Shopify stores make an average of $92 in revenue per customer. If you’re earning more than $209, then well done! That puts you in the top 20% earners in Shopify.
But if you’re earning a measly $42 per customer — the worst 10% in the bracket — then you need a solution, fast.
Affiliate marketing can be a powerful tool that supercharges your bottom line by partnering with brand ambassadors who would promote your products on their platforms.
Intrigued?
In this post, we’ll guide you through utilizing affiliate software for Shopify step-by-step.
We’ll explore everything from why affiliate marketing is crucial for online businesses to how to maximize performance using structured programs.
In today’s cutthroat retail landscape, utilizing affiliate software for Shopify isn’t just an option anymore. It’s the key to unlocking untapped potential and skyrocketing your store’s success!
Table of Contents:
- Why You Need an Affiliate Marketing Program for Your Shopify Store
- Utilizing Affiliate Software for Shopify
- How to Add an Affiliate Program to Your Shopify Store: A Step-by-Step Guide
- How to Reward Your Affiliates
- Payment Methods for Affiliate Partners
- Turning Customers Into Affiliate Partners
- Promoting Your Affiliate Marketing Program
- Conclusion
Why You Need an Affiliate Marketing Program for Your Shopify Store
If you’re running a Shopify store, you know how important it is to have a strong online presence. With so many other stores competing for the same customers, it can be tough to stand out and make successful sales.
This is where affiliate marketing comes in. By partnering with affiliates who promote your products on their own platforms, you’ll benefit from the increased exposure that helps drive traffic back to your site.
Affiliate marketing relies on what’s known as “social proof,” which means that consumers are more likely to invest in products or services if they see others already using them successfully. When affiliates share their custom links on blogs or social media channels, they help spread the word about your store organically and authentically.
Another great thing about affiliate marketing is that it’s low-cost and low-risk. You won’t need to invest much money upfront beyond the cost of utilizing affiliate software for Shopify and any paid advertising campaigns you might run to promote your program further.
The Benefits of Partnering with Affiliates
- Increased sales: Partnerships with affiliates can lead directly towards increased revenue through boosted product sales.
- Wider audience reach: Through partnerships with trusted influencers in your industry, you can reach out to their followers and increase the exposure of your brand, products, and services through this partnership.
- Create brand ambassadors: A network of affiliate partners can become your brand ambassadors, promoting your products and services to their audiences in a credible way.
- Cost-effective: Affiliate marketing is cost-effective as you only pay commissions on successful sales made through affiliates’ custom links. It doesn’t require any upfront payment for advertising campaigns.
If you want to boost your sales numbers with minimal costs and risks, then utilizing affiliate software for Shopify is definitely worth considering. By recruiting potential affiliates who genuinely love and use your products or services, you’ll be able to build trust with new customers more easily.
Utilizing Affiliate Software for Shopify
If you run your online store on Shopify, you can easily partner with affiliates who will promote your products in exchange for a commission on successful sales.
There are two primary approaches available for store owners when it comes to using affiliate marketing:
- Developing your own program: Using APIs provided by Shopify’s platform, store owners can develop and integrate their own customized affiliate programs into their stores quickly. It includes setting up commission structures and tracking links.
- Becoming an affiliate and selling directly from your store: With access to a wide range of digital downloads as well as physical goods offered by Shopify, store owners can also sell these items directly from their stores while earning commissions.
It’s important for store owners who want success with either approach to research best practices for running profitable campaigns or promoting and selling products through affiliate marketing.
By utilizing affiliate software for Shopify, store owners can achieve success in drawing more people to their site.
Screenshot from Shopify
How to Add an Affiliate Program to Your Shopify Store: A Step-by-Step Guide
Launching an affiliate program for your Shopify store can be a game-changer. It not only helps you promote products and increase sales but also enables you to develop brand ambassadors who will help spread the word about your online store.
Here is a step-by-step guide on how to add an affiliate program to your Shopify store:
Step 1: Choose Your Affiliate Marketing Software
The first step in setting up an affiliate program is selecting the right software.
You’ll need to choose an affiliate management app on Shopify’s App Store. You can find a ton to choose from by simply searching for “affiliate program.”
Screenshot: Shopify App Store
Scaleo is one of the most popular options among Shopify store owners due to its easy integration with API and user-friendly dashboard. Other great options include Refersion, LeadDyno, and Omnistar Affiliate Software.
Make sure whichever Shopify affiliate marketing app you choose has all the features you need for managing affiliates effectively.
Step 2: Set Up Your Affiliate Program
Once you have chosen your preferred software, it’s time to set up your affiliate program.
- Sign up for an account with your chosen affiliate marketing app.
- Customize settings such as commission rates and payment methods.
- Create unique referral links or codes for each of your affiliates.
- Design marketing materials such as banners or social media posts that affiliates can use when promoting products from your online store.
Step 3: Recruit Affiliates
Now that everything is set up, it’s time to recruit potential affiliates! There are several ways to do this.
- Reach out to potential affiliates directly via email or social media platforms like LinkedIn or Instagram DMs.
- Advertise open positions on job boards like Indeed.com.
- Send newsletters to existing customer lists inviting them to become part of your affiliate network.
- Utilize affiliate networks like ShareASale or Commission Junction.
- Make sure that any advertising campaigns demonstrate why joining this particular affiliate program would benefit future partners.
