCode: HAPPY20 [Shopify]
10) 50% Off Site Wide With Coupon Code: SITEWIDE [Jumia]
11) 40% Off + Extra 10% Cashback With Promocode: EXTRACASHBACK [Shopify]
12) Up To 45% Off Sitewide + Extra 7% Cashback With Promocode: EXTRA7CASHBACK [Storenvy]
13) Up To 60% Off Sitewide + Extra 8% Cashback With Promocode: EXTRA8CASHBACK [DoorDash]
14) 15% Off Sitewide & 15% Additional Cashback With Promocode: CASHBASKEDAY [Fiverr]
Once you've decided upon a good looking promo code, it's time to write it down into whatever format suits you best. It doesn't matter whether you prefer to use plain text, HTML, Markdown or another coding language -- just be sure to include the relevant details such as the name of the product being promoted, the amount of discount applied, and anything else you feel necessary. Once you're happy with the final version, copy it over to your clipboard and save it somewhere safe until you're ready to share it with others.
Next, open up a new webpage on your computer and paste the code into a suitable place within the page header. That way, whenever users click on it, they'll immediately see the full value of the deal without needing to scroll down. Make sure to replace the placeholder string with the actual URL of the product you want to promote, and remember to update the price accordingly.
When you've got your promo code written, it's now time to set up the affiliate marketing links that will direct your readers towards your product. Again, depending on your platform, we recommend taking advantage of the features offered by each service in order to ensure maximum efficiency.
For instance, if you're using Wordpress, there's no reason why you shouldn't be able to simply add a few lines of code to your theme files. If you're using Shopify, however, you'll need to head straight to your dashboard and log in to edit the template file. Then, add the following line of code right below the existing ones:
If your site uses Joomla, you'll need to edit the.htaccess file instead.
Finally, after adding the appropriate piece of code to every single page on your site, you'll need to test it out by clicking on several random pages. When doing so, you'll notice that some of the pages won't display the proper information. Don't worry though, since this happens quite frequently due to various technical issues. Simply go back to your homepage and refresh the entire browser window, and you'll instantly see the newly added links appear.
Now that you've successfully setup your affiliate marketing links, it's important to note that you must only distribute your promo code once it's been redeemed. Otherwise, you risk getting banned from the service you're using. Also, avoid sharing your promo code anywhere except for the official source itself, otherwise you'll end up losing money forever.
With respect to the main question of this article, influencers stand to gain a lot from discount codes. Not only are these codes usually very easy to redeem, but thanks to their popularity, many businesses will gladly hand them out to their top performers. As a result, the number of followers on Instagram and Twitter will skyrocket, and even better yet, all of this extra attention is likely to translate into increased sales. Therefore, if you decide to join forces with a well established influencer, you'll reap huge rewards both financially and socially speaking.
However, while influencers certainly enjoy receiving discounts, there isn't always enough incentive for them to actually post them on their channels. After all, posting a discounted item on Instagram is pretty straightforward, but if you were to give away thousands of dollars worth of merchandise, you'd definitely expect a bit more than likes and follows alone. Although there aren't really any concrete rules regarding what constitutes as fair compensation, it seems logical that influencers would require a cut of the profits generated via a particular sale. So, if you plan on partnering with an influencer, be sure to negotiate terms beforehand.
As far as we're concerned, the only downside to using discount codes is that they tend to expire rather quickly, especially considering the fact that most platforms have strict policies against fraud. Therefore, if you're planning on distributing coupons on your website, you'll need to keep track of the expiration dates of said codes. When you reach the point where a given coupon expires, make sure to remove it from your site completely. Doing so ensures that nobody else gets access to the expired deals.
Ultimately, discount codes are great for maximizing exposure and increasing conversions, but if you plan on implementing them alongside traditional promotions, you should try to think outside the box. One thing that's guaranteed to draw loads of eyeballs is giving away free stuff, and it's possible that this tactic alone will outperform any discount codes you ever tried to implement. Just bear in mind that it takes a lot less effort to deliver tangible gifts compared to virtual goodies, so it's advisable to stick to the latter unless you absolutely love giving things away for free.
Running online marketing campaigns can be a difficult task that requires some time and effort on the part of you as well as other people involved in it. There are many different ways to make money online, but one way that has proven itself successful over the years is by selling products or services through affiliates.
Affiliate programs allow companies who want to sell their products or services to others (known colloquially as merchants) to do so with little risk to themselves. The merchant will pay commissions to those who successfully promote them using various methods such as social media sites, blogs, email lists, etc. So what exactly is an affiliate discount code and why should anyone use it?
Let's take a closer look at these questions.
An affiliate discount code is a promotional code which allows someone to save money when buying something from another website. This could apply to any product or service offered by this company, including digital downloads, physical goods, subscriptions, membership fees, etc. For example, if you were to buy a new laptop computer from Amazon then you may receive a 10% discount on your purchase because you used a special referral link provided by Amazon. You would also have access to exclusive offers and discounts only available to users referred by you.
The same concept applies to any type of business where there is a need to incentivize sales. For instance, if you're running a blog about makeup tips and tricks then you might offer readers a 20% off coupon code just for reading your articles. Or perhaps you write ebooks and give away free copies to customers who refer friends and family members to sign up for your newsletter.
