Affiliate marketing is all about delivering a message to the right user. Marketing a connection is one of the best ways to start making money online, without an overhead cost.

 If you’re strapped for cash, the great news is you don't always have to pay for traffic to successfully sell a product. You will, however, have to start getting creative in order to reach your audience.

 There is a world of tools at your fingertips that can help you grow your online presence as an affiliate marketer.

 Think about it-- any platform that allows you to communicate with a large group of people, can be used for affiliate marketing.

 Platforms like Instagram and Tik Tok are perfect for posting niche content and reaching specific audiences. The best part is, these tools are totally free.  You just have to be willing to put in the time and effort to grow your following on these apps.

 Before you start building your affiliate marketing strategy make sure to choose an affiliate program with high payouts.

 So, if you’re ready to get those creative juices flowing, let’s take a look at affiliate marketing strategies you can use for free.

Social Media Apps for Affiliate Marketers

A report by TradeDoubler shows some compelling statistics on global trends relating to affiliate marketing. As you can see, 74% of people trust social media when it comes to making a purchase.

With that kind of data, it would be foolish not to use these platforms to your advantage.

The following apps and websites are popular social media platforms. For the best results, you should be using all of these sites to cast a wide net. All of these apps provide platforms for you to present relevant content in a niche category.

1. YouTube

YouTube is an amazing tool if you’re an affiliate marketer. It’s totally free to start a channel on this platform. Now, a lot of people are intimidated by YouTube because of the equipment required to film videos.

 Believe it or not, if you’re just starting out, it’s not necessary to drop a paycheck on a high-end camera. Many YouTubers started out by filming with just an iPhone camera. Just make sure your lighting is good and the audio is clear.

 As with any type of content marketing, you’ll have to choose a niche, research your competition and provide genuinely valuable content. These steps are crucial for reaching the right audience and actually making sales.

So, what kind of content should you create as an affiliate marketer on YouTube? Here’s a shortlist of ideas you can incorporate into your videos:

●       Product reviews: These videos are great for obvious reasons. You can review the product you’re affiliated with. Hopefully, you’ve chosen products you actually like, so it shouldn’t be too hard to film a glowing review.

●       Recommendations: Create videos recommending products that benefit your target audience.

●       Alternative products: If there’s a popular item that’s similar to your affiliate products, create a video explaining why your product is a great alternative.

●       Tutorials: explain how to properly use the products you’re affiliated with.

2. TikTok

TikTok is another free tool that you can utilize as a content marketer. Although TikTok has been around for a while, it’s having a resurgence in popularity. You may as well strike while the iron is hot and create a free account on this popular app.

 Now, unlike Youtube, you won’t be able to put an affiliate link right onto your TikTok video. Instead, you’ll have to add your affiliate link to your bio. You should also be directing this audience to your YouTube channel where they can find more information on the products.

 Keep in mind, the primary audience on TikTok is between 16 and 24 years old. This information is important to remember when you decide to use this platform.

The products you’re affiliated with will have to appeal to a young demographic. This also means taking a fun and lighthearted approach to your content that matches the overall feeling of the app.

Just like with YouTube, your content should be niche. Use your videos to highlight your affiliate products and point your audience to your affiliate link.

 Here are some tips to keep in mind when using TikTok for affiliate marketing:

●       Choose a username that relates to your niche.

●       Link your TikTok to a related Instagram account.

●       Keep your videos lighthearted but educational.

●       Include all of your social media handles in your bio.

 Lastly, in order to gain popularity on TikTok, you have to understand the algorithm. In a nutshell, your videos should be short and sweet. The algorithm takes into account how often users complete your video. Keep your videos between 10-15 seconds for optimal results.

3. Instagram

Instagram is clearly another important platform where affiliate marketers can reach a big audience. While the Instagram algorithm is notoriously hard to beat, creating a niche can produce surprising results.

Remember, when it comes to gaining followers on any platform, the only audience that matters in an engaged audience.

Have you ever seen an account with thousands of followers, but hardly any interaction on their posts? That’s a scenario you want to avoid.

In order to successfully use Instagram as an affiliate marketer, you need to stick to your niche and appeal to your target audience. Even if you have a smaller following, you’re more likely to make conversions if the audience is actually interested in the products.

Just like TikTok, Instagram doesn’t let you put an active link in your posts. The best way to do it is to include a clean affiliate link in the caption, and keep an active link in your bio.

The last tip I have for you as you get started on Instagram is to stick with four or five core products. Most people need to see a product several times before they decide to buy it. Luckily, social media apps allow you to showcase your affiliate products in consistent and creative ways.

Contribute to a Website (SEO Strategy)

You don't need your own website to make money with affiliate marketing.  You can add your content to sites like Medium and Reddit, and drop affiliate links. This is a smart and effective way to reach a built-in audience.

• Adding Content to Medium 

Contributing content to a major online publication is often overlooked by affiliate marketers. It may seem a little intimidating, but it’s actually an achievable goal. Medium has created a great platform for writers where you can submit your own work for free.

 Here’s how you can submit your work for Medium:

1. Write a high-quality blog post
2. An editor will review your work and decide if it’s approved.
3. If your work gets approved, it will be recommended to relevant Medium readers. 

Medium often features product reviews and tutorials so you can use this to your advantage. When you write an article for Medium, include your affiliate link and a link to your blog.

 This will direct a specific audience back to your own site and to your affiliate products. This will also help your blog rank higher overall making it a smart SEO strategy.

 Medium also offers a partner program where writers can earn money through reader subscriptions. The only downside to this platform is that you don’t own the content that you submit to the website.

• Manage a SubReddit

Another clever way to rank on Google is through Reddit. People often turn to this popular platform for advice from real people.

Reddit, also known as “the front page of the internet,” is an aggregation of smaller groups called subReddits. Each sub-Reddit is dedicated to a niche topic where people can post pictures, stories, questions, news, and engage in discussions. You can find just about any topic on Reddit.

 You can create your own subReddit relating to your niche. For example, you could create a subReddit for web hosting. When people search for “web-hosting Reddit,” your subreddit should appear.

 You can then add your affiliate link to the Reddit posts in this subreddit.

 The major benefits of this tactic are that it’s totally free and there is a huge built-in audience. The other great thing about Reddit is that it’s based on niches. People turn to this site to find very specific online communities.

 Again, you won’t own the content on this platform, so that’s one disadvantage.  Despite this, Reddit is one of the most effective tools out there for ranking on a search engine results page and gaining quality leads. Moreover, you don’t need to worry as an advanced affiliate who has a slow loading website, which is making him lose $1000s per hour.

Takeaway

There’s no sugar coating it: affiliate marketing is hard and requires a lot of focus. Whatever strategy you use, it’s imperative that you create quality content to stand out from the crowd and gain traffic.

 Take some time to research each platform so you can start creating your affiliate marketing strategy. Each platform offers its own pros and cons. The best approach is to utilize several of these tools to reach a larger audience and bring more visibility to your affiliate links.

Remember, it doesn’t take money to be a successful affiliate marketer, but it does require patience, creativity and hard work. 

Subscribe to weekly updates

You’ll also receive some of our best posts today