There are a few ways for fitness content creators (Instagrammers, coaches, 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 fitness gear, workout equipment, fitness apps,
online courses, and more – 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 (referred to 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.
Brands have been using similar paid services for some time, 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 fitness coach with no online presence, 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.
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.
A beginners’ guide to using affiliate marketing on Instagram for fitness and sports creators
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 fitness – for example, Etsy or AliExpress, both at AWIN – 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 sports and
fitness 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.
Just before we get into some actionable steps,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:
2. Think of products, services, and ideas
that you use and relate to
What
would your readers be looking for when considering buying equipment for a home
gym? What supplements can you recommend for improving body shape? Which apps can
help users track their progress?
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 industries such as clothes, accessories, education, tickets to sports events, fitness apps, and many more.
3. Choose which affiliate programs to
join
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.
Workout Clothes
Sports clothes and accessories if the easiest category to promote, especially for creators who are also fashion addicts. Yet, it is more seasonal and therefore harder to convert in the long term.
There are however brands and items that people need to renew and that your recommendation has greater value when making an order online. A good example is sports bras. It's an important and a must have item in any woman's sports wardrobe.
Here are a few ideas for sports bras. Since your review on the product is important, clicking on the images on this carousel will first take you to a review page, then to the brand's site for shopping. In this case, the review page includes information about the brand's affiliate program:
YES, as you can see, your own custom images can be included in a shop-the-post carousel powered by VENNDY, with an affiliate link to the merchant's site, or first to the Item page on VENNDY and then to the merchant's site.
The big brands usually pay a relatively small commission, but even then, when driving significant traffic to their sites it may add up and still be generating a nice extra income. Nike, Adidas, Under Armour, Lululemon are only some examples.
In the carousel below you can find examples of sportswear brands. Click any of these images to find details about where they host their affiliate program as well as check their site.
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.
Here’s
an example: GymShark, which has built a strong community using social media,
affiliate marketing, and influencer marketing, used to have a program with
FlexOffers. In September 2019, they introduced a new affiliate program working
with AWIN. But as of now they no longer work with AWIN and their site does
not indicate whether there is an active partners’ program.
This
shows us that merchants are always negotiating and changing programs… and you
want to keep the most possible flexibility! You want to be able to easily
switch the same product to another network and easily update your affiliate
links.
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.
Workout and Fitness Apps
Due
to the Coronavirus, many of us are required to stay-at-home and keep social
distancing. This is why there’s a growing rise in the need of an alternative
routine for exercising at home.
Exercise
through online classes, fitness program challenges and mobile apps for tracking
progress are some of the growing number of options out there.
But,
there are also some great Instagram content creators that share HIIT cardio
workout or encourage followers with daily motivation. Here are some of our
favorite Fitness creators and their advice for the body and mind:
Home
fitness classes, workout from home apps, running apps, fitness apps, yoga apps,
apps for hikers, the list goes on and on… and the more digital products
created, the more added value there is to your recommendations.
Workout from Home Apps
Click on any of the images below to read more about the service, then visit the site.Home Gyms
Home
gyms consist of fitness equipment that helps you achieve a full-body workout
such as: Bowflex Xtreme, Life Fitness, Powertec Workbench
Multi-System, exercise bikes, and more.
TRX is a good solution for exercising whether in the gym, the park or from home. They can be joined through CJ, Rakuten or Pepperjam.
Another product that can be used at home or in the park is The Human Trainer. Here are some ideas for home practices:
Fitness equipment includes a variety of options from treadmills, weights, resistance bands, and dumbbells, focused on cardio or strength, you can share whatever works best for you.
I Sell Fitness - at ShareASale
The Human Trainer - at ShareASale
GPS fitness tracker
FitBit – at CJ
Fit Track - at AWIN
Garmin – at FlexOffers
Polar – at ShareASale
Yoga
Equipment
Yoga Accessories - at ShareASale
Yoga
mats is a very popular subject. It is a great evergreen kind of product, people
tend to change their mat occasionally and also are always looking to improve
their choice.
Below
is a collection of yoga mats we’ve gathered, as well as a carousel that will take you
directly to where you can check them out.
Yoga
apps
Yoga
apps offer daily classes and longer-term challenges. Here are a few of them:
Chain Reaction Cycles - offer a wide range of products from road bikes, mountain bikes, triathlon gear and BMX bikes. Can be found at AWIN
On Court Off Court - a tennis industry leader in creative tennis training tools, training aids, and practice equipment, including tennis backboards, ball machines, as well as tennis balls and baskets. Can be found at ShareASale.
Prevention and Treatment of Workout Injuries
Body Helix compression sleeves - at ShareASale
Below you can find some additional ideas for products that will enrich your content and provide additional value to your audience:
Nutrition and Supplements
Here are a few supplements programs:
Ideal Raw - at AWIN
Ideal Fit - at Awin is focused on empowering women to achieve their goals by providing high-quality sports nutrition products, expert information, and performance clothing.
Bulk Supplements - at ShareASale
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 treadmills or
apps for tracking workout, 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 fitness and nutrition 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 VENNDY and 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.
If
you are new to affiliate marketing, you can familiarize yourself by reading the Basics of Affiliate Marketing, When is the Right Time to Start Using Affiliate
Marketing, and the Best Affiliate Networks for Beginners. Our Affiliate
Marketing Guides should help you better understand the advantages of affiliate
marketing and get you started. To help you along, we have also created a free
"Affiliate Marketing Strategy Cheat Sheet” according to which you can
build your "Affiliate Marketing Strategy Map.”
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