Quick Answer: Posting affiliate links doesn’t go against Facebook’s Community Standards as long as you’re not running paid ads. Use the indirect approach to maximise sales, so share helpful blog posts containing affiliate links rather than sharing affiliate links directly.
When it comes to using Facebook, you may be wondering if affiliate links are allowed.
The answer is yes – but there are a few things you need to keep in mind.
In this article, we’ll discuss the dos and don’ts of using affiliate links on Facebook, so you can make the most of this valuable marketing tool.
What Are Affiliate Links and How Do They Work?
Affiliate links have your own unique affiliate ID to ensure you get credited for any sales you generate.
When a customer clicks on your affiliate link and buys something, the affiliate program or online store you’re promoting will pay you a pre-set commission rate on every successful purchase.
This is how you can start earning commissions online!
The more traffic you can get, the more people will see your link, the more they will buy and the more money you will make.
For example, you might have a blog about gardening. You could share a super helpful gardening tips post on Facebook where you recommend a home and garden affiliate program and boost your sales that way.
Are Affiliate Links Allowed on Facebook?
The answer is yes! Facebook allows affiliate links as long as they comply with its Advertising Policies and FTC rules. That means no promotional material that’s misleading, sensational or sexually suggestive.
So as long as you’re not being shady and your affiliate links are in keeping with the overall tone and voice of your page, you should be good to go.
Of course, even if you’re following all of Facebook’s rules, there’s no guarantee that your posts will actually reach people—especially if you’re just starting out.
That’s why it’s important to have a solid marketing strategy that takes into account all of the different ways people can discover your content. Affiliate links can be a great addition to your arsenal, but they shouldn’t be your only focus.
One thing to keep in mind is that organic reach on Facebook is declining, which means fewer people are seeing posts from Pages they’ve Liked in their newsfeeds. That means you can’t just rely on posting links and hoping people will see them—you need to be more strategic about it.
One option is to create an ad campaign specifically for your affiliate links. You can use Facebook’s targeting options to make sure your ads are being seen by people who are likely to be interested in what you’re selling.
Another option is to boost important posts that include your affiliate links, helping them to reach a wider audience.
And of course, you can always share your affiliate links on other social media platforms like Twitter or Instagram. Just make sure you’re not breaking any other platform’s rules in the process!
Promoting Affiliate Links On Facebook Done Right
Promoting affiliate links on Facebook can be a great way to earn some extra income. But if you do it wrong, you risk being banned from the platform.
That’s why it’s important to know how to promote your affiliate links the right way on Facebook.
There are two main ways to promote affiliate links on Facebook:
- Direct linking
- Indirect linking.
Direct linking is when you post a link to a product page or sales page on your Facebook page or in a Facebook group.
Indirect linking is when you post a link to a landing page that promotes the product or service.
It’s generally best to use indirect linking, as this will make you look less like a spammer. Plus, it allows you to provide more information about the product or service before sending people to the sales page.
This can help increase conversion rates, as people will be more likely to buy something if they know what they’re getting beforehand.
To promote your affiliate links indirectly, start by creating a landing page on your website or blog. This should be a standalone page that is not linked to anywhere else on your site. On this landing page, talk about the benefits of the product or service you’re promoting and include your affiliate link.
You can also include additional helpful information, such as product reviews, testimonials, case studies, and frequently asked questions.
Once you’ve created your landing page, promote it on Facebook using ads or posts in relevant groups and pages. Make sure to use attractive visuals and persuasive copy to get people to click through to your landing page.
What About Affiliate Programs’ Rules?
If you don’t have a website, page or group in which you could promote your links, Facebook ads are an option to get started fast. You can create an ad with your affiliate link and target people who are interested in the products or services that you’re promoting.
However, you should know that each affiliate program has its own rules about how you can promote your links.
For example, some programs like Amazon or Clickbank forbid the use of their affiliate links on Facebook posts and Facebook ads.
So before promoting any links on Facebook, or any other platforms for that matter, make sure to read the terms and conditions of the affiliate program that you’re joining.