Whatever your niche, there is likely a group of interested parties out there looking to gain access to whatever you're offering. By giving them a chance to save money on your products or services they'll more than likely spread the word around to even more potential customers. And all without needing to spend too much time promoting yourself. In fact, most times they won't even know they've been referred to your site!
There are two types of affiliate codes - standard ones and bonus ones. Standard ones are simply codes that you include within your content during blogging posts or emails sent to subscribers. They usually don't require anything extra from the reader aside from clicking a button after visiting your site. Bonus codes, however, provide additional benefits such as increased exposure and/or rewards based upon the number of referrals made. These types of codes often come attached to certain promotions or events hosted by businesses.
When you see an affiliate code displayed on a webpage, it looks similar to the following image below.
This particular code was found on a page owned by Lush Cosmetics, but it does not matter whether yours comes from a retailer or brand. It still works in the exact same manner, allowing one to save money while shopping elsewhere.
You can learn more information about affiliate discount codes here.
A "referral" account is basically a unique identifier assigned to each individual user. If you had a friend or someone else on your list who liked your Facebook profile then you'd probably want to send them a message saying hello. But since you didn't know their actual name you wouldn't really have a good way to contact them. Enter Facebook IDs...
When signing up for an account on Facebook you create a username consisting of numbers and letters. This is known as the "Facebook ID". Your ID acts as your personal connection to everyone associated with your account. When sending messages to others on your network, you simply enter their ID into your message box instead of having to remember the person's full name every single time.
If you ever wanted to share a link to a post or article written by someone else on your network, you can easily copy-paste their ID into the text field before sharing it. Just imagine trying to find someone's phone number if you needed to call them! That's why we say Facebook IDs are "unique identifiers".
In order to use an affiliate discount code, the recipient must first visit the website whose discount code you wish to use. Once inside the website they click the icon labeled "Get Code." Then they enter their ID into the field located above the code entry area. After doing this, they press submit and voila! Their savings appear automatically!
Bonus codes are essentially bonuses that are given depending on how many people actually end up purchasing the item being promoted. Some websites will reward you with a percentage of the sale price if you reach a certain threshold of referrals. Others will only grant you the bonus if you bring in five or more referrals. Still others will only give you the bonus once you hit a specific amount of monthly income generated.
These codes are typically hidden behind a link called a "secret URL", and therefore cannot be seen unless the customer clicks the secret link to view the code.
It's important to note that although bonus codes tend to generate higher revenue for both you and the merchant, they are risky ventures. Because they involve an element of luck, you never know how many people will take advantage of them until after the promotion ends. However, they can prove highly effective and profitable in the right situations.
Why use a coupon or promo code
Affiliate programs have been around since the late 90s, when companies realized they could generate more revenue if their customers bought something else along with their own product. The original concept was that once someone purchased a product, he would get additional discounts for buying other related items.
That’s still what happens today, but there’s another side effect of this model – coupons. In order to convince them to buy a particular item, sellers offer special offers, which usually include discounts and freebies. Coupons are especially popular among shoppers who want to save money while shopping at brick-and-mortar stores. They also work great online, where every little bit helps.
The question then becomes whether these two concepts (affiliates + coupons) should go hand in hand or not. What we found out during our research is that most marketers don’t think so. While both types of promotions help increase sales, the fact remains that coupons often overshadow any kind of promotion offered through an affiliate network. This may be because coupons tend to sell better than those promoted through affiliates, or maybe it simply comes down to the fact that retailers do not see much value in promoting their products through affiliates.
But despite all of this, coupons are becoming increasingly important for ecommerce sites across the board. Not only are they helpful to consumers, but they can also boost your bottom line. And if you know how to optimize them properly, they will definitely bring you extra profits!
As a blogger or small business owner who uses affiliate marketing and runs campaigns on social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook, it's important that you understand what affiliate discounts mean, why they're so valuable, and how you can get them yourself. In this article we'll explain everything you need to know about using the right kind of discount code in order to drive traffic and sales to your website/store!
Influencers get free products as part of their endorsement deals. They also often receive monetary compensation for sharing links to those products. This means that if someone clicks through your link and purchases something, you will earn commission, even if that person didn't have any intention of buying anything at all. It really depends on how much money was spent by whoever clicked through your link.
This may sound strange but think about it - if there were no commissions involved (in other words, if people bought whatever product without clicking through your link), would anyone buy it? The answer is probably "no." So let me make things clear: When somebody buys something because you sent them a link, you got paid. That's pretty simple. But it gets more complicated than that...
Let's say that somebody comes across one of your posts and decides to click through to your site. Now, imagine that they find out after doing so that you offer some sort of deal specifically tailored towards promoting your Amazon account. Maybe you've set up a special landing page where users can enter their email address, with which you will send them an invitation to sign up for Amazon Prime. After signing up, they'll be given access to a certain number of perks within Amazon such as faster shipping times, free two-day delivery, etc. If they decide to take advantage of these benefits, you'll get credit for driving them to purchase something from Amazon.
