Comments Off on Favorite Business Resources for Product Sellers [June 2024 Edition]
June has been a super exciting month for me, personally and professionally. I returned from an amazing trip from Victoria, B.C. with my sweet boyfriend and I officially launched The Affiliate Program Directory {more on that below}. Today I’m sharing my monthly favorite things blog post with you!
If you’re new to the Create Your Affiliate Program community – WELCOME! Every month I try to share some of my favorite business and product resources with you as a behind-the-scenes of what I am using and loving in my own business and with the product sellers I work with.
I hope you’ll enjoy reading through this blog, and will take time to check out all the resources available to you! Have a great rest of your June. 💙
Please note this blog post contains a few affiliate links, but I only share products and resources I use, love and can personally recommend!
💸 I’m showing you how to create your own affiliate program in my FREE email series – sign up here.
🥳 The Affiliate Program Directory
I launched The Affiliate Program Directory this month… You can view all of the programs by clicking here – I encourage you to sign up for the ones that resonate with you!
My goal with this directory is to help those with affiliate programs get in front of new potential affiliates who will help promote their products to their audiences. Because more affiliates will equal more sales! 🎉
If you want more visibility for your business and affiliate program, you can simply head over here to join the Directory today.
Comments Off on 3 Ways to Get Ahead in Business This Summer 😎🌴
Tomorrow is the first official day of summer, but I honestly feel like summer starts when my nieces and nephew get out of school, which was back in May. So suffice it to say I’ve been in summer mode for a few weeks now!
One of the things I feel like I’m hearing a lot lately from other entrepreneurs and product sellers is that business can be slower during these summer months.
And I somewhat agree… things do tend to slow down in the summer in business because people are taking vacations, your kids are out of school, and people are spending their money on snowballs and pool floats {or maybe that’s just me? 😂)
But you don’t have to just sit around and wait til the fall to get into action in your business. There are things you can do this summer to set yourself up for an amazing fall.
Here are three things you can do to set yourself up for success this summer and beyond.
1. Clean up your business 🧹
Are there subscriptions you’re not using? Cancel them. And if you’re like me and worry you’ll disappoint the person who runs that membership you’re in, cancel them anyway. It’s not personal, it’s business, and I promise they won’t be mad at you.
Clean off all the files on your computer that you no longer need. And clean off your desktop while you’re at it. I don’t know why but this always makes things feel so fresh when I open my laptop.
Bring the junk in your office that you are no longer using to your local thrift store, or sell it on FB marketplace and use the cash to buy something new you might need.
Deep clean your office/workspace. Wipe down everything, including your keyboard.
If summer is slow, now’s a great time to learn something new in your business.
Read a business book you previously haven’t had time for while you sit next to the pool.
Learn how to effectively post on social media so you aren’t wasting time. I am using and loving Allison Carter’s Hot Content Summer – 8 weeks of social media Reels, posts, and emails DONE for you.
Listen to your favorite business podcasts while you get ready in the mornings, or while you’re in the car waiting on the kiddo’s to get out of camp.
There’s so many little things I think “I’ll do that when I have more time…”. What if this summer was that time?!
3. Get your affiliate program in place so you can make more sales this fall 👭
Having others {affiliates} sell your products for you is a fast way to get your digital and physical products in front of new potential customers who might buy your products. Use this slower summer time to get your affiliate program set up so that you can head into the fall with an army of people ready to sell your products for you!
👉 Want to DIY your affiliate program set up?This FREE email series will walk you through the five steps to setting up your affiliate program.
👉 Want me to set up your affiliate program for you? I’ve got space for two Affiliate Program VIP Days this summer. You can see the details and book your spot here. {Payment plan available)
How will you spend this summer in your business? Head over to IG and let me know! In July I’m heading on an Alaskan cruise… my first cruise ever! If you have any cruise tips, let me know that, too!
Today I thought it would be fun to give you a behind-the-scenes look into my business by sharing my “Top 3” in different areas of my business.