We recommend creating a website or at least a simple landing page with an opt-in form where you can put your affiliate links.
This way, you can build a list of subscribers who will be interested in what you have to offer. You can then promote your products or services to this list through email marketing.
Dos and Don’ts Of Using Affiliate Links On Facebook
Facebook is a great platform for promoting affiliate links.
With over 2.8 billion active users, there is a lot of potential to reach new customers. However, there are some best practices to keep in mind when using affiliate links on Facebook.
7 Dos Of Using Affiliate Links On Facebook
1. Choose Your Products Carefully
Before you start promoting your affiliate links on Facebook, you need to make sure you’re only promoting products that you believe in 100%.
Because if you’re not, it will show in your posts and ads. And when people can tell that you’re not genuine, they’re not going to click on your links.
So, take some time to carefully choose the products you want to promote. Make sure they’re high-quality and they align with your values.
2. Upload Eye-Catching Images
When you are creating a post with an affiliate link, make sure to include an eye-catching image. People are more likely to click on a post if it has an image that catches their attention.
Canva is a great newbie-friendly tool for creating beautiful images.
Remember to also include relevant hashtags so that people who are searching for that topic can find your post.
3. Use Attention-Grabbing Call To Actions
When you’re promoting a product you want to grab people’s attention so people will see and (hopefully) click on your link.
Remember, the goal is to get people to click on your link so they can learn more about the product you’re promoting. So, make sure your call-to-action accurately reflects what they’re going to see when they click on your link.
4. Join Affiliate Programs Relevant To Your Niche
One of the best ways to ensure that your affiliate links are effective is to join affiliate programs that are relevant to your niche.
If you’re a travel blogger, for example, you would want to join travel affiliate programs, flight affiliate programs or luggage affiliate programs. This way, your audience will be more likely to click on your links and make a purchase.
5. Be Transparent About Your Affiliations
Let your friends and family know up front that you’re using an affiliate link so they’re not caught off guard when they see a purchase being made on your behalf.
Include some kind of affiliate disclosure.
Honesty is always the best policy when it comes to Facebook and social media in general.
6. Post Affiliate Links Sparingly
No one wants to see their feed filled with posts that are nothing but affiliate links.
Facebook classifies spam as “excessively posting links” so a good rule of thumb is to only post an affiliate link once every few days, or even once a week.
This way, people won’t feel like they’re being bombarded with sales pitches every time they log onto Facebook.
7. Share Valuable Content
When you share an affiliate link on Facebook, make sure you’re also sharing valuable content.
This could be a blog post, article, or even a helpful tip. The goal is to add value for your audience so that they’re more likely to click on your link.
Remember, people are more likely to buy from someone they trust. So, if you can establish yourself as an expert in your field, you’ll be more successful with affiliate marketing.
4 Don’ts Of Using Affiliate Links On Facebook
1. Don’t Spam Your Friends’ Newsfeeds
It’s important to strike a balance when promoting affiliate links on Facebook.
No one likes a spammer.
And if you bombard your Facebook followers with nothing but affiliate links, that’s exactly what you’re going to become.
Not only will this turn off potential customers, but Facebook could also ban you from their platform entirely.
So, what’s the solution?
Use the 80/20 rule.
For every 80% non-promotional content, only 20% should be promotional. This way, you’re providing value to your followers while still being able to promote your affiliate products.
2. Don’t Promote Low-Quality Products
Just because you’re using an affiliate link doesn’t mean you should promote any old product. Make sure you only promote products that you would actually recommend to your friends and family. Otherwise, you risk damaging your reputation—and losing potential customers in the process.
3. Don’t Post Link After Link
Another mistake to avoid when using affiliate links on Facebook is posting too many of them.
If all you ever post on your timeline is affiliate links, people are going to get sick of seeing them and will tune you out altogether. Be sure to mix things up and only post an affiliate link every once in a while.
4. Don’t Share Irrelevant Affiliate Links
Even if a product or service is something that you’re passionate about, it won’t do you any good to promote it if it’s not relevant to your followers.
