If you are beginning your digital marketing journey and are confused between social media marketing and affiliate marketing, you are not alone. Many people find it confusing to differentiate between the two. We are here to make it simple for you. By the time you finish reading this post, you’ll have a better understanding of both.
SMM and Affiliate marketing are both digital marketing strategies, but they are far from the same. One thing that is similar between the two is their popularity. 80% of brands have an affiliate program, while a survey by Hubspot concluded that 79% of marketers in 2021 bought paid advertising on social media. This proves the rising popularity of both strategies. They are estimated to grow by 10% in a year.
It doesn’t matter whether you are new to digital marketing or an industry expert; it is a tough ask to get the hang of all digital marketing strategies. But you don’t have to worry; we are here to make things easy for you. You might be wondering which strategy is best for your business. Let’s take a look and find out.
Starting With The Basics
Both methods are equally capable of driving quantitative results when implemented correctly.
Social media marketing gives you more control over the marketing strategy. You make your own content calendar and post content whenever you want. Although, it is best to post at the time your followers are most active. With SMM, you have all the power; it is up to you how your brand is perceived online. You can create a dedicated following and then leverage their interest to convert them into loyal customers. Social media marketing is a great way to build brand awareness; this is the unique identity of your brand and what makes it unique.
With affiliate marketing, you have much less control over the process. It is up to the affiliate (the person or company promoting your services or products) to post/promote your business whenever they want, wherever they want. This gives you more reach and access to a new audience.
Many individuals and brands promote your product or services using social media; this is where SMM and Affiliate marketing overlap. When an individual with high following promotes your products or services, it is termed as Influencer Marketing. But that is a topic for another time. Right now let’s just stick to SMM and Affiliate marketing and discuss them individually.
Affiliate Marketing
It is a marketing strategy in which the individual or the company promoting your business is rewarded through the sales or leads they generate. This partner is called an affiliate marketer or an affiliate.
How it works, you may ask. First, the affiliate applies to an affiliate program. The affiliate is then provided with a unique trackable link upon approval. The individual or the brand then promotes your business using that link. Whenever someone clicks on the link and goes on to make a purchase, the affiliate is rewarded with a percentage of the sale.
The affiliate can promote your business anywhere, be it on their website, social media, or YouTube. They can even share it with their friends, and if that friend buys something through that link, the affiliate gets its commission.
Social Media Marketing
Social media is versatile and can be used for anything from connecting with old friends to raising awareness. There are 2.9 billion active FB users and 2.4 billion active Instagram users. Do you know of any market that gives you access to that many potential clients and customers? Yes, you read it right. These social media platforms are considered as markets for businesses. And SMM is the best way to access these markets effectively.
SMM is a tool to build your brand, increase sales, and boost website traffic. You can do it by strategically posting content. But you have to be persistent and smart about what you post. Your content should emulate your target audience’s interests. Content allows you to catch people’s attention and educate them about your brand. You can do that by partnering with influencers and other brands.
By collaborating with a brand or an influencer who can re-share the content you make via social media or make their own content around your brand or products, you can extend your reach and boost sales.
Conclusion
This is your chance to leverage social media marketing and affiliate marketing with the help of a marketing agency. You may think that you now have the understanding to successfully incorporate these into your marketing strategy. But it ain’t that simple, my friend. Although social media is a large market, the competition is tough. This means you need an industry expert to get the results you want. Employing a marketing agency can be extremely helpful since they have a team from every field of digital marketing. This allows you to get the best within your budget.
