Combining the profitable multibillion-dollar sectors of affiliate marketing and Instagram marketing can result in an excellent opportunity for a profitable side hustle. Instagram affiliate marketers earn money from their followers by promoting a product that is subsequently purchased.
Affiliates find Instagram an ideal platform because not only do half of all its users shop every week, its content formats including images, videos, and livestreams offer a comprehensive view that people require before making a purchase decision.
Instagram Affiliate Marketing Tips
1. Add Website Link to Instagram Bio
Informing people that they can purchase the items featured in their beautiful lifestyle images is crucial to converting the traffic of influencers (including micro-influencers) into sales. This method is considered one of the most effective ways.
On Instagram, @sheshopped has accomplished this, and on her website’s page, she has all of her Instagram photos that are shoppable with details about the product. When a user selects one, they receive information about it and can be directed to the store.
2. Utilize Coupon Codes
Coupon codes have been a successful tool for encouraging purchases, especially in the realm of affiliate marketing. For example, @taylavvilson, an influencer, features a product image along with a discount code in her description.
An exclusive coupon code holds greater appeal as it offers a superior discount compared to a regular coupon code. It is worth noting that not all coupon codes necessitate an affiliate link for tracking purposes, which is good news for affiliates wishing to promote an exclusive code without including an affiliate link.
3. Products Don’t Have to Be the Focus
Travel blogger @Anna Everywhere has an Instagram full of stunning photo shoots in amazing locations around the world. She is incredibly stylish, and many people send her messages asking where she buys her clothes and other accessories.
In order to assist with this, albeit not being the main focus of the picture, she intends to provide a connection to the product beneath the image or in the comments. The photograph displayed is taken in Playa del Carmen, and she satisfies users’ inquiries regarding the vibrant hat worn by her feline companion by directing them to an Etsy shop in the comments section.
4. Shoot Your Own Images
Allowing users to create their own photo shoots in their own unique style can make a positive impact, as it reinforces word of mouth publicity and showcases content as user-created, instead of endorsed by the brand. If an influencer is modeling the product, it creates a more authentic representation, increasing the likelihood of a purchase.
@victoriama9 serves as an excellent illustration for this point since it is obvious from the pictures that she is the one donning the outfits and not promotional images from the brand. Engaging a skilled photographer to generate superior quality digital images is ideal for the Instagram community.
5. Use Instagram Stories to Create Brand Awareness
Instagram stories were launched in October 2016 and have gained immense popularity as it offers a glimpse into the daily routine of some of the most popular Instagrammers. In 2022, the ad reach potential of Instagram Stories was 996 million users.
Posting stories creates excitement for a new product as each post disappears after 24 hours, signaling followers to anticipate something fresh from the brand the following day.
By using this technique, influencers can spark people’s interest, boost their participation, and generate greater numbers of conversions. Utilizing Instagram Stories’ “Join Chat” and video functionalities can further enhance their reach.
Strengthening community can be achieved by focusing on a particular niche.
To increase the chances of success, it is advisable to concentrate on a specific market with a highly involved fan base. @shopbackau is an example of such an affiliate that caters to individuals who are searching for the greatest bargains and desire to receive cashback on their purchases.
When a brand offers enticing deals, they inform their customers to take advantage of the opportunity to purchase the product and earn cashback. While their Facebook page is highly engaged, their Instagram account serves as a platform to showcase products and attract potential collaborations with brands.
Generate blog articles as a supplement to your Instagram content.
One strategy to maximize followers and improve the chances of a purchase is to create a blog post on the influencer’s website, which can increase traffic and increase the likelihood of referral sales. This approach is most effective with beauty, travel, and lifestyle posts. Brands and influencers can also feature the post as an Instagram story or part of a product advertisement.
8. Run Sponsored Posts to Boost Sales
Utilizing sponsored posts on Instagram can prove to be an effective means of boosting followers and engagements on select posts. In cases where influencers possess a discount code or collaborate on a project, this can serve as a useful method for boosting sales. By way of specific demographic data like location, interests, behaviors, and purchase intent, users can hone in on their desired audience with relative ease.
Enhance the visibility of posts via paid search campaigns.
Paid search via Google Adwords can be utilized by influencers to boost their Instagram page followers and post clicks. It is important for them to consider their conversion rate and budget while also conducting proper keyword research.
The name given to a feature on the social media platform Instagram is “Instagram Reels.”
Video has become an indispensable element of any Instagram post. Reels, Instagram’s version of TikTok, has made its way into the picture as well. With Reels, creators can utilize videos to convey their stories. Unlike Stories, which are only visible to followers, Reels are made public, giving them the potential to attain viral status. Additionally, unlike Stories, Reels stay visible beyond the first 24 hours.
Watching videos online is becoming increasingly popular among internet users, and Reels on Instagram presents an ideal opportunity for content creators to benefit from this trend. Influencers and brands must prioritize creating videos in order to remain relevant.
Strategically utilizing affiliate links.
At first, it may not be clear how to utilize Instagram for affiliate marketing due to the restriction of adding links in photo posts. However, this is a common practice for social media platforms that promote posts without links to achieve higher view counts and retain users on their site. Instagram has taken a smart approach by allowing purchases to be made directly on their platform, ensuring maximum sales potential.
Affiliate links can also be utilized on Instagram. These are some tactics to obtain affiliate links on the platform:
- If an influencer is only promoting one brand, they should leave the affiliate link in the bio so followers have somewhere else to interact with
- Influencers who promote one brand at a time sequentially can change the affiliate link in their bio to match the brand they are currently promoting.
