Affiliate marketing is one of the most cost-effective ways to promote your store, and also brings some of the highest conversion rates. People that hear about your products through a referral are more likely to make a purchase.
Incentivizing others to help you spread the word about your store will enable you to tap into a much broader network than you would have otherwise had access to.
The success of your referral program for your eCommerce store will largely depend on the following factors:
✅The quality of your product/brand
✅Getting the right affiliates to join your referral program
✅Keeping your affiliates motivated to continue promoting your brand
Here are a few tips to help you increase your chances of success when running a referral program for your eCommerce store:
1. Offer an enticing reward
An attractive commission rate motivates affiliates to refer people to buy your product(s). A typical offering is 10-20% commission. Be sure to remain competitive while staying within your budget!
2. Enable the Post-Purchase Pop-Up feature
Automatically invite your customers to participate in your referral program by enabling Kickbooster's Post-Purchase Pop-Up.
3. Create an incentive for your referred customers
Allowing your affiliates to offer their network a discount when making a purchase through their link is a great way to increase sales!
4. Tell people about your referral program
No one will know about your referral program if you don’t talk about it! Here are a few easy ways to promote your program:
Share it through your social media accounts
Add it to your email newsletter
Add a printed invite to the product’s package before you ship it
Add an 'Affiliate' section to your website footer that takes people to your referral program signup page
Add a Kickbooster banner to your store
Invite your friends, family, and past customers to join
Post about your referral program regularly - potential affiliates might have missed your initial invitation
5. Reach out to content creators and media outlets
Leverage your referral program to encourage content creators, influencers, and other media outlets to promote your product. Start by making a list of relevant outlets your product would be a great fit for.
Here's a list of options to explore:
General publications with large volumes of readers (e.g. The Verge, Mashable, Lifehacker, etc.)
Targeted/niche blogs - depending on what audience the product appeals to
News and Media sites
Specific journalists that have written about other products within your niche
Online communities - like forums, message boards, or Facebook groups you know will care about your products
Popular social media influencers that are relevant to your niche
Relevant YouTube channels
When reaching out to the media, be specific with what you're asking them to do. You're not asking them to buy your product. Instead, let them know why your product is a perfect fit for their audience and invite them to participate in your referral program so they can earn a commission for their efforts.
6. Reach out to your existing network of followers and customers
Satisfied customers are often willing to refer products to their network. Give them an opportunity to do so and reward them for their efforts!
7. Invite businesses who supply complementary products to participate in your referral program
If a company sells products that pair well with yours, you should invite them to join your referral program to share your project with their customers.
For example, if you sell travel gear for photographers, you may want to approach a company that sells cameras. The company can send an email about your store to their customers, and get a cash kickback on every sale they help you make!
8. Provide your affiliates with marketing materials
You know your own brand better than anyone. Providing your affiliates with images and content they can use when promoting your campaign helps keep your message consistent and saves time for your affiliates.
Kickbooster allows you to upload a media kit and/or promotional video right inside your Design settings. This will be visible to your affiliates inside their Kickbooster dashboard.
9. Add your project to our Marketplace
Kickbooster has a growing network of affiliates that refer to our Marketplace to find new products to promote.