It\u2019s by far the biggest of the social media platforms<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It’s also the most popular network amongst affiliate marketers. According to our affiliate marketing statistics<\/a> page, 75.8% of affiliate marketers are leveraging Facebook to drive traffic and promote products. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And contains tens of thousands of groups and pages based on pretty much any niche you can think of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The trick is carving out your own subset of the billions of people using Facebook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And you do that by gathering together a group of people around whatever niche you\u2019ll focus<\/a> your marketing skills on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s look at the options available to an affiliate marketer who wants to monetize this particular social media platform. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t skip this part.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You already have a Facebook profile, probably populated with hundreds or thousands of friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So wouldn\u2019t it make sense to start publishing content there, adding affiliate links as and when it makes sense?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wouldn\u2019t that be the easiest way to do Facebook affiliate marketing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n You do not want to become that<\/em> Facebook friend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The one that uses Facebook to push products and services on their friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In every single one of their posts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n People will just snooze and eventually \u2018Unfriend\u2019 you for doing that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your friends and family use Facebook to look at cat pictures and argue about politics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not to listen to your cloaked affiliate sales pitches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So it makes far more sense to set up a separate presence for your affiliate marketing efforts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And you can do that using either a Facebook \u2018Page\u2019 or \u2018Group\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Does it matter which of these you use?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pages \u2013 these are usually for somebody looking to become their own brand. The interaction will come down to you posting stuff and your audience replying to it. But you have centralized control of all posts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Groups \u2013 members can create their own posts, so there\u2019s a lot more interaction. The downside is that all of this interaction requires moderation, and a large Facebook group means hiring moderators. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Reach is also something you need to consider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Basically, how much traffic each \u201centity\u201d can acquire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, Facebook Pages get very little organic reach because…well…Facebook throttled organic reach back in 2016.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So building a following for a Facebook Page means using paid ads to get people to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That means having an advertising budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Groups, on the other hand, don\u2019t really suffer from the same problems of limited organic reach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But you will need to moderate the user-generated content in your Group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Which means either finding the time to do it yourself, finding an unpaid volunteer(s), or paying somebody to moderate it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A popular Group can achieve exponential growth, but that brings its own set of issues and challenges. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Step 1 is to look at how to create a page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can get started by clicking on \u2018Pages\u2019 from your Facebook homepage.<\/p>\n\n\n Then click on \u2018Create New Page\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n And then check off these tasks:<\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ll then be prompted to add a \u2018Profile picture\u2019 and \u2018Cover photo\u2019 to customize it for your audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And finally, just click on \u2018Save\u2019 to complete your \u201cbusiness\u201d page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The steps to create a Facebook group are basically the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Click on \u2018Groups\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then click on \u2018Create New Group\u2019:<\/p>\n\n\n You then:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then customize the group with a cover photo, your first post, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n One last thing\u2013 make sure you set up your vanity URL.<\/p>\n\n\n Otherwise, your URL is going to look like this:<\/p>\n\n\n This simple oversight can have a big impact on how well your marketing goes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s going to be very difficult to engage with your audience if you don\u2019t have one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No audience = no way to make money from your content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So let\u2019s look at how you can actually get eyeballs on your content. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The usual \u201cmarketing\u201d advice you\u2019ll get on getting lots of free traffic<\/a> is, \u201cAsk your friends to like and share your stuff\u2026.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n No, no, no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Please no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s a waste of your time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your friends get dozens of requests like that each week\u2026most of which get deleted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s a slim chance you\u2019ll get some incidental traffic using this approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But you\u2019re not<\/em> triggering Facebook\u2019s algorithm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is specifically designed to limit the amount of organic traffic you get i.e. none.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s why shilling for page likes and shares is a waste of your time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFree traffic\u201d was never part of Facebook\u2019s long-term marketing plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n BUT if you create genuinely engaging content your visitors might just share it without being asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One tip here is that Facebook posts featuring photos get 53% more likes and 104% more comments<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Social media is a visual tool appealing to humans who are hardwired to react to imagery. Platforms like Adcreative AI<\/a> easily generate engaging social and ad creatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Use that to your advantage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We touched on this a little while back, but let\u2019s expand on the idea here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Facebook is filled with groups and pages covering every kind of legal interest or hobby you can think of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some of these groups have millions of members.<\/p>\n\n\n That presents you with the opportunity to leverage an existing audience to benefit your affiliate marketing business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The smart way to do this is to look for tangents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, if you\u2019re in the Star Wars collectibles niche then look for sci-fi groups or pages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s one example of a Group you might be able to tap into:<\/p>\n\n\n Or a sub-niche of Star Wars such as gaming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Like this Group:<\/p>\n\n\n Or even groups that are dedicated a specific, yet relevant, show:<\/p>\n\n\n Because nobody wants to help a competitor build their own audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Contribute without asking for anything in return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Be funny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Be unique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Be creative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do what it takes to stand out from the crowd…but without sounding like you\u2019re ready to stage a coup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The page owner will eventually view you as a useful contributor or potential content collaborator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So when you do eventually drop a link to your own Facebook or blog posts it\u2019s far more likely to get approved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Organic traffic can only take you so far though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the same way that relying on \u201cword of mouth\u201d referrals isn\u2019t a business plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s a \u201chope\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s why your long-term affiliate marketing plan has to include paid Facebook ads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This can take the form of \u201cBoosted\u201d Facebook posts or going all the way into the \u2018Ad Manager\u2019:<\/p>\n\n\n The beauty of Facebook ads is that they can be as precise as you need them to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Want to create an ad that specifically targets people living in the UK, between the ages of 21 and 55, who also like Star Wars?