- Business accounts with at least 10k followers can consider using a swipe-up link in Instagram stories, but remember what we said about platforms favouring posts that are not trying to send their users off their site. This method can reduce visibility.
- Creating really memorable branded short URLs to use on images or in photo descriptions can lead to users typing them in manually. This is the least likely to work as even links in tweets and on other social networks are getting fewer and fewer clicks with each passing year.
- Best idea: skip the link and use a coupon code to get credit for the sale of products instead.
12. Label Affiliate Products as a Paid Partnership
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has established stringent disclosure guidelines for marketers to disclose their association with a related brand due to the increase in Instagram users who are motivated to promote products to their followers.
If your review includes a visible and obvious declaration of your association, and the reader can view both the review and link simultaneously, then the reader is equipped with the necessary knowledge. A suitable example could be, ‘I earn commissions from links included in this article.’ If the review and link are disconnected, readers may not be able to establish the connection.
A new feature on Instagram has been introduced to assist affiliate marketers in complying with the FTC endorsement regulations. Chantel Mila’s Instagram post displays the “paid partnerships” designation, which precisely shows that the affiliate marketer has a motivation to promote the brand’s content.
13. Create an Instagram Affiliate Storefront
In June 2021, Instagram announced the introduction of new affiliate features, including an in-app storefront designed specifically for content creators utilizing the platform, similar to Instagram Shops for ecommerce brands.
From their profiles, creators have the ability to display products they are associated with. By tagging recommended products from the View Shop tab in their Instagram content, affiliates can increase the likelihood of sales.
Beta testing for the Instagram affiliate shops feature is ongoing, with the intention of making it available to US creators in the near future. Meanwhile, conduct tests to gauge the popularity of various affiliate products. Once the feature is accessible to all creators, you’ll have a good idea of which items to showcase in your affiliate storefront.
14. Create a Discount Code Story Highlight
Including discount codes in your Instagram strategy is a great way to leverage the fact that 88% of US consumers use coupon codes when shopping online.
This is an ideal platform for utilizing Instagram Stories. It is not just one of the most well-liked formats on Instagram, with over 500 million individuals using it on a daily basis, but affiliates can direct individuals towards products by using the link sticker without having to divert them through their bio link. (This has taken over the swipe up feature that was previously only accessible to accounts with more than 10,000 followers.)
15. Record Product Demonstrations
By exhibiting how to utilize the product, you can facilitate potential customers in becoming familiar, fond of and confident with you, and your suggestions. This is essential for the effectiveness of affiliate marketing, as people are more likely to buy products from someone they trust on Instagram without having to leave the app for further information.
This consists of:
- Instagram Stories for vlog-style videos
- Instagram Reels for short, TikTok-style videos
- Instagram Live for live streaming product tutorials in real time
Founder of BBQ Grill Academy, Hector Ruiz, suggests that the most effective Instagram affiliate content involves suggesting products and demonstrating real-life usage rather than promoting sales.
An authentic endorsement conveys your personal enjoyment of a product or service that you may be promoting and demonstrates its real-life benefits. As a result, potential customers are more likely to follow the link to delve deeper into the product if they find your recommendation appealing.
Tip: Instagram carousels are a great platform to showcase product tutorials. You can feature each step in a separate photo or video and upload them to your feed. This not only expands the reach of your content but also provides a lasting resource for your audience to learn about the products and earn commission on them.
16. Use Hashtags to Expand Your Reach
In order to create a passive income through affiliate marketing, it is essential to cultivate a consistent influx of Instagram followers. Increasing the visibility of your content lowers the likelihood of audience monotony, where individuals become disinterested in seeing repetitive content.
By using hashtags, you can reach a wider audience with minimal effort. Instagram users have the ability to track hashtags within the app, giving your content a chance to be seen in their feed, regardless of whether or not they are following your account.
To search for hashtags on Instagram, begin by conducting competitor analysis. Hashtags are frequently used by brands, bloggers, and publishers to increase their reach. Examine the captions and initial comment of Instagram posts they have shared for inspiration.
There are platforms available that display trending hashtags within a particular industry.
Prior to adding a hashtag to your list of options, make sure to verify that it is not prohibited. Even seemingly harmless expressions such as #adulting, #beautyblogger, and #pushup are all disallowed on Instagram. Incorporating them into your affiliate content may lead to a shadow ban.
17. Track Affiliate Performance
As previously mentioned, having an Instagram creator account allows you to utilize Instagram’s Insights tool, which can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of your affiliate marketing efforts on the platform.
Be on the lookout for important metrics such as:
- Brand awareness. Use Post Insights to discover how people find your content—be that the Explore page, their feed, or directly through your profile.
- Profile activity. If you’re pointing followers toward a link aggregation tool, check how many people click the link from your bio.
- Engagement rate. Evaluate this by affiliate product on offer, type of content, and format. If tutorial-based Instagram Stories have a higher engagement rate than standard grid posts, prioritize them going forward.
Verify the Instagram data by referring to the information available on your affiliate marketing dashboard. Despite the challenge of locating a platform with comprehensive tracking, such as identifying individual followers who made purchases, remain vigilant for:
- Most and least purchased products
- Conversion rate for promoted affiliate items
- Affiliate conversion spikes around periods of heavy Instagram promotion
The future of Instagram affiliate marketing
The platform of Instagram is always changing in order to better accommodate creators, which is excellent for affiliate marketers who utilize the social media site as a means of producing additional earnings.
A good way to begin is to switch to a creator account, establish partnerships with affiliates, and enhance your influence. This is when you can start endorsing affiliate products effectively and persuade your followers to make purchases.
