Wondering
how to monetize your Instagram account as a DIY creator?
There
are a few ways for content creators in the DIY niche (Instagrammers, business
owners, bloggers, and influencers) to make money online via their Instagram, blog,
and other channels.
As
a blogger you are probably familiar with affiliate marketing as it is very
popular and voted one of the top two revenue generators for publishers – second
only to ads.
But
if you are not blogging or have just started out, learning more about affiliate
marketing is an important stage and will help you monetize your digital
content.
Affiliate
marketing is the process of referring readers to products, places, and services
you recommend and receiving a commission if they sign up or make a purchase.
For
example, items you share – like stationery, jewelry, home décor, sewing, or essential
must have craft tools you use, ingredients you recommend, and online courses of
fellow DIY creators, and more – all will include a special affiliate tracking
link.
This
means that when someone clicks the item and buys it through your referral,
you’ll receive a small commission. For readers, the price remains the same
whether they use your special link or not.
But how can affiliates promote links on Instagram when you can’t link on Instagram? By using services such as VENNDY and others (there’s a link below), creators can set up a virtual shop of clickable Instagram posts for their bio and monetize content regardless of whether they have a blog or a website. With VENNDY you can personalize, with customized photos, each of the links to your promoted items and websites you partner with.
Here
is an example of how a linkable gallery looks like:
Brands
have been using similar paid services for some time now. But now, a few things
have changed that allow Instagrammers to use referral links in order to step up
their monetization game and earn commissions for driving traffic and generating
sales to businesses they use and love. Here are some numbers that help explain.
- Over 80% of brands use affiliate marketing and are open to promotions on social media.
Stat: An estimated 75.3% of US businesses will be on Instagram in 2020.
- There’s a growing demand and openness to approve creators as affiliate partners based on their quality social media accounts, even if they don’t have a website.
Stat: Social media has proved to be an effective way not only for brand awareness but also for sales; 69% of US marketers plan to spend most of their influencer budget on Instagram.
- Content creators can use referrals to help consumers make better online purchases, especially in these times of quarantine and social distancing driven by the COVID-19 pandemic and the new reality of less gatherings and an anticipated growth in ecommerce.
Stat: 70% of shopping enthusiasts turn to Instagram for product discovery.
In this blog post we’ve put together some ideas for monetizing your expertise while inspiring your followers with useful advice and recommendations.
The advantage of using affiliate marketing to create a passive source of income
Even if you are a business owner or Instagrammer, with no website, one great way to scale your business is to set up multiple revenue streams.
This means that, in addition to the work you do every day, when you exchange your time for money, you earn extra income through one or more passive income sources.
Passive income is money that you earn by creating a source of income that you build once and then enjoying its fruits without having to actively work for it.
This means that you put in a substantial amount of effort at the beginning, but this diminishes after a while and becomes fairly minor.
Some examples for passive income sources include: a blog, an online course, a YouTube channel, digital products, or affiliate marketing to earn commissions through referrals.
If you are still wondering why your business should also be built on passive income, then consider having more of a work–life balance to pursue the activities you love doing or having less stress about money, allowing you more financial growth and stability and the freedom to work at your own schedule.
A beginners’ guide to using affiliate marketing on Instagram for DIY Creators
Some of the links below are affiliate links. This just means that if you choose to make a purchase, we may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This will help support VENNDY’s expenses during this free beta stage. We are also using these links to showcase how you can use VENNDY’s tools for your own monetization through referrals.
If you are new to affiliate marketing, you may want to check out our Affiliate Marketing
Guides to learn more.
To help you get started, here are some basic ideas to keep in mind:
1. 1. In the sections below you will find some of the best affiliate networks out there. We’ve also included some programs to give you an idea of how this works. But once you sign up and go through the lists yourself, you’ll probably recognize other brands, hopefully based on your own preferences and experiences.
Some of the programs may not seem obvious as they are not
purely related to DIY – Etsy for example – but you can find related products there that could be very useful in your niche.
