Generating passive income is one of our favorite financial tips for business owners. And