If you’re an affiliate marketer, the holiday season is the time to make a killing. Every year, retail sales surge during the Christmas period as people shop for gifts and treats for themselves. This presents a huge opportunity for affiliates to take advantage of the increased sales and spike in profits. With that in mind, here’s a guide on how you can use Christmas as an affiliate marketer. Let's look at different strategies to maximize your earnings during this time of year - things like how you target buyers and making sure your promotions are seen by the right people. Read on if you want to learn how to make this festive season one of your most profitable ever!
The Best Season For Affiliates
You don’t need me to tell you that the best time for affiliate marketers is between November - January, do you? Starting with Black Friday, followed by the Christmas gift period, followed by the new year’s sale.
People are generally in a good mood and make purchases during the holidays, never mind the credit card bills. Also, many companies offer holiday bonuses and promotions that can be beneficial for affiliates. Christmas provides a great opportunity to promote products and services that may be relevant to your audience.
Tips for Taking Advantage of Christmas as an Affiliate
Here are a few things affiliates can do to take the maximum advantage of this season;
1. Create festive banners and graphics
Base the colors that are associated with the holidays - reds, greens, and whites are popular choices for Christmas. Once you have a color scheme in mind, start brainstorming ideas for your banner's design.
If you're not confident in your design skills, don't worry - there are plenty of online tools that can help. Canva is a great option for creating professional-looking banners without needing any design experience. Simply choose a template, add your text and images, then download or share your finished creation. You can also create animated GIFs, but don’t overdo it, as the file size becomes bigger, it will become slower to load on your site. Use a GIF optimization tool such as EZGif.com
Fotor.com
Fotor is another great graphic app, which also offers templates and easy-to-use editing tools. With Fotor, you can also create animated GIFs - perfect for adding some extra holiday cheer to your banners.
Once you've created your banner or graphic, make sure to test it out before sharing it with the world. Check that all the links work properly and the image loads fast enough. Other tips include;
- Keep your message clear and concise. You want your banner or graphic to be eye-catching, but you also want people to be able to understand what it is you're promoting.
- Use attractive fonts. This is another opportunity to add some personality to your banner or graphic. Have fun with different font styles and sizes!
- Be creative! There are endless possibilities when it comes to designing banners and graphics, so don't be afraid to experiment until you find something you love.
2. Use holiday keywords in your campaigns
Use holiday keywords in your affiliate campaigns. For example, if you are promoting a product that would make a great Christmas gift, you could target keywords like "Christmas gifts" or "gift ideas." By targeting these keywords, you can attract shoppers who are specifically looking for gifts, and increase your chances of making a sale.
You can also use other seasonal terms in your campaigns. For instance, you could target keywords like "wintertime," "snowy weather," or "cozy nights." By using keywords that capture the feeling of the season, you can make your campaigns more relatable and appealing to potential customers.
3. Offer special deals and discounts
You should definitely focus on offering special deals and discounts during the Christmas break. This is a no-brainer because everyone is looking for ways to save money during the holidays.
By offering your readers special deals on products and services, you'll be able to increase your conversion rate and make more sales. Plus, you'll be able to build up goodwill with your audience, which will pay off in the long run. So don't hesitate to offer discounts this holiday season - your readers will thank you for it.
4. Send out Christmas-themed email newsletters
Capitalize on the holiday season by sending out Christmas-themed email newsletters. This is a great way to promote any holiday deals or products that you may be promoting, and it also allows you to get into the festive spirit yourself. Here are some tips for making your Christmas-themed email newsletter a success:
- Make sure your subject line is catchy and festive - this will help ensure that your email stands out in people's inboxes.
- Your opening paragraph should be short and positive, letting people know they can expect good news from your newsletter.
- Include one or two festive images - people love getting into the Christmas spirit with visuals, so make sure your email is full of them.
- Use happy language throughout - after all, you want people to actually read your newsletter. Write as if you're speaking to a friend, and avoid being too sales-y.
- Don’t forget to include a call to action - let people know what they can do with the information in your newsletter (e.g. visit your website, buy a product, etc.).
- End on a positive note - thank your readers for their time and wish them a happy holiday season.
5. Write blog posts about gift ideas featuring your affiliate products
Incorporate Christmas gift ideas into your blog posts. There are a few ways to approach this, depending on the focus of your blog.
If your blog is primarily about gift-giving, then you can simply write a post with a list of great Christmas gift ideas. Be sure to include a mix of items for different budgets and interests, so that there are ideas for everyone. You can also focus on a specific type of gifts, such as stocking stuffers or gifts for kids.
If your blog is not primarily about gifts, you can still write about Christmas gifts in a more general way. For example, you could write a post featuring several small businesses that have great gift ideas for the holidays. This is a great way to support small businesses and give your readers some unique gift ideas at the same time.
You could also highlight a few DIY projects that would make great gifts, or share some tips for choosing the perfect present for someone special.No matter what approach you take, writing about Christmas gifts can be a great way to add some festive content to your blog during the holiday season and allow you to make extra income. And who knows, maybe you'll even inspire someone to give an extra-thoughtful present this year!
6. Create social media posts about holiday deals or promotions
By creating posts on multiple social networks, you can reach a wide audience and drive traffic to the merchant's website. Be sure to include attractive visuals and clear calls to action. For example, if you're promoting a holiday sale, you could create a post with a photo of the products on sale and include a link to the merchant's website. Make sure your posts are timely and relevant to Christmas spirits.
7. Make a list of your top 10 affiliate products and share it on your blog
You can help your readers out by sharing a list of your top 10 affiliate products for Christmas. Simply go through your affiliate products and pick out the 10 that you think would make the best gifts or bargain gifts for Christmas.
Once you have your list, write a blog post sharing it with your readers. Be sure to explain why each product made your list and provide links so that interested readers can learn more or purchase the items.
Your blog post doesn't have to be long – a few sentences for each product will suffice – but this is a great way to potentially earn some commissions from sales.
Things To Avoid When Running a Christmas Affiliate Campaign
The things you should not do during the holiday season actually apply all year round. Just because people may be in a better mood, doesn’t mean you can cross the line. Here are a few things you should remember;
Don’t Spam
First of all, you may be a little carried away as there are so many Christmas deals out there, but don’t spam your affiliate links anywhere - social media, emails, or comment sections of other people’s websites. Not only will nobody click on them, but your IP address may be blacklisted and your may be potentially banned by the affiliate managers.
Don’t Lower Yourself
If you randomly try to sell “anything”, you will be seen as desperate and will lose your credibility as a good affiliate marketer. Don't try to sell people things they don't need. Christmas is a time for giving, not for getting people to part with their hard-earned money.
There are thousands of useless items on the market; coffee mugs with silly slogans, unsophisticated Christmas ties, cheap-quality Christmas decorations, etc. Don’t try to sell them unless you have a good reason to promote them.
Don’t Be Pushy
People are busy at this time of year and don't want to be bombarded with sales pitches. If you give them space and let them come to you, you're more likely to make a sale.
Conclusion
Taking advantage of Christmas as an affiliate is a great way to make some extra money. Not only do you have the potential to earn more during this holiday season, but it can also be fun and rewarding as well. By following the tips outlined in this article, you can maximize your profits and get the most out of your affiliate marketing efforts for Christmas. So don’t hesitate - start taking advantage of the opportunities that come with Christmas today!