2. 2. When choosing the most appropriate networks to join as a creator for DIY content, consider which product can convert into sales and help you earn income. The product’s price, lifespan, and demand as well as the commission paid by the merchant are just a few aspects to consider.
You would not, of course, be promoting something you don’t believe in.
Your audience should be your first priority. But your understanding of the business model that can build you a constant stream of income is almost as important.
A combination of evergreen content alongside seasonal opportunities will keep your offerings fresh and interesting.
3. 3. Even if you are a brand-new content creator, we don’t recommend waiting until you have grown to think about aspects of monetization. Using affiliate marketing is possible even with a small following.
Sponsored posts and other means of monetization can be added at a later stage, but the advantage of affiliate marketing is that, although you may not see success and commissions rolling in right away, with the right content your recommendations with affiliate links can live forever! This is the beauty of diversifying your earnings by adding a stream of passive income.
The hard work you put in during these early stages might just start paying off later.
4. 4. Successful affiliates don’t rely only on their community; they understand the importance of good search strategies such as #hashtags, stories, and shoppable services links to help them reach people who are looking for what they are recommending. There’s nothing like a ready to buy customer to help you make a sale!
5. 5. As
we emphasized in all of our Affiliate
Marketing Guides blog posts, the number one factor in succeeding as an
affiliate is to reach a point where you’re exchanging valuable knowledge.
We’ve gathered some testimonials to help you learn from real users about their affiliate marketing journey HERE.
Just before you apply:
Here
are a few tips, before we dive in deeper:
- Even if you have a nice following, that doesn’t mean that all programs will approve you. Make sure you prepare and write a short description/bio about you and your promotional methods (Instagram, Facebook, website) and have it close to hand.
Try to personalize it and use a few keywords relevant to the brand you’re applying to. This might help you get approved for programs in a few different categories. We suggest creating two versions: a short one of up to 255 characters and a longer one with around 500 characters.
- As a beginner, don’t expect to be approved by all programs. Don’t take it personally; simply try. You may not be approved today, but as you grow you can reapply. By building a stronger foundation of content and followers, you are more than likely to be approved.
If a certain program is important to you, don’t settle for "no” as an answer. You can always reply to their rejection email with some information that may make them change their mind; for example, tell them how much you love their product and how you plan to recommend it to your readers.
VENNDY’s tools can help you keep track of all your programs and products and add affiliate links as you grow. Check out this blog post to learn more about the advantages of working with VENNDY.
If you are new to affiliate marketing, tohelp you along, we have created a free "Affiliate Marketing Strategy Cheat Sheet” according to which you can build your "Affiliate Marketing StrategyMap.”
GRAB OUR FREE AFFILIATE MARKETING STRATEGY CHEAT SHEET AND BUILD YOUR AFFILIATE MARKETING STRATEGY MAP
Here are the 5 steps we recommend to
help you get started:
1. Apply to join one or more
affiliate networks
As
you can see below, many of the programs work with one of the big affiliate
networks. You can either sign up to all 5 affiliate networks, or choose to
start with only 2 or 3 – wherever you find more relevant programs that you can
work on promoting.
Keep
in mind that a growing number of affiliate programs work independently and have
their own in-house affiliate program.
So,
if there’s a specific brand you wish to work with, simply Google their name
with the words "affiliate program” and you should find it.
Here
are the affiliate networks that have a good number of affiliate programs:
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2. Think of products, services, and ideas
that you use and relate to
What
would your readers be looking for when considering craft activities with kids? Where to shop online for the cheapest DIY supplies? Where to buy the best craft materials?
In
every of the affiliate networks mentioned above, there are a few categories
with products and services related to DIY. In Flex Offers, for example, it can
be Home and Garden or Home Improvement and Repair.
It’s
important that the affiliate products you use are relevant to the type of
content you write. However, you can be creative and include other related subjects such as subscription boxes, cooking with kids, or gift ideas from retailers you love.