⭐ My Top 3 Reels on Instagram
Reel #1– This reel was a trend I jumped on and I was convinced I was going viral… but then the views stopped. 😂
Reel #2 – I have a feeling using a Taylor Swift song on her album release day is why this reel got so many views. 😊
Reel #3– Having a cute dog in your reel never hurts, imo. 🐩
⭐ Top 3 Events I’m Excited about in 2024
Event #1: I’m beyond thrilled to attend and be speaking at the Product Powerhouse Summit! This summit is THE go-to summit for handmade makers, shop owners and any one who sells physical products. It’s 3 days dedicated to helping you build, grow, & thrive in your online product business.
Event #2: I’m headed to Arizona on May 4th for a little exploring in Scottsdale before driving over to California to attend Ultimate Product Party. This is such a fun and helpful conference for product sellers who want to learn how to scale!
Event #3: I really, really want to go to the Powerhouse Women event in August. I’ll just be getting back from a cruise ten days before, so not sure it’s a great time for me to leave out of town again, but I am considering attending. I plan to make a decision by June! Are you going?
⭐ Top 3 Templates I Use Every Week
Template #1: For my private affiliate management clients, I use this pitch template every single week when pitching potential affiliate partners for them.
Template #2: I’m working on a few sales pages for myself, and I constantly refer back to this sales page template from Launch In Style.
Template #3: Danielle Canty’s 100 Email Subject line list (also I just realized this isn’t a template, per se, but I do reference it every single week!). Get on her email list here and sign up for it the next time she shares it.
⭐ Top 3 Must-Haves for Starting an Affiliate Program for Your Product Business
There are 3 things you’ll want to have in place when starting your affiliate program:
🛠 Affiliate Tracking Software 📝 Affiliate Program Terms and Conditions 💌 Welcome Sequence for Onboarding Your Affiliates
Comments Off on How to Make More Product Sales This Month
I’d love to help you make more product sales this month, so I’m sharing with you a few tips and resources in this post that I hope will get you into action this month so you can increase your product sales!
Are you up for the challenge? Keep reading!
📝 Draft 10 Pitches to Send Potential Affiliate Partners
I challenge you to research 10 potential affiliates this month and send them an email asking them to be your affiliate partner.
Some people you pitch might say no, but none of them can say YES if you don’t pitch them at all. 😊
One of the quickest and most efficient ways to grow your list, promote your services and products, and make more sales is to partner with affiliates to help spread the word about what you’re offering. The Invitation to Send Potential Affiliates Template is the exact template you need for pitching new affiliate partners!
📅 When to Send Your Pitches to Potential Affiliates
Now, let’s talk about when to actually send your pitches to potential affiliates.
I am the affiliate manager for 4 nationwide brands here in the US, and one of the things I do for each of them every single week is pitch new affiliates on their behalf. I use this same template when pitching – that’s how I know it works!
I recommend sending your pitches on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursdays only.
Why? Because on Monday people are coming back to their desks and their inboxes are full from the weekend and they are thinking about everything they have to do that week.
On Fridays, people are busy thinking about the weekend and just trying to clear their inboxes and wrap up their work week as quickly as possible, so they may not take the time to read your pitch and give it their full consideration.
Tuesday – Thursdays, in my own experiencing of pitching 100’s of affiliates, is more ideal timing, and the days of the week my pitches are more likely to be well received.
🤓 What to do once a potential affiliate says YES
The #1 mistake I see people who have an affiliate program make is that they are just giving their affiliates an affiliate link and hoping they’ll share it with their communities.
As you might have heard me say before, hope is not a very good affiliate marketing strategy.
Instead of hoping your affiliates share about your offering with their audience once they say yes to partnering with you, you need to set your affiliates up for success.
How do you do that?
💌 Create a welcome email sequence for your affiliates!
This welcome sequence is a series of emails you send your affiliates to make sure they have and can find everything they need to share about your products with their community.
{Remember: The big key to success with affiliates is making it easy-peasy for them!}
Here’s three main reasons you need this welcome series:
1️⃣ Set the Tone: Introduce your brand, share your values, and align expectations right from the start. This sets the stage for a profitable affiliate partnership.
2️⃣ Equip your affiliates: In this welcome series, you want to provide your affiliate partners with the knowledge and tools they need to succeed. Share tips, tutorials, and promotional materials to jumpstart their efforts.
