MBA1553 Guest Teacher – Nathan Hirsch – How to Build and Promote an Affiliate Program
Jun 22, 2020
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Nathan Hirsch, a successful entrepreneur known for his expertise in affiliate marketing, shares powerful strategies for building and promoting affiliate programs. He explains how harnessing the collective strength of affiliates can drive business growth without hefty investments. Hirsch highlights the importance of targeting the right affiliates, collaborating with micro-influencers, and actively promoting your program to ensure participation. His insights reveal that a blend of incentives, community, and effective networking can transform your business through affiliate partnerships.
Establishing a competitive commission structure is crucial for attracting affiliates and promoting sustained participation in your affiliate program.
Partnering with non-competing businesses can significantly increase an affiliate program's visibility and facilitate mutual growth through shared audiences.
Deep dives
Building a Successful Affiliate Program
Creating a successful affiliate program begins with establishing a clear percentage for commissions. Many businesses opt for a model where affiliates earn a fixed rate for each sale or service rendered; for instance, one notable example involved paying 50 cents for each hour billed. It's essential to start with a competitive yet manageable rate that allows flexibility to offer higher commissions to valued partners or influencers later. Additionally, promoting this program consistently, such as training team members to mention it during client interactions, can help generate interest and increase participation.
Leveraging Content Partnerships
Collaborating with non-competing businesses within the same industry can significantly enhance the visibility of an affiliate program. By identifying companies that target the same audience but offer different services, businesses can engage in content swaps, guest blogging, or joint promotions. This approach not only broadens reach but also fosters mutual growth as both parties benefit from exposure to new potential clients. Such strategic partnerships have proven successful, as they enable sharing of resources and audiences while reinforcing credibility among users.
Engaging with Influencers and Community Building
Building relationships with micro-influencers is an effective tactic for promoting an affiliate program. Instead of targeting high-profile influencers immediately, starting with smaller figures allows for a more manageable approach and authentic connections can be formed over time. Engaging in daily networking, offering value, and establishing trust are critical to successfully integrate into their communities. Additionally, running a podcast can serve as a powerful tool to reach these influencers and build reciprocal relationships, enhancing the likelihood of collaborative promotions.
Affiliate marketing: in many ways, it’s the ultimate “growth hack” for new businesses.
You essentially crowdsource sales by cutting people in on the revenue generated by their own referrals. Win-win! But is there a strategy to it?
Today’s special guest teacher certainly thinks so.
Nathan Hirsch built multiple successful companies that harnessed the power of affiliates. That includes one he grew with zero outside capital investment, but a ton of outside hustle investment from a small army of affiliates he brought on board.
And you can do the same for your business.
In this episode, Hirsch lays out the steps he used to supercharge his growth by targeting the right affiliates at the right time. From smaller recommendations to big-time endorsements from “influencers,” the path to sales is paved with a little help from the crowd…if you know where to look. Click play at the top of the page!