3. Choose which affiliate programs to join
There are some great affiliate programs for craft and home improvement that bloggers and influencers in the DIY niche can use
As
you can see in the list below, some brands have more than one option for joining
their program: some work with more than one affiliate network, while some have
an in-house program in addition to the option of joining through an affiliate
network.
There
are endless possibilities for DIY creators to integrate products, places, and
ideas for inspiring their readers.
The list below has been put together just to give you an idea and encourage you into looking further for the brands and merchants that you can partner with. By joining all or some of the affiliate networks mentioned in Section 1, you can find many programs to join.
Art and Craft Classes
Classes on knitting, jewelry, holiday, and party, sewing, paper crafting, home decor, and more. There are dedicated sites sharing video classes taught by designers and artists.
Here are some of the online classes you can check out and recommend readers along with related content you create yourself:
Check out also these sites:
Craft Supplies and Tools
There are many suppliers of knitting, jewelry, holiday, and party, sewing, paper crafting, home decor, and more. Here are just a few.
JOANN - a well-established supplier of materials, tools, and live classes. Their affiliate program is at Rakuten.
AliExpress - you can find here beads, crystal, and basically all the materials and tools. Check out the quality of the products and shipping time. Their affiliate program is at AWIN.
Craft Stach - is an online craft store that specializes in papercraft for card making, journaling, mixed media, and more. Their affiliate program is at AWIN.
Must-Have Special Craft Tools We LOVE!!!
Die-Cutting machines - A die cutting machine is a machine designed to cut materials, such as paper, fabric, or metal to a specific shape.
Cricut - You've probably heard about Cricut. The reason why we love it is because it inspires us to live a more creative life by making it easier to create beautiful projects at home. It is great for crafting home decoration, stickers, greeting cards, gift boxes, designed t-shirts and more. You can join the Cricut affiliate program at ShareASale.
They offer mainly 4 products, linked below, but many more accessories, materials, and design tools to help you turn your vision to reality.
You
may want to keep in mind that as brands are constantly changing their affiliate
programs and move from one network to another, it is very important to have a
plan for updating your affiliate links and content.
A
service such as VENNDY can help
you not only create your shoppable gallery but also track your affiliate links
and update them as they change or cancel.
4. Promote
Promoting
your content is one of the most important ways of being successful as an
affiliate. What’s the point of having great content if no one reads it?
As
an independent freelancer, even without a website, there are platforms that
offer a quick way to start your own online destination site according to your
needs. A destination site can be a website or a blog, but there are many other
tools out there such as landing pages, online shops, instant websites, and
Shoppable galleries like VENNDY.
It
all depends on your offerings and needs!
You can then use free social media channels, e.g., Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube, to promote.
5. Collaborate
Collaboration
is a
powerful business tool for companies regardless of their size or industry.
For
small businesses, collaboration
is key to growth as they can join forces and learn from each other,
exchange ideas, increase purchasing power, and grow revenue.
This
is no different for creators and Instagrammers who want to grow their business
and make money online.
Here
are just some of the ways that collaboration can help you grow.
Collaborate to inspire
Certain
topics are better presented when brainstormed by a few people with different
backgrounds and experience. Nobody knows it all, especially when it comes to
personalization and people’s different taste when trying out new things. That’s
the big advantage of reviews and reading other people’s experiences.
Collaborating
with other creators can be powerful source of inspiration and support.
Collaborate to reach new audiences
Creators
and particularly Instagrammers are often at a disadvantage when trying to
promote content. This is especially true when compared to larger businesses
that have the big advantage of a high ranking in search engines or using paid
ads.
When users who are looking for a certain product or service are making online purchasing decisions, chances are that in the first results a Google search will show the following:
- One of the giant retailers (such as Amazon)
- A comparison site which focuses on creating reviews about what searches people are making
- A niche site that has developed expertise in the field
But
when creators work together, they can join forces to create better content than
others. Partnering to aggregate their knowledge, content, ideas, and social
reach can diversify how and who they reach and improve traffic, reduce costs,
and achieve better results on affiliate sales.
