How to Do Affiliate Marketing on Facebook A Complete Beginners Guide

There was a time when Amazon was stringent when enrolling affiliate marketers. To join the affiliate marketing program, you needed to have a high-quality website. Fortunately, they have laxened rules nowadays, and you can even do Amazon affiliate marketing on Facebook. As the biggest social media site in the world, Facebook can be a great source of traffic for your affiliate marketing site. 

However, the Facebook algorithm doesn't encourage the sharing of affiliate links. After all, such links send people to other sites, while Facebook wants to keep them on the platform. That's why you need to understand Facebook marketing for affiliate links. This article will guide you on how to get started with Facebook affiliate marketing and how you can quickly drive traffic from Facebook.

What is Amazon Affiliate Marketing?

The Amazon affiliate marketing program allows you to promote products on Amazon for a commission. After signing up, you will be given a unique tracking link for every product. When a customer purchases using your link, you are paid a commission depending on the product category. However, it generally ranges from 3% to 20%.

Pros of Amazon Affiliate Marketing

Amazon affiliate marketing is arguably the best program for beginners for several reasons. These include:

• High conversion rate. Amazon is the biggest online store in the world and is trusted by billions of buyers. That means buyers trust buying products on Amazon, resulting in a higher conversion rate.
• Wide range of relevant products. No matter the niche you are in, Amazon has products that you can sell.
• Detailed reporting. The affiliate program provides great insight and data to help you improve your campaign.
• 24-hour cookie policy. When a customer visits the Amazon store using your link, the cookies are maintained for 24 hours. You are still paid a commission if they buy any product (including those outside your niche) during that period.
• Wide range of payment methods. The Amazon affiliate program makes payments through checks, direct deposits, PayPal, or Amazon gift cards.
• Available in every country. Some affiliate programs like Clickbank aren't available in many countries. However, you can join the affiliate marketing program no matter where you are.

Cons of Amazon Affiliate Marketing Program

As with anything else, the Amazon Affiliate program also has its cons. These include:

• Meager commissions. With 3-20% commissions, this is one of the lowest commissions in the industry. 
• Doesn't accept PayPal. As noted earlier, PayPal isn't among their listed payment methods. Therefore, you may want to consider another payment method.
• 24-hour cookie policy. When a customer visits the Amazon store using your link, the cookies are maintained for 24 hours. Compared to an affiliate program like Clickbank with a 90-day cookie policy, Amazon isn't one of the best.

Can I Do Amazon Affiliate Marketing On Facebook?

You can now add Amazon affiliate links to Facebook if you understand Facebook marketing. However, you must have a website before being admitted to the program. After making a sale, Amazon will review your site to see if it meets their requirements. You will be accepted into the Amazon affiliate marketing program if it does.

However, you can create a blog post containing your affiliate link and boost it on Facebook. While you can promote your Amazon links on Facebook groups, you should also avoid spamming the group. Therefore, for the long-term success of your Amazon affiliate on Facebook, you must build rapport and trust among your target customers.

Steps to Doing Amazon Affiliate Marketing on Facebook

If you want to do your Amazon affiliate marketing on Facebook, here are the steps you need to follow:

Apply for the Amazon Affiliate Marketing Program

As noted earlier, it's not automatic that you will be accepted once you apply to join the Amazon affiliate program. Here are the steps to follow when signing up for the program:

1. Visit the Amazon affiliate site (https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/) and click on Signup.
2. If possible, fill in the necessary details such as name, email, address, and website URL.
3. Go through the Amazon Associate Operating Agreement, which will show you the terms of the program.
4. Create a tracking ID, also referred to as an Associate tag. This unique tag will enable Amazon to track the sales and commissions attributed to your affiliate link.

Once you have applied to join the program, Amazon will review your application to determine if you have complied with their policy. This can involve reviewing your website or social media page to determine if you intend to actively promote Amazon products. You will increase your chances of getting accepted if you have a professional-looking platform.

You can start promoting Amazon products on Facebook. You must make at least three sales within 180 days, or else your account will be suspended. Therefore, you should actively market Amazon products to be fully accepted into the program.

Once you are onboarded into the program, you will be given access to the Amazon associate dashboard. This is where you will be generating links to the various products. You will access different tools, such as Insights data, to improve your marketing efforts. 

Choose a Niche to Promote Products

Avoid haphazardly choosing products to promote. Instead, you need to select products that match the needs of your target audience and niche. For instance, if you have a Facebook page sharing how to lose weight, promoting cat litter bin products will not give you the desired effect. On the other hand, if you promote slimming tea or workout equipment like barbells, you are likely to have an interested audience.

After choosing a niche, visit Amazon to research the available products. Remember that the price of the product is a crucial consideration. You will not earn much commission if you choose products costing less than $10. Ideally, choose products costing at least $50 with at least 50 four-star reviews.