For example, if you have a cooking blog, promoting weight loss affiliate programs probably won’t make sense. Stick to sharing affiliate links for products or services that will actually interest your audience.
4 Ways To Promote Affiliate Links on Facebook
There are a number of different ways that you can do this, and some of them are very effective. In this section, we’ll take a look at four of the most popular methods.
1. Facebook Groups
Facebook groups can be a great way to promote your affiliate links because you can target specific niches and interest groups that are most likely to be interested in what you have to offer.
But before you start posting your affiliate links in every Facebook group you can find, there are a few things you need to keep in mind to promote your affiliate links without coming across as spammy or annoying.
The first step is to choose the right groups to promote your affiliate links in. You don’t want to just join any old group; you want to find groups that are relevant to your niche and that have an active and engaged membership.
To find relevant groups, start by searching for keywords related to your niche on Facebook.
For example, if you’re in the fitness niche, you might search for “fitness,” “exercise,” or “health.”
Once you’ve found a few groups that look promising, take a look at the number of members and the activity level of the group. A good rule of thumb is to look for groups with at least 1,000 members and at least 50 posts per day.
Once you’ve joined a few relevant groups, it’s important to be active and engaged in the group discussions.
Don’t just drop your affiliate link into every discussion; that will quickly get you booted from the group. Instead, contribute value by sharing helpful tips, advice, and resources with the group members.
2. Facebook Pages
When sharing affiliate links on Facebook pages it is important to remember that people follow pages for a variety of reasons.
For some, it is because they are interested in the page’s content. For others, it may be because they are interested in the products or services that the page promotes.
So keep your audience in mind when promoting affiliate links on Facebook pages. Remember that not everyone who follows your page will be interested in the same thing. Segment your audience and create content that appeals to their specific interests.
When done correctly, using Facebook pages to promote affiliate links can be an effective way to drive traffic to your website and generate sales.
3. Facebook Ads
Facebook Ads is a powerful tool that can help you reach a larger audience and promote your affiliate links.
When creating your ad, you’ll first need to select your target audience. You can do this by choosing the location, age, gender, and interests of the people you want to reach. Once you’ve selected your target audience, you’ll need to create your ad copy. This is the text that will appear on your ad. Make sure that your ad copy is clear and concise, and that it includes a call-to-action telling people what you want them to do (e.g., “Click here to learn more”).
Once you’ve created your ad, you’ll need to select an image or video. The image or video you select will be the first thing people see when they see your ad, so make sure it’s something that will grab their attention. After you’ve selected your image or video, you’ll need to choose a placement for your ad. We recommend choosing the News Feed placement, as this is where people are most likely to see your ad.
Next, you will need to set a budget for your ad campaign. Facebook allows you to set a daily or lifetime budget for your ads. We recommend setting a daily budget so that you have more control over how much you’re spending on your ads. Once you’ve set your budget, you’re ready to launch your ad campaign!
4. Facebook Reels
Facebook Reels are a new way to share short, fun videos with your friends.
You can also use them to promote your affiliate links!
Here is how you can do that:
- Shorten Your Links: The first step is to shorten your affiliate links. This will make them more palatable for your followers and it will also help you avoid getting banned by Facebook. There are a number of free link-shortening services and link in bio tools out there, so just choose one and get started.
- Add A Call-to-Action: Once you have your shortened link, it’s time to add a call-to-action to your reel. This can be as simple as saying “click the link in my bio to learn more” or something similar. Just make sure that your call-to-action is clear and concise so that your followers know what to do.
- Include A Thumbnail: Don’t forget to include a thumbnail image for your reel! This will help catch people’s attention as they scroll through their feed and it will also give them a preview of what the video is about.
With these tips in mind, you’ll be able to organically promote your affiliate links on Facebook without worrying about getting banned.
Affiliate Links On Facebook: The Bottom Line
Overall, if you want to use affiliate links on Facebook, you need to make sure that your links are relevant to your page and content and that you’re not spamming people with too many links.
Plus, ensure that you follow your affiliate program rules.
If you follow these guidelines, you should have no problem making money with affiliate marketing on Facebook!