3️⃣ Build Relationships: Use this welcome email series as an opportunity to connect on a personal level. Show appreciation, offer support, and foster a sense of community within your affiliate program.
🌟 Resource to Help You
To help you get your welcome emails for your affiliate program in place quickly so that your affiliates feel supported and part of a total win-win collaboration (one where you’re both making impact and money!), I’ve put together The Profitable Affiliate Program Template Bundle that will give you everything you need to set up your affiliate welcome sequence.
To help you get your welcome emails for your affiliate program in place quickly so that your affiliates feel supported and part of a total win-win collaboration (one where you’re both making impact and money!), I’ve put together The Profitable Affiliate Program Template Bundle that will give you everything you need to set up your affiliate welcome sequence.
Comments Off on Staying Legally Compliant in Affiliate Marketing: A Guide for Product Sellers
Note from Kelly: Before we dive into the good stuff, I wanted to let you know that some of the links in this blog are affiliate links. This means if you decide to make a purchase through these links, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend a product when I 100% believe in its value and think it could be beneficial for you. _______________________________
Guest Blog by Amber Gilormo, Esq. | The Boutique Lawyer
Let’s dive into the legal side of affiliate marketing, shall we? Picture this: you’ve got this epic circle of friends (aka affiliates) raving about your products online. They’re your hype crew, your cheerleaders, the PB to your J. But here’s the kicker: the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is like that attentive neighbor who’s always peeking over the fence, making sure everyone plays by the rules in this affiliate marketing block party.
So, how do you keep your affiliate party pumping without getting the cops FTC called on you? Simple: you have to make sure your affiliates are properly disclosing those affiliate links when they share about your products with their audience.
Here are three easy spots to remind your crew about those all-important FTC guidelines, so that everyone gets to keep the money they make (instead of having to pay it all back to the FTC, which is what happens when you don’t follow the rules and get caught).
The Boutique Lawyer’s Guide to Keeping Your Affiliate Marketing on the Right Side of the Law (And the FTC!)
The foundation of a legally compliant affiliate program lies in its terms and conditions. This document should serve as the rulebook for your affiliates, clearly outlining the expectations, processes, and legal requirements of your program. Including a section on FTC compliance is non-negotiable.
Here, you should:
Specify the necessity of clear and conspicuous disclosures on all promotional content that earns them commission. This means affiliates must clearly state they might receive compensation for promoting your products.
Define the acceptable formats and placements for disclosures to ensure they are easily noticed and understood by the audience.
Incorporate examples or templates of compliant disclosures to guide your affiliates towards proper implementation.
By embedding these guidelines into your program’s terms and conditions, you establish a clear legal framework that educates your affiliates and protects your business.
2. The Welcome Wagon: Affiliate Onboarding Goodies
First impressions matter, and the onboarding process for your affiliates is a golden opportunity to stress the importance of FTC compliance.
Create comprehensive onboarding materials, such as:
Training videos and webinars that walk new affiliates through the basics of FTC rules and show how to incorporate disclosures effectively. Even something like a quick reminder in a welcome video about the need to disclose affiliate links will go a long way here.
Digital handbooks or guides give them resources on compliance, offering insights into why it’s crucial not just for legal reasons but for maintaining trust with their audience.
These resources not only serve as educational tools but also demonstrate your commitment to ethical marketing practices from day one.
Wouldn’t you know it? The Boutique Lawyer has you covered here too with their Affiliate Marketing Guide that is automatically included with your purchase of the Affiliate Bundle. This guide has sample disclosure language and email templates for you to send to your affiliates reminding them of the FTC guidelines.
3. The Reminders: Regular Communication
Ongoing education and reminders are key to ensuring long-term compliance.
Utilize regular communication channels like:
Affiliate email newsletters to share updates on FTC regulations, provide tips on best practices, and highlight common mistakes to avoid.
Reminder again during campaigns and live launches. It’s always a great idea to drop a short reminder about the need to disclose affiliate links whenever you are doing a campaign or marketing push to your affiliates.
This continuous dialogue keeps FTC compliance top of mind for your affiliates and fosters a culture of transparency and responsibility.