<\/p>\n\n\n No problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It takes minutes to create an ad campaign targeting that demographic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s three key ways you can use paid ads in your Facebook affiliate campaigns:<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, you could write an engaging post that contains a link to your blog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And then boost that post to put it in front of tens of millions of potential customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But it can be just as effective to direct link to affiliate products from within your posts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s a proviso though – you need to target a high-paying affiliate offer<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Basically, it needs to pay a high commission rate to counteract the amount of money spent on Facebook ads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Otherwise you\u2019re going to end up running a loss-leader. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Obviously, discussing Facebook advertising in any serious detail goes way beyond the scope of this article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So check out Jon Loomer\u2019s YouTube channel<\/a> if you want to learn how to create Facebook ads that work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s more than enough information there for you to get started with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So it\u2019s as simple as setting up a group or page, buying some ads for your target audience, and waiting for the cash to roll in?<\/p>\n\n\n\n If only making money online was so easy, friends!<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s still plenty of red tape for an affiliate marketer to deal with when \u201cadvertising\u201d on Facebook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Like potentially having to add an affiliate income disclosure to every post you create.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes, technically that\u2019s within the body of the post itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But then there are also peculiarities with how affiliate marketing networks treat Facebook promotions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So let\u2019s take a look at what you need to know about two of the bigger affiliate networks \u2013 Amazon and ClickBank<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Amazon <\/a>Associates<\/a> program \u2018Terms of Service\u2019 doesn\u2019t allow its affiliate partners to use their affiliate links in boosted posts or Facebook ads. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Getting caught doing the above is one of the best ways to catch a serious dose of banned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But you can use those same Amazon affiliate links in a regular post or landing page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So they don\u2019t mind if you drive organic traffic to their offers \u2013 it\u2019s the paid stuff is the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The flipside of the above is that it\u2019s pretty much impossible to generate a profit from a Facebook\/Amazon campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Amazon\u2019s commission rates on typical consumer products simply aren\u2019t high enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Also, bear in mind that Facebook can be really twitchy around affiliate programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I recently had my \u2018Ad Manager\u2019 account terminated for trying to promote the Audible free trial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My ad didn\u2019t contain an affiliate link \u2013 it just directed traffic to my 100% kosher website. <\/p>\n\n\n\n My account was reinstated 24 hours later…but only after I fought my corner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And they still haven\u2019t explained what rule I broke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udc49 Read more: Amazon Affiliate Program Review<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Now we have some affiliate network role reversal going on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Facebook doesn\u2019t allow ClickBank products to be promoted via their ad platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But ClickBank<\/a> doesn\u2019t care if you post their affiliate links on Facebook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Which is a real shame considering that these offers typically pay 75% in commission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So you can make $35+ per sale instead of the $3 you might earn with Amazon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But there are ways around this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first is that the Facebook Branded Content Policy<\/a> specifies what you can and can\u2019t promote in contextually relevant posts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So you technically can<\/em> include a direct link to a ClickBank product in your post, as long as it\u2019s relevant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But a much easier approach would be to write a pre-sales blog post (sell the benefits) about the product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And then use a boosted post or paid ad to direct traffic to that blog post on your website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That way you\u2019re not left dealing with any messy Facebook shenanigans on affiliate link posts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are certain ClickBank products that can\u2019t be promoted through Facebook ads though e.g. Forex, supplements, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Can you only promote Amazon or ClickBank products on Facebook?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nope \u2014 the world is your oyster there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You could just as easily promote programs you found on ShareASale<\/a>, Rakuten Advertising<\/a>, or Awin<\/a>, for example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s a network to suit pretty much any niche you can think of.<\/p>\n\n\n\nHow to create your Facebook audience<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t use your personal presence<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Facebook Groups vs. Facebook Pages<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Setting up a page<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Setting](\"https:\/\/www.authorityhacker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/setting-up-facebook-page-1024x290.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n![\"Facebook](\"https:\/\/www.authorityhacker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/facebook-create-new-page-1024x345.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
![\"New](\"https:\/\/www.authorityhacker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/new-facebook-page-settings-1024x459.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nSetting up a group<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Groups](\"https:\/\/www.authorityhacker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/groups-tab-facebook-1024x281.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"Create](\"https:\/\/www.authorityhacker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/create-new-facebook-group-1024x255.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
![\"Facebook](\"https:\/\/www.authorityhacker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/facebook-new-group-settings-1024x389.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n![\"Facebook](\"https:\/\/www.authorityhacker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/facebook-group-url-edit-1024x337.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n![\"New](\"https:\/\/www.authorityhacker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/new-facebook-group-preview.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nBuilding your audience<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Organic<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Piggybacking<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Facebook](\"https:\/\/www.authorityhacker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/facebook-affiliate-marketing-example-1024x317.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n![\"Facebook](\"https:\/\/www.authorityhacker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/facebook-private-group-example-1024x446.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n![\"Facebook](\"https:\/\/www.authorityhacker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/facebook-private-group-example-2-1024x445.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n![\"Facebook](\"https:\/\/www.authorityhacker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/facebook-private-group-example3-1024x453.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nPaid<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Facebook](\"https:\/\/www.authorityhacker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/facebook-boosted-posts-1024x474.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n![\"Facebook](\"https:\/\/www.authorityhacker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/facebook-ad-settings-1024x618.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Following the Rules<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Amazon<\/h3>\n\n\n
![\"Amazon](\"https:\/\/www.authorityhacker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Amazon-Associates-horizontal-logo.jpg\"){kind=logo}
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nClickBank<\/h3>\n\n\n
![\"Clickbank](\"https:\/\/www.authorityhacker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Clickbank-horizontal-logo.png\"){kind=logo}
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n