In today's digital age, designers have more opportunities than ever to diversify their income streams. One avenue that's gaining traction is affiliate marketing. For those unfamiliar with the term, affiliate marketing involves promoting other people's products and earning a commission for every sale made through your referral link. But how can designers specifically benefit from this? And more importantly, how can they do it ethically?
Because, after all, we need to keep in mind that the product we promote is not our own. Therefore it's best if you just promote what you have used or use yourself. My rule here is: I just post products on my
website I have purchased and can have a look at. After all I want to make sure that my readers get a great product for their money.
What is Affiliate Marketing?
Affiliate marketing is essentially a partnership between a product creator and a promoter (the affiliate). The affiliate promotes the product, and for every sale made through their unique referral link, they earn a commission. This model is beneficial for both parties: the product creator gets more visibility and sales, and the affiliate earns a passive income.
But it's also beneficial for the customer. They can have a look at the product and learn more about the ins and outs bevor they purchase it. And while they get all the information purchasing over the affiliate link doesn't cost them a single cent!
Why Designers Should Consider Affiliate Marketing
As you can see Affiliate Marketing is a win-win-win - for the creator, for the promoter and also for the customer. The Holy Grail of Affiliate Marketing is when you find a program which offers you recurring commissions. Memberships, for example, often offer you recurring commissions. This means that you keep earning as long as the customer is paying for her membership.
Diversified Revenue Stream: Relying solely on client work or product sales can be unpredictable. Affiliate marketing offers an additional income stream that can help stabilize your finances.
Showcase Your Expertise: Recommending products allows designers to showcase their expertise. It's a testament to your industry knowledge, as you're curating the best tools and resources for your audience.
Complements Your Existing Work: If you already have a platform like a blog, YouTube channel, or social media presence, affiliate marketing can be seamlessly integrated. For instance, if you're reviewing a design tool on your YouTube channel, you can provide an affiliate link for your viewers to purchase it. Beside that you can write a a blog post about your review and include the video so you can profit from one piece of content for a long time in several ways.
The Ethical Approach to Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing sometimes gets a bad rap due to affiliates who promote products solely for financial gain, regardless of the product's quality. However, it doesn't have to be that way. Here's how you can ensure you're engaging in ethical affiliate marketing:
- Recommend Products You Believe In: Only promote products you've personally used and found valuable. At Digidesignresort, I stand by this principle by recommending products from designers I love and products I personally use.
- Full Transparency: Always disclose your affiliate relationship. Your audience trusts you, and it's essential to maintain that trust by being transparent about your promotions.
- Provide Value: Instead of just dropping a link, provide context. For instance, on the Digidesignresort YouTube channel, I offer tutorials on how I use the products, review them, and even create a digital product from them. This not only promotes the product but also educates the audience and gives you additional value.
Best Practices for Designers
Here are the best practices you should keep in mind bevor you pick a product you want to promote.
Choose Relevant Products: If you're a graphic designer, it makes sense to promote design tools, courses, or resources. Ensure that the products align with your niche and audience's interests.
Test Before You Recommend: Before promoting a product, test it thoroughly. This ensures that you're recommending a quality product and can provide genuine feedback. Beside that you can give your audience the advantages and disadvantages so they can make an informed decision.
Educate Your Audience: Rather than just promoting a product, educate your audience on its benefits and how it can solve their problems. This adds value and increases the likelihood of conversions.
Affiliate marketing presents a lucrative opportunity for designers, but it's crucial to approach it with integrity. By recommending products you believe in, being transparent, and providing genuine value to your audience, you can leverage affiliate marketing ethically and effectively.
For many people Affiliate Marketing is their stand-alone business model. And it can be totally. You build trust with your audience by giving them a honest overview of the product they want to purchase and beside that you can design your own products from it because all the products you can purchase on the big sites come with a Commercial Use License.
You can learn more about this and other business models for designers at the Safari Lounge Designer Classes!
Safari Lounge Designer Classes
Learn everything you need to know to build a sustainable Business for Printable Products. Let's create together, plan your business together, and market your products. It's all there,
personal coaching included! In case you just wanna have fun - that's inside as well!