FTC Compliance Made Easy
Folks, wrapping your affiliate program in a cozy blanket of FTC compliance isn’t just about dodging legal bullets; it’s about building a brand that’s as trustworthy as your best friend. Weave these reminders into the very fabric of your affiliate interactions, and you’re not just complying with the law; you’re setting the gold standard for trust and transparency in the digital age.
Implementing each of these into your business can be the thing that protects you from having to deal with a disgorgement lawsuit from the FTC.
Because yes, the FTC checks for these things and the worse case scenario is that you could get sued. 😅
And just take it from someone who has had a front row seat to a lot of lawsuits… you don’t want that headache.
So go ahead and do the simple and smart thing NOW to avoid any of that craziness later!
In The Boutique Lawyer Contract Shop, you’ll find everything you need to implement as soon as today and you can purchase each contract individually OR grab a bundle that has everything you need wrapped into one.
If you’re running an affiliate program, having solid Terms and Conditions is non-negotiable. Typically, these terms are presented to affiliates upon their registration to your program. While it may seem like a formality, it's a critical step towards establishing a mutually beneficial and legally sound affiliate program.
Comments Off on Two things I want to buy + Favorite Business Resources for Product Sellers [February 2024 Edition]
I’m thrilled to share with you my Favorite Things for February 2024!
If you’re new to the Create Your Affiliate Program community – WELCOME! Every month I try to share some of my favorite business resources with you as a behind-the-scenes of what I am using and loving in my own business and with clients.
I hope you’ll enjoy reading through this post, and will take time to check out all the resources available to you! 🥰
PS: Please note this email contains affiliate links, but I only share products and resources I use, love and can personally recommend!
🥳 Business Tools, Events + Blog Posts I’m Loving
I’m obsessed with branded Confetti for my website… I am working to add it to my thank you pages, and it is SO SIMPLE and such an easy way to make my website pages more fun.
I use my Ink+Volt dashboard planner every.single.day. I am obsessed with it.. And also, I hope one day Ink+Volt asks me to set up their affiliate program. It’s such a great product and I know they’d do great with affiliates.
Next week I’ve got a guest post from Amber with The Boutique Lawyer that will be posted on my blog… Can’t wait to share it with you!
I’ve been making my travel plans to go to Ultimate Product Party 2024, which is happening in California this May 8th & 9th. I’m flying Southwest – my favorite airline of all time. If you sell physical products, you’ll want to make plans to attend. Visit their website at ultimateproductparty.com to learn more. Use code CYAP to save $25 when purchasing your ticket.
Affiliates not making you sales every single month? Access the Empower Your Affiliates pdf to not only engage your affiliates but also inspire them to consistently promote your products month after month.
If you haven’t sent a newsletter to your affiliates this month, let’s change that! These Affiliate Newsletter Templates are designed to make it easy for you to know exactly what to say to your affiliates every single month to encourage your affiliates to promote for you and help them drive conversions! Use coupon code FEBRUARY to get them for only $27 here.
💕 Two Products I’m Thinking About Buying
I am considering adding pop-ups to my website, and am thinking about ConvertBox– my friend Lucy Reyes told me they are having a sale next week so I will try to decide by then if I want to sign up. Another entrepreneur I admire, Lizzy Goddard, uses these on her website and I really like how they look!
I also want to sign up for Lasso to beef up my blog – they just did away with monthly pricing though so I’m hesitant to make the splurge when this feels more like a want than a need for my business, and I’m not sure what the ROI would be yet. I like to keep my monthly expenses low.
If you have experiences or opinions on the two above items, let me know – I’d love to hear from you!
Comments Off on Behind-the-Scenes: Sharing 3 Tasks that Helped My Client Earn $33k in Product Sales from Affiliates in January
In addition to helping product sellers create affiliate programs here at Create Your Affiliate Program, I also am an affiliate manager for four nationwide eCommerce brands.
What’s awesome about my affiliate program management work is that the same strategies that are working well for my bigger eCommerce clients, are the same strategies that I teach and share with my clients here at Create Your Affiliate Program so that you can also experience more sales every single week through your affiliate partners.
In January, one of my management clients (they sell women’s clothing on their Shopify website) brought in $33,000+ in revenue just from affiliates. In this post I’m sharing what I do every month for this client to make sure we hit and exceed our monthly affiliate revenue targets.
