According to Statista, 734 million pieces of spam were removed from Facebook in the second quarter of 2022, compared to 1.8 billion pieces in the first quarter of the year. That’s a lot of spam!
And a good chunk of that spam is likely affiliate links. You know, those “friends” keep sending you messages about making money online with this new system they just found. Or that girl from high school who keeps posting about the latest fad diet pill she’s selling.
We’ve all seen it, and it’s annoying. But affiliate marketing on Facebook is still alive. Far from it, in fact.
People are still making money from affiliate marketing on Facebook. They’re just doing it in a way that doesn’t annoy their friends and followers.
By the end of this post, you’ll know how to promote affiliate links on Facebook without being spammy.
Before we get started, let’s learn what rules you need to follow when promoting affiliate links on Facebook.
Affiliate Marketing on Facebook – What Rules Should You Follow?
You are allowed to do affiliate marketing on Facebook, but you have to follow Facebook’s advertising rules.
Facebook, much like Google, puts the user experience first and foremost. What’s in it for Facebook if advertisers send people to lower-quality landing pages selling products that promise instant wealth?
Nothing. It would only result in people deleting the Facebook app, which would be bad for business.
Another bad user experience would be if people were bombarded with affiliate offers and ads as soon as they logged into Facebook. That would also result in people leaving their trust in Facebook ads and never clicking even on a relevant ad.
So, Facebook is pretty strict when it comes to affiliate marketing. But that’s a good thing! It just means that you have to be creative and strategic in your approach.
Here are some general guidelines to follow when promoting affiliate links on Facebook:
- It’s best to steer clear of ads that make broad, unsubstantiated claims. For example, “This program will help you lose 10 pounds in one day!” is more likely to get your ad rejected or banned outright.
- Remember to also include the appropriate disclosure in your posts following FTC guidelines. Your readers should be able to tell that your Facebook post contains an affiliate link.
Affiliate program guidelines vary, so it is essential to check what each one allows before promoting links.
Pro Tip: Obviously, each social media platform has different rules. For example, if you want to avoid promoting affiliate links on Facebook but decide to do so on Twitter, make sure you know the guidelines for each site before proceeding.
How to Promote Affiliate Links on Facebook the Right Way
There are a few different ways you can do affiliate marketing business on Facebook, and they all have one thing in common:
You want to be helpful, not spammy.
Let’s take a look at some ways you can do that.
Build An Audience
Affiliate marketers use a lot of different strategies to make money. But one thing they all have in common is that they start with an audience.
It doesn’t matter how good your offer is or how low your price is; you need an audience to sell to make money. Before thinking about making any money off Facebook ads, focus on how you can provide value to others who use the site. You start promoting affiliate links only once you’ve built up an audience of fans.
For example, if you focus on amassing an audience of individuals who love traveling, you will not only get more clicks to your posts but also a higher conversion rate.
That’s because the people who follow or are part of your group tend to trust you more implicitly. And with that comes the ability to do direct promotion successfully. People usually trust recommendations from someone they know and respect.
There are a few different ways you can do that:
- Create a Facebook group
- Give information about your topic without selling anything
- Build a relationship with your audience
Don’t be Spammy
When you’re ready to start promoting affiliate links, avoid being spammy. That means:
- Don’t post affiliate links in every post
- Don’t create Facebook posts that are nothing but affiliate links
- Don’t post affiliate links in comments
- Do share affiliate links when they’re relevant and add value
For example, if you’re in a Facebook group about hiking, and somebody asks for the best hiking boots for beginners, you could reply with a link to purchase hiking boots on your desired affiliate site. But don’t just drop a link without any explanation. Tell them what you like about the product, why you think they would benefit from it, and how it’s helped you.
The key here is to be helpful, not spammy. If you drop affiliate links all over the place without any explanation or context, people will get annoyed, and you’ll probably get banned from the group.
Always Use an Affiliate Disclaimer
Whether it is a Facebook business page post or an ad, you should always include an affiliate disclaimer. In some countries, this is required by law, and it’s just good practice in general.
An affiliate disclaimer lets your audience know you may receive a commission if they purchase using your affiliate link.
