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August 21, 2023

The Psychology of Affiliate Marketing

To be successful in marketing you have to do more than talk about a product’s benefits and give your audience a promo code. You need an adept understanding of how people think and how they buy. In order to connect past the surface level and truly drive conversions, you need to know the psychological factors that influence our decision making. To be able to effectively exert influence you must become a master of persuasion tactics. Today’s most successful marketers are experts in consumer behavior and social psychology. Leveraging consumer spending tendencies and social trends is how affiliate marketing has rapidly become a main player in the digital marketing industry. In this article we’ll walk through three psychological concepts that were pivotal in the proliferation of partnerships marketing. 

The Power of the Collective


The first is the notion of social proof which is where people base their own decisions and behaviors off of what other people are doing. Social media naturally perpetuated this phenomenon by giving society the power to gratify certain lifestyles and the brands and products that those people had. Since social media influencers set the standard of what is trending and desirable, affiliate marketers will find niche influencers that are relevant to their target audience to promote their brand’s products. A brand can also leverage their current customers’ to create UGC by encouraging them to share a review or post content that can be used across various marketing channels. Gen-Z and Millennials tend to research products more on social media compared to older generations so a strategic affiliate program will include a few review and comparison websites to reach more web-oriented audiences. 

FOMO is Real


Affiliate marketing also uses the scarcity tactic to create a sense of urgency and drive people to action. Making a product (or deal) seem limited and exclusive generates a level of anxiety and fear of missing out on the opportunity which can strongly impact the rapidity of a consumer’s decision making. Using limited time offers or highlighting low inventory on a product can promote single visit decision making. A lot of users like to sit on a decision and come back to the product at a later date to purchase, but this tactic can push them to buy right away. Incorporating a countdown timer on your website for promotions or live updates once a product gets low on inventory will give the user a timeline to make their decision. 

The Art of Persuasion


The biggest factor that determines your ability to create value as an affiliate marketer is your ability to persuade an audience. The art of persuasion isn’t something that comes naturally to everyone, to most it’s something you have to practice and fine tune over time but there are several techniques that can help you improve if you deliberately try to incorporate them into your marketing and communications. For example, when you ask someone to do something for you it’s nice to give them something in return. It makes them more likely to actually want to do what you asked. If you offer something to potential customers like a discount or access to gated content, you can get them to want to buy your product in return. Another way to build your influence is by becoming a powerful voice in your industry. Gaining a level of authority through hosting events, doing interviews and writing guest content for industry specific publications, etc. can build a collective reputation of being a leader amongst your competitors and draw the attention of new customers.

Cater to the Customer Journey


Last but not least, understanding consumer purchasing psychology will help you tailor your strategies to each stage of the decision making process – awareness, interest, desire, action and post-purchase. In the beginning you want to focus on targeted advertising with content and social media that will build brand awareness and introduce the audience to your brand. As you progress through the funnel, you’ll want to highlight product benefits and compare it against competitors. This is the time to give users a discount or some type of incentive to draw them in. Make sure your website has the infrastructure to support the amount of traffic and conversions these tactics will generate so that your customers have a seamless purchase experience and are likely to come back. Following up after their purchase to ask for feedback and any notes for improved service will tell your new customer that you’re invested in the relationship and want to continue to grow it. 

With these tools you can arm yourself as a powerful affiliate marketer. By incorporating these principles into your marketing techniques you can leverage human psychology to create more impactful and persuasive campaigns. Remember that a deep understanding of your target audience’s desired lifestyle is absolutely invaluable compared to any other data you can track with an analytics platform so having a firm foundation in your audience’s unique underlying motivations will give you a leg up on your competition by enabling you to connect on a deeper level with your customers.

Are you getting started in affiliate marketing or looking to improve your current program?

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