After choosing your niche, log in to your Amazon account and check the tracking link for each product. Amazon will use the link with your unique tracking ID to credit you for the sales.

Sharing Affiliate Links on Facebook

Now that you already have an affiliate link, it's time to share it on Facebook to drive traffic to Amazon. However, if you share the link on your Facebook page or group, your audience will not show much interest. That's why you must first focus on creating relevant, high-quality content for your audience.

The content may be in the form of compelling videos, informative blog posts, and captivating images that showcase the products you are promoting in an eye-catching way. Be careful not to appear over promotional or spamming. Therefore, you should look for a way to naturally include your affiliate links in your content.

For instance, instead of promoting a link to a barbell, how about if you post your video working out using a barbell? You can then include a link to the product in the video. When sharing the link, be wise, as Facebook will inhibit the reach of your post if it has a link. Therefore, a good way would be to include it in the comment section.

You can also share your affiliate link through gift guides, product reviews, and tutorials, as long as they are relevant and add value to the reader. You can share the link in your personal profile, business page, and affiliate links. When doing that, be sure to use great captions that capture the benefit of the products.

Running Amazon Affiliate Marketing Ads

With the excellent capabilities offered by Facebook ads, you can use them to reach a bigger audience. However, when using affiliate links on Facebook, you must adhere to the Facebook policy, or you might get banned from advertising on the platform. You must also learn about the latest Facebook marketing tips for the best results.

So, I know you may be wondering if you can directly share Amazon links on Facebook. This seems to be one of the gray areas, as  Facebook doesn't mention it in its ad policy. That said, here are a few  Facebook advertising rules you need to adhere to:

Amazon Affiliate Disclosure Policy

Another question is whether it is necessary to include an affiliate disclosure stating that your post is a marketing post and that you will get a monetary benefit if they buy it. Yes, this is necessary. 

Remember, even when using a website to market Amazon products, it is a requirement by the retail giant to include a disclosure. So, the best way of doing that is by including a small note in brackets in your post stating that it includes affiliate links.

The Branded Content Guidelines

The way you post your Amazon links on Facebook can be best explained under the branded content guidelines. Therefore, it's advisable to follow the Facebook branded content policy regularly, as it keeps changing. By doing that, you can ensure that you stick by the guidelines.

The terms contain different guidelines, such as the kind of branded content you can use, the creatives you can use, and the kind of language that may get flagged. Note that you must own both the Facebook and Amazon associate accounts. One of the Facebook advertising rules is that you can't use a friend or relative's Facebook account to advertise your associate link.

Using Facebook Groups to Advertise

Another option you should consider is advertising your affiliate links through a Facebook group. A Facebook group is far easier to manage than a regular page. This is primarily a good option for affiliate marketers with a limited budget but can create unique but relevant content. Besides, a Facebook group can reach a bigger audience than a standard page.

When promoting your affiliate links on Facebook, remember that every group member can post by default. This can cause problems and require administrators to moderate the group. However, you need a good balance, as preventing members from posting can antagonize the group. Here are a few tips to drive traffic using Facebook groups:

• Use relevant hashtags. You can increase the visibility of your affiliate marketing posts by using the relevant hashtags.
• Share button. You can ask the group members to share the posts with their friends to increase their reach.
• Influencer marketing. You can partner with an influencer in your niche to tap into different audiences.

Using a Facebook Page

We noted earlier that Facebook will not allow you to promote your affiliate links. Therefore, you might struggle to grow your audience beyond the Facebook organic reach. One of the ways you can overcome this challenge is by setting up a page. However, avoid posting links directly, as this can be against the terms of service. Instead, a good idea would be to include group links as a comment for the posts on your page.

Monitor Performances

After setting up your Amazon affiliate marketing and promoting the links on Facebook, the next step is to monitor the performance of your affiliate links. This will provide insights into your sales and earnings. Through continuous performance monitoring, you can determine what is working and what isn't. Here are the steps to follow when monitoring your affiliate marketing insights: 

• Visit your associate account. You will see clicks, conversions, and total commission data here.
• Check the top-performing posts and determine what is working and what isn't.

Besides looking at impressions, clicks, and sales, effective monitoring also looks into details such as conversion metrics, engagement rate, and cost per sale. If you promote the links on a Facebook page, you can see some of this data on the Meta Business Suite. You can also use third-party tools to measure the results of your campaigns.

Amazon will pay you after you have reached commissions of at least $10. You will be paid 45 days after the end of the month. Therefore, you should be patient when advertising on Facebook, as sales take time. With time, these sales can turn into substantial earnings.

Final Thoughts

Facebook is a great place to generate sales through the Amazon affiliate marketing program. However, with the tricky Facebook requirements and terms of Amazon affiliate marketing, you should be careful not to be banned from the associate program or even advertising on Facebook. By following our guide, you can run a successful Amazon affiliate marketing program. We also recommend you check out our guide on Facebook advertising for beginners.