Now, let's look back at our previous example. Imagine that instead of sending them an invitation to join Amazon Prime, you send them a link to a giveaway hosted on your blog. You mention that the prize is an item on Amazon, but don't specify the exact name of the product. Your goal here is to entice them into taking action, whether that entails joining Amazon Prime or purchasing another product. In both cases, however, you want to receive credit for driving them to the sale.
So, basically, whenever someone takes action based on a discount code provided by an external source, you get paid. That's not always good news, though. Think about it logically now. What does it matter if you get paid $5 per referral if you only made $1 off of each transaction? And, conversely, what matters if you lose $10 per referral if you only earned $2 off of every single sale? Clearly, it makes sense to try and maximize profits wherever possible. And that becomes especially true if you're running promotions that require participants to share a unique discount code with friends and family members.
If you ever wanted to see just how lucrative affiliate marketing can be, then consider this: Let's say you spend around $100 on advertising for a certain promotion and end up earning $500 in profit. With that said, it doesn't necessarily follow that you should invest $500 in additional ads for the same promotion. Instead, you could choose to promote it again, this time offering a 50% discount. By doing so, you'd expect to generate twice as many leads as before ($1000 worth of potential leads) while still being able to claim half of the amount generated by the first round of advertising ($250). As a result, you'd essentially double your revenue.
It goes without saying that the way to achieve optimal results with your affiliate marketing efforts is to test different strategies until you identify the ones that bring you the most success.
When you provide a discount code that has been offered by an influencer, it typically works similarly to the above scenario. The difference is that you won't actually send anybody anything unless they opt into following you on one or more social channels. For instance, if you post a discount code on Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, Reddit, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Medium, YouTube, or anywhere else, and ask your followers to retweet or repost the message, then you'll likely get hundreds, thousands, or millions of potential customers. The reason behind this strategy is to ensure that you reach a wide audience very quickly.
The fact is that everybody knows what an influencer looks like and what they stand for. There's nothing wrong with asking others to spread the word about your brand. Just remember that everybody needs to go somewhere in order to gain exposure for themselves. However, you shouldn't forget about the value proposition that you're providing your readers and viewers. Make sure that you include a call to action that encourages them to visit your blog or check out your online shop.
There are several ways to obtain affiliate discount codes. One option is to search popular forums related to your niche market. Another method involves searching for keywords relating to specific offers that your company provides. Once you locate such opportunities, simply copy down the URL associated with the particular offer and paste it into your browser. Then log in to whichever platform you wish to use to begin promoting the offer. Next, create a short description of the offer and write a catchy headline under it that includes a call to action inviting visitors to read more details about the offer. Finally, add a relevant image and embed it onto your blog or webpage. Doing so will help increase engagement and boost your chances of generating qualified traffic.
Another approach is to contact the seller directly via e-mail. Some sellers might allow you to download a form that allows you to submit your personal information and request a quote. Others might require you to fill out a lengthy application form in order to be considered for the opportunity. Either way, once you complete the form, you'll get approved for a personalized discount code that you can use to promote the service. Be careful not to overpromise and fall victim to false claims, however. Always keep your promises and stick to your values.
Affiliate codes are usually used by companies selling physical goods. Many consumers tend to gravitate toward brands that sell tangible items rather than digital services. Therefore, your best bet is to focus on retailers that cater primarily to physical shoppers. Here are a few great places to start looking for affiliate codes:
Amazon
eBay
Walmart
Target
Best Buy
Kohl’s
Costco
Overstock
These are just a handful of stores that regularly feature various types of offers designed to attract new customers. Don't hesitate to explore other options available to you too, including smaller local businesses, craft fair vendors, department stores, and specialty shops. Most importantly, make sure that you stay away from big box chains like Walmart and Target. These large corporations are known for their high prices and poor customer service.
Once you land upon a suitable retailer, you must determine exactly how you plan to utilize the discount code that you received. Depending on the type of code, you may have to pay extra fees for shipping or handling costs, which can significantly reduce the profitability of the entire operation. Or perhaps you'll have to shell out cash upfront in exchange for a percentage discount. Whatever the case may be, you should carefully weigh the pros and cons of each option before making a decision. Ultimately, you'll be better equipped to pick the best course of action if you thoroughly research the topic beforehand.
Finally, be aware of the fine print regarding any terms and conditions associated with the affiliate code promotion. Also, remember that the actual price of the product isn't revealed until the shopper enters his or her payment info. It is therefore crucial that you never disclose sensitive financial data during checkout, regardless of whether you're accepting donations or paying for merchandise with PayPal. Otherwise, you risk losing your credibility as well as your ability to market effectively.
Remember: Never give away private information such as bank accounts or passwords. Even if you're dealing with trustworthy individuals, it's not wise to assume that you're safe.
The bottom line is that affiliate marketing is extremely profitable and easy to manage. All you need to do is connect with other bloggers and entrepreneurs, develop relationships with reputable merchants, and implement effective tactics to encourage your target audience to share your content. Once you become familiar with the ins and outs of the industry, it's almost impossible to fail.
Just follow our battle-tested guidelines and rake in the profits.