Host a Contest or Giveaway on Your Facebook Page
Engagement is the friend-making currency on Facebook. The more engagement you have, the more likely your posts will be seen by potential customers. A great way to increase engagement is to host a contest or giveaway on your Facebook page.
To do this, simply create a post announcing the contest or giveaway and include your affiliate link. Make sure to include clear instructions on how to enter the contest or giveaway.
Interact with Your Audience
Getting people to “Like” your page is the first step in creating trust, and generating affiliate sales is great. However, resist posting your affiliate link too often because you will irritate your audience, and Facebook might block your page.
The best way to use direct affiliate links on your Facebook business page is to interact with potential customers first. If you can help them solve a problem or answer a question, they will be more likely to trust you and use your affiliate link.
For example, if you run a blog about dog training, you could post a question on your Facebook page like “How do I stop my dog from barking?” When people comment with their answers, you can reply with a helpful affiliate link to a dog training course to help them solve their problems. You can also promote your blog post, but make sure it will be helpful to your audience.
Since social media is typically overflowing with people trying to sell one thing or another, you should only be promoting your product 20% of the time. The other 80% should be informative postings that build a good reputation for you and your business. And when you promote something, always try to do it in a way that isn’t too sales-y or aggressive.
Mask Your Affiliate Link
Depending on the program, the link length will differ. Long links can come across as untrustworthy and spammy to potential customers. By using affiliate link masking plugins like “Pretty Links WordPress Plugin,” you easily shorten your links. With this plugin’s advanced features, including geo-targeting and link management, located in the WordPress dashboard, you have major capabilities at your fingertips.
Post to Relevant Facebook Groups
A Facebook Group is a meeting place or discussion board for people with common interests. It allows members to communicate with each other about their shared passions. Fortunately, Facebook lets users join up to 6,000 groups, so take advantage and join as many as possible.
Boost Your Reach with Influencers
You can also use influencers to help you promote your affiliate links on Facebook. An influencer is somebody with a large following who is trusted by their audience.
This is the quickest method but a costly one. You will need to identify the relevant influencers in your niche, reach out to them, and offer to pay them for promoting your affiliate link.
The downside of this method is that it can be very expensive, and you have no guarantee that the influencer will actually promote your affiliate link.
Another downside is that this method only works if the influencer has a large enough following to make it worthwhile. If they only have a few thousand irrelevant followers, it’s probably not worth it.
There are a few ways to promote your affiliate link using influencers:
- Post on a page with a large following
- Run ads on popular pages
- Post a story or make a reel introducing your promotional product
As an affiliate marketer, it is crucial always to be aware of the latest trends and strategies for promoting your desired products to generate decent affiliate revenue. Who knows, one of these strategies might be just what you need to boost your affiliate revenue.
Use Images to Break up Your Text and Make It More Visually Appealing
When scanning a Facebook feed, users’ attention is more caught by photos and videos than text alone. Adding an image along with your affiliate link will make it more visually appealing and thus more likely to be clicked on.
You can also use images to make your affiliate link more trustworthy. For example, if you’re promoting a weight loss product, include before and after photos of people who have used the product.
FAQs
What are the best affiliate programs for Facebook?
The best affiliate programs for Facebook will vary depending on your niche. However, some popular affiliate programs for Facebook include Amazon Associates, Clickbank, and Commission Junction.
Can I post Amazon affiliate links on Facebook?
You can utilize Facebook to promote your content, but only if you don’t use Facebook advertising that leads straight to Amazon. This includes boosted posts on your page, which are in a bit of a grey area. We recommend avoiding them altogether.
What are some good affiliate products to promote on Facebook?
This really depends on your audience, but here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Health and fitness products.
- Beauty products.
- Kitchen Appliances.
- Gardening tools.
- Travel gear.
For more tips, you can read our guide on How to Find Profitable Amazon Products to Promote as an Affiliate.
Promote Trust, Not Spam
The affiliate marketing world is filled with scammers and spammers. As an affiliate marketer, you must build trust with your audience, so they know you’re not one of them. Your affiliate marketing efforts will be much more successful if you promote trust, not spam.