Offering your clients solutions that provide fresh and engaged audiences is a sure fire-way to impress, says Natasha Griffiths, Global Marketing Manager for Awin Access. With low cost, minimal risk and impressive ROIs, affiliate marketing is a great way to help your smaller clients grow online.
The global affiliate marketing industry is projected to be worth approximately $12 billion in 2022, and with a growing proportion of smaller businesses diversifying into the channel, it is fast becoming a legitimate and effective way for SMEs to grow online.
On average 15% of company marketing budgets are now being allocated to affiliate marketing, so for agencies looking to support smaller online clients who may have lower budgets and high personal investment, affiliate marketing that is setup specifically for smaller businesses or beginners can give you the tools to get them great results.
Navigating a niche
Through affiliate marketing, your smaller clients can get access to the same range of online partners and audience numbers that larger brands enjoy, through partners like price comparison sites, voucher code sites, bloggers and influencers. This gives them the chance to reach relevant and wide audiences that they may not be able to access through other marketing channels.
An added benefit for your smaller but growing clients, however, is that they can make really meaningful connections with nano and micro influencers or content creators with fiercely loyal and trusting audiences. Engagement rates and conversions from this kind of relationship can be exactly what a smaller business needs to get manageable but impactful results. What’s more, forming a strong relationship early on means that your client will grow along with their choice of influencer as they become more popular. Presenting options that really show you understand your client, their industry, and the types of partnerships that they could benefit from will stand you in good stead when recommending options and getting them invested.
Resource realism
Affiliate marketing can often be seen as something for larger brands to take advantage of, with a full-time marketing team required to get results and manage performance. In recent years though, simplified entry-level solutions for small businesses and beginners have started to change the landscape, and barriers to entry into the digital world are lowering for those that need it most.
Set-up and integration with an affiliate programme via ecommerce hosts often used by smaller online businesses (for example Magento, Shopify and WooCommerce) can be completed in just a few steps and your client could be up and running making connections with websites, bloggers or media houses within hours.
Budget buy-in
When it comes to presenting plans to your smaller clients, budgets and the client’s personal interest in the return on investment will no doubt be top of mind for you to get approvals. Whilst other online marketing channels, such as Google Ads, charge regardless of results, affiliate marketing is payable for results. Small business affiliate solutions offer monthly costs as low as £75 a month, with everything payable on top of that based only on successful sales driven by your client’s chosen online partners, and pre-agreed commission percentages.
The small business affiliate community benefits from a £12 return for every £1 spent, so if you’re seeking ways to prove your worth to your client in terms of bang for their buck, affiliate marketing has the tools to help you do that.
Keeping it fresh
Showing initiative, innovation and presenting exciting new marketing options will keep your offering fresh, help retain clients and keep them invested in your expertise. Affiliate marketing can offer a risk-averse but exciting chance to diversify your client’s digital mix and keep them feeling excited about working with you. Tried and trusted affiliate solutions catering specifically for smaller businesses or beginners are often a low-cost and risk-free way to get into the affiliate world, with very low commitment periods and hassle-free cancellations.
You can confidently propose that your clients should be brave and give it a go, knowing that they can switch off easily should they wish. Affiliate marketing platforms also offer great features such as; integrated marketing options for extra exposure, reporting specifically for agencies, and reports to give targeted recommendations of the best partners to connect your clients with.
Get in touch to find out more about how Awin Access, the leading affiliate marketing solution for small businesses and beginners, can help you win over your clients.