Collaborate through co-opetition
Ever
heard of co-opetition? It’s what happens when two competitors come together to
work on business opportunities.
Creating
collaborative content with others can work when each offers complementary services
or knowledge but also when working on content that requires a broader range of
examples or personal experience.
Working
together can also be a way to build trust when combining pieces of advice from
different creators on a variety of subjects. No one uses all the craft kits out there, right?
So,
collaborating with others or sharing each other’s favorite product in one
collection (which is one of VENNDY’s unique features) can improve everyone’s chances
of earning more.
This
is yet to be researched, but it might well be that a list of your own 20 best
experiences could never be quite as valuable as the single best piece of advice
given by 20 different creators.
Collaborate through referrals
It
is not only you making money from referring others to businesses; you also need
others to help you get your content out by referring you on.
This
concept is worth further explanation.
Word
of mouth is one of the most important marketing tools for any business. A survey by Alignable found that 64% of small business owners rank
referrals and recommendations as the most effective way of acquiring new
customers, way ahead of other strategies such as social media (18%), websites
(10%), email (4%), and coupons/online deal sites (2%).
A
single recommendation can have far greater impact, leading
to word of mouth marketing (WOMM). Some brands use WOMM for growing sales
without spending on advertising!
Referrals
made by your readers or by peer co-creators have a dual impact: they increase your audience reach and improve
the chances of converting readers into customers.
This
is because WOM customers already have a level of trust and confidence in your content
which was transferred to them from the person who recommended or collaborated
with you.
Research
shows that people trust friends,
family, and even strangers, more than ads.
To
encourage trust, consider that you are no longer trading just the time you
spend researching and journaling your experiences for money, you are now also
trading the value you give to your readers.
The
good thing about referrals is that if you do it right, without being too pushy
or salesy, your success is also the indicator of how trustworthy your audience
finds you. Your name is more important than any commission and one way to
protect it is by making sure you recommend only what you think can serve as a
match to your clients.
Collaborate to learn
It
can be enormously beneficial to learn how others are brainstorming and creating
their content.
Whether
it’s ideas for monetization, new affiliate programs, or other merchants – it
can be professional advice on recommended online sites for buying products or knowledge about how they
grow their social reach – there’s much to learn from each other’s successes and
failures.
It
is no different from joining a Facebook group or a bloggers’ gathering; only
this time, collaborating on shared content can improve your offering and generate
the desired outcome of more engagement and sales.
Collaborate on VENNDY
The collaborative feature in VENNDY’s collections allows you to easily create lists of places, products, and services that you either curate yourself or promote for others. You may not receive full commission for all the products you share, but you will be creating a much more comprehensive list, offering greater value, improving trust, and letting your readers choose the best options for themselves.
How can VENNDY help with your
monetization efforts?
VENNDY is a marketplace for creators
dedicated to helping you focus on creating the content you are passionate about
for the audience that needs your help. If you are a business owner, blogger,
influencer, coach, or service provider of any kind, with VENNDY you can easily and in just a few
minutes open your own shop of recommendations and promoted items.
Adding
VENNDY’s shop
tab to your Instagram bio will help you to:
- Link all of your Instagram images to multiple links – such as blog posts, favorite places, shoppable items, related pins, and promoted products.
- Keep your bio link constant with one URL that matches your feed while also being customizable and independent of your Instagram feed.
- Drive traffic from your Instagram bio to relevant pages based on your goals as an entrepreneur, blogger, content creator, and affiliate.
As mentioned above, by using services such as VENNDYand others, creators can set up a virtual shop of clickable Instagram posts for their bio and monetize content regardless of whether they have a blog or a website.
You
can sign up to VENNDY here and learn more
about VENNDY’s tools here.
This blog post will be updated regularly to add additional ideas, products, and platforms that you can try out and then promote, so make sure to occasionally check for updates.
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