Running a business is tough. You have to wear a dozen hats, trying to do everything perfectly, but naturally, not all of those hats fit equally well. For many, marketing remains their biggest challenge as a small business owner.Getting leads in, increasing exposure, and driving sales can be the hardest bit, but it’s also the most gratifying. The whole point of your business is to sell, profit, and get that money rolling in. Ka-ching! 💰Affiliate marketing might be the answer to your woes. The way it works is simple. You offer another marketer commission for bringing in leads and raising awareness about your products and business.You pay your affiliates only when they perform, thereby increasing your ROI, and making the chances of failed investment close to none. Your profit margins are slightly reduced, but since your affiliate does all the marketing, it’s worth it.

‍

‍

1. Determine your target audience

‍

Do you know who buys your product? 🤔

Before you embark on an affiliate marketing campaign, you need to know who your customers are, along with where they live, their age, income, etc. You should know what pain points your product caters to and what your target market’s needs and worries are.

Figure out who you want to reach, and create a customer avatar for your business. The clearer the picture of your target customer, the better you’ll understand who they are, and the likelier you are to reach them and push them down your sales funnel. It’s critical to align your brand with its target audience, so you can best speak to and serve them in everything you—and you affiliates—do.

‍

1. Set objectivies

‍

If you don’t have goals, you have nothing to measure your success or failure against. Define SMART goals: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound. These marketing objectives will help you assess if your affiliate program is working.

An example of a SMART sales goal might be that, in two months, you want to have 20 affiliates who bring in a minimum of 2,000 leads. You should assess your affiliate marketing campaign’s success against these objectives and also define KPIs to measure daily and weekly performance.

You could also set stretch goals. These are targets that are beyond your current capabilities but encourage you to strive harder, gain bigger, and win better.  🎯

‍