We did these things in January, and will continue to do them every single month because they work. They might seem simple, but I encourage you to read through this post and implement these into your own affiliate program if you aren’t doing so already.
📰 1. We send a weekly affiliate newsletter.
Without fail, every single month we send the client’s affiliates a newsletter. We share new items we’d love for them to promote that month, as well as remind them where to find their affiliate link and how much commission they earn on each sale. I use the templates inside the 12 months of Affiliate Newsletters Template Pack to make writing the client’s newsletters easy-peasy. These are short and simple newsletters, but they keep our affiliates in the loop about ways they can earn commissions by referring us sales. Sending a monthly affiliate newsletter is one of the most impactful things you can do for your affiliate program.
🤓 2. We pitch new potential affiliate partners.
In addition to engaging the client’s existing affiliate partners, we research and pitch potential new affiliate partners who are aligned with the client’s brand. We aim to onboard 10 new affiliates per month at a minimum, but obviously the more affiliate partners we pitch, the more we can onboard and the more opportunity there is to get in front of new audiences! I use this exact template when crafting every single pitch. Bonus tip: One of my favorite places to search for ideal affiliate partners is on Pinterest using keywords that align with the client’s brand.
💌 3. We re-engage inactive affiliate partners
If you already have an affiliate program in place, chances are you have some affiliates who haven’t promoted for you recently (or maybe even ever). I encourage you to brainstorm on ways you can re-engage them and empower them to actually promote for you. Could you increase their commission? Run an affiliate contest?
For my client, we send a personal reach out email to our top 40 affiliates from the same month the previous year to see how we can support them and to personally encourage them to promote. A little personal reach out can go a long way in encouraging someone to promote your products.
If you have an affiliate program, I highly encourage you to implement the three to do’s I listed above into your own monthly management. I know it will help you increase your own affiliate-generated revenue.
👉 If you do not have an affiliate program, a great place to start would be by signing up for my free email series here.
Questions? Comments? I love hearing from you – let me know! 😊
Comments Off on Favorite Business Resources for Product Sellers ❄ January 2024 Edition
I’m so excited to share my first Favorite Things blog post of 2024. 🎉
If you’re new to the Create Your Affiliate Program community – WELCOME! Every month I try to share some of my favorite business resources with you as a behind-the-scenes of what I am using and loving in my own business and with clients.
I hope you’ll enjoy reading through this blog, and will take time to check out all the resources available to you!🥰
PS: Please note this blog post contains affiliate links, but I only share products and resources I use, love and can personally recommend!
PPS: It turned really cold here in Louisiana on Monday… It was 70 degrees on Sunday and 22 degrees yesterday. Brr… here’s a pic of me trying to survive with my big coat.
🥳 Favorite Upcoming Events
There are two events for product sellers happening that I want to make sure you know about!
Virtual Event: The Nourished Product-Preneur – 3 day Virtual Event for Product Based Biz Owners
From Etsy to Shopify, wholesale to subscription boxes, affiliate marketing (my topic!), photography, branding, email marketing, legal to product packaging, to name a few – each of the mentors of this virtual event are masters in their domains and we are all so excited to share our knowledge with you January 29th – 31st.
UPP 2024 is happening in California this May 8th & 9th, and if you sell physical products, you’ll want to make plans to attend. I’m super excited to connect with the product sellers who will be attending – hit reply and let me know if you’ll be there!
I kicked off 2024 by releasing my newest digital product, Empower Your Affiliates: 10 Proven Strategies to Get Your Affiliates to Promote Your Products Every Single Month.
Packed with 10 proven strategies, it provides a roadmap to not only engage your affiliates but also inspire them to consistently promote your products month after month.
As a special perk for being in my community, you can use coupon code EMPOWER to save $20 off until this Sunday, January 21st.
This podcast episode from the ladies at Ultimate Product Party is one of the best podcasts I’ve listened to in forever. I loved how vulnerable they were with their shares because it made me feel like “I’m not the only one” with some of the biz things I have gone through, and it’s sooooo nice to hear women talk about the things that a lot of people in business don’t share, because it’s not always sunshine and rainbows.