To attract high-quality partners, create compelling offers that will appeal not only financially but also emotionally with influencers seeking out brands whose values align with theirs. Make sure they are a good fit with your brand culture.
Reach out to your existing network and ask for referrals or recommendations about potential affiliates. This can include industry peers, customers, or even friends and family members who may have connections in the online marketing space.
Commission and conversion rate by niche
How to Reward Your Affiliates
If you’re running an affiliate program for your Shopify store, it’s important to consider how you will reward your affiliates. While most affiliates receive a fixed sum or percentage per sale, there are other ways to incentivize them and make the program more attractive.
Exclusive Deals
Offering exclusive deals or discounts can be a great way to motivate your affiliates and give them something extra that they can offer their audience. This could include special promotions, limited-time offers, or unique bundles that aren’t available anywhere else.
Special Rates
You may also want to consider offering higher commission rates for specific products or categories during certain times of the year when sales tend to be higher. For example, if you sell outdoor gear, you might offer a higher commission rate on camping equipment during the summer months.
Free Goods
In addition to monetary rewards, many affiliates appreciate receiving free goods in exchange for promoting products. Depending on what type of items you sell in your Shopify store, this could include samples of new products before they hit the market or even full-sized items as part of a loyalty program.
Bear in mind that whatever incentive structure you choose needs to align with both your business goals and those of your affiliates. You need enough margin from each sale so that offering incentives doesn’t eat into profits too much while still being attractive enough for people looking at joining up as an affiliate partner.
If you do it right, generous incentives can attract well-known influencers capable of directing consistent sales to your company, which can help increase revenue and brand awareness. This also shows that your Shopify store is trustworthy and values its affiliates.
Overall, it’s important to think creatively about how you will reward your affiliates. By offering exclusive deals or free goods in addition to monetary rewards, you can make the program more attractive and motivate affiliates to promote your products even more effectively.
Payment Methods for Affiliate Partners
When it comes time to pay out commissions earned by your affiliates, there are several payment methods available:
- PayPal: This is a popular option among both merchants and affiliates due to its ease of use and widespread availability.
- Affiliate store credit: Some merchants choose this method as it encourages repeat business from their top-performing partners while avoiding transaction fees associated with other payment methods.
- Bank/wire transfers: This method may work well if some of your affiliate partners live in countries where PayPal is not supported. Do note that bank transfers charge an extra fee compared with PayPal payments.
No matter which payment method you choose, make sure to set clear terms and conditions for your affiliates so they know exactly how much commission they will earn per sale, when payments will be made, and any other relevant details.
Turning Customers into Affiliate Partners
Special offers and discounts aren’t just for clearing out old inventory or boosting sales during slow periods — they’re also a powerful tool for turning customers into affiliates.
Discounts can turn one-time shoppers into loyal customers, who then become ambassadors for your brand. Incentivized referrals have a 25% higher conversion rate than non-incentivized ones.
By offering incentives like exclusive deals or cash rewards, you encourage customers to share their positive experiences with others, effectively becoming affiliate marketers themselves. This tactic can be especially beneficial when integrated with referral plans on social media networks like Facebook and Instagram.
If you want to attract more people to your affiliate programs, it’s crucial to understand what kind of incentives work best. Some might prefer flat-rate commissions while others may be motivated by tiered commission structures based on performance levels.
Promoting Your Affiliate Marketing Program
Now that you have set up your affiliate marketing program on Shopify, it’s time to promote it.
Here are some tactics you can use:
Add the Affiliate Program Link to Your Website Footer
Your website footer is a traditional space where visitors look first, so make sure the font size isn’t too small and the program link isn’t hard to find. By doing this, interested parties will easily be able to locate and join your affiliate program.
You can also blog about your affiliate program to make sure your followers and customers know it exists!
Create an Effective Email Marketing Funnel
An email marketing funnel is a series of emails designed to nurture potential affiliates and convert them into actual affiliates.
Start by sending out an email announcing your new affiliate program. Include all necessary information such as commission rates, payment methods, etc., then follow up with more detailed emails about how they can benefit from joining.
Promote Through Social Media Channels
Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram provide great opportunities for promoting products through influencer partnerships, especially if their audience aligns well with yours!
Influencers can help spread awareness about specific offers or promotions you’re running while also driving traffic back to your site and theirs.
Remember that creating a successful affiliate marketing program takes time, effort, and patience, but with the right approach, it can be an incredibly lucrative source of affiliate revenue.
Conclusion
Shopify affiliate marketing is a great way for Shopify store owners to expand their online presence, promote products, and increase revenue. By finding potential affiliates who can act as brand ambassadors, businesses can leverage the power of word-of-mouth advertising to reach new audiences.
Utilizing affiliate software for Shopify makes this entire process easy. Shopify apps allow merchants to easily manage their affiliate program by tracking clicks, conversions, and commissions all in one place.
For an affiliate program to be successful, it’s also crucial to have an action plan. This includes actively recruiting affiliates through social media outreach or email campaigns and providing them with promotional materials such as banners or discount codes.
Regularly communicate with your existing affiliates by sending newsletters or updates about new product launches or promotions they can share with their audience.
Overall, affiliate marketing is a powerful tool that can help take your business to the next level. With its numerous benefits and user-friendly integration options, there’s no reason not to give it a try.
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