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 sell a product successfully. However, you will have to start getting creative to reach your audience.

 There is a world of tools available to 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 TikTok are perfect for posting niche content and reaching specific audiences. The best part is that these tools are totally free. You must be willing to invest time and effort to grow your following on these apps.

 Before you start building your affiliate marketing strategy, choose an affiliate program with high payouts.

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

Social Media Apps for Affiliate Marketers

A report by TradeDoubler provides compelling statistics on global trends in affiliate marketing. For example, 74% of people trust social media when 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. These apps provide platforms to present relevant content in a niche category.

1. YouTube

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

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

 As with content marketing, you must choose a niche, research your competition and provide genuinely valuable content. These steps are crucial for reaching the right audience and making sales.

So, what kind of content should you create as an affiliate marketer on YouTube? Here’s a short list 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 like, so filming a glowing review shouldn’t be too hard.

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

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

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

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 gaining popularity. You may 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. It would help if you also directed this audience to your YouTube channel where they could find more information on the products.

 Remember that the primary audience on TikTok is between 16 and 24 years old. This information is essential 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, to gain popularity on TikTok, you must 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 another important platform through which affiliate marketers can reach a large audience. While the Instagram algorithm is 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 is 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.

To successfully use Instagram as an affiliate marketer, you must 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 interested in the products.

Like TikTok, Instagram doesn’t allow you to 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 start on Instagram is to stick with four or five core products. Most people need to see a product several times before buying it. Luckily, social media apps allow you to showcase your affiliate products consistently and creatively.

Contribute to a Website (SEO Strategy)

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

• Adding Content to Medium 

Affiliate marketers often overlook the importance of contributing content to a significant online publication. It may seem a little intimidating, but it’s an achievable goal. Medium has created a great platform for writers where you can submit your 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 that you can use them 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 site and to your affiliate products. It 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 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, “the front page of the internet,” aggregates smaller groups called subreddits. Each sub-Reddit is dedicated to a niche topic where people can post pictures, stories, questions, and news and engage in discussions. You can find just about any topic on Reddit.

 You can create your subReddit relating to your niche. For example, you could make 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 has a huge built-in audience. Reddit's other great thing is that it’s based on niches. People turn to this site to find particular online communities.

 Again, you won’t own the content on this platform, so that’s one disadvantage.  Despite this, Reddit is among the most effective tools 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 complex and requires a lot of focus. Whatever strategy you use, you must create quality content to stand out from the crowd and gain traffic.

 Take some time to research each platform before starting 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 increase the visibility of your affiliate links.

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

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