💕 Products I’m Loving
Valentine’s Day is coming up… I ordered a super funny card from KittyMeow that is perfect for my sweet boyfriend.
I also ordered some super cute cards from Prairie Letter Shop to send to my gal pals.
I love shopping small, and supporting small businesses!
Comments Off on Favorite Business Resources for Product Sellers [December 2023 Edition]
If you’re new to the Create Your Affiliate Program community – WELCOME! Every month I try to share some of my favorite business resources with you as a behind-the-scenes of what I am using and loving in my own business and with clients.
I hope you’ll enjoy reading through this blog, and will take time to check out all the resources available to you!
📆 Favorite Virtual Event
I am excited to begin leading a monthly event I’m calling the Product Sellers’ Coffee Chat. Over 55 product sellers have signed up to join me for the inaugural Product Sellers’ Coffee Chat on December 12th: How to Boost Your Product Sales in 2024 with Affiliate Marketing.
If you sell digital or physical products, I’d love for you to bring your favorite coffee and join me for this virtual 60 minute coffee chat, too!
Obsessed with my FlipStik – it makes filming my Instagram reels SO MUCH EASIER.
You can purchase one today at http://www.getflipstik.com/cyap – and if you use discount code cyap you’ll get a 20% discount!
🤓 Favorite Learning Product
Rich Girl Reels – While I think that affiliate marketing is one of the fastest ways to make more product sales, it doesn’t mean I think it’s the only way to make more product sales. I am really enjoying Rich Girl Reels taught by Abigail Peugh. Her digital product is teaching me how to film better reels, and I can’t recommend it highly enough. You can follow her on Insta here: https://www.instagram.com/abigailpeugh/ {and if you’re curious, you can watch the reels I am creating here: https://www.instagram.com/createyouraffiliateprogram/reels}
🎉 Favorite In-Person event
I bought my ticket for Ultimate Product Party last week. This is the go-to in-person event for product sellers and I am excited to attend it for the third year in a row. {You can read my 2023 event recap here.}
The 2024 event will be in California… You can grab your ticket here (they offer payment plans to make it an easy yes}.
**Please note this blog post contains affilaite links, but I only share products and resources I use, love and can personally recommend!
Comments Off on My Favorite Black Friday Offers for Product Sellers + Online Business Owners
Hey Y’all! I’m excited to share a few Black Friday offers that I think are worth checking out if you are a product based business owner.
Please note: This post contains affiliate links, but I only am recommending products and people I have personally purchased from and know that you will love, too.
Let me know what Black Friday offers you’ll be scooping up!
📆 Happening Now 📆
Elizabeth Goddard has her Everything Offer out now for Black Friday! You will want to check this out if you have ever wanted to purchase any of her products {which you can see the full list of here}.
Want to make a little extra moolah in 2024? A little extra moolah is something I’ve created to show my fellow online entrepreneurs exactly how I earn a little extra money each month in my business through affiliate marketing. When you sign up today, I’m giving you the behind the scenes of the 3 ways I make extra money in my online business and how you can do it too in a detailed PDF you’ll get immediate access to. I’m also giving you a spreadsheet of 35+ Affiliate Programs for Entrepreneurs to Join so that you can easily find affiliate programs to join that might be a good fit for you as an online entrepreneur.
Are you using WordPress for your online shop? Check out the ChicShop theme from BluChic for a chic, gorgeous, easy-to-use online shop and website that helps you make more money in less time!
Everything in the Bluchic shop will be 30% off — no code required!
Grab these Harper templates from Launch In Style, which are a set of 40 customizable Canva templates to help you market and promote your business and products.
Use code BF2023 to save 40% off everything at Launch In Style!
Want to get your Canva better organized? You need Canva Chaos Controlled. December would be a great month to get your Canva organized so you can head into 2024 neat and organized.
50% Off Beginning November 22nd – no coupon code needed!
Ready to become your own content idea generator machine? Discover an effortless way to find 10+ social media content ideas from a single blog post you already wrote! This is a bite-sized, actionable course that’ll teach you how to repurpose blog content for social media FAST.
50% Off Beginning November 22nd – no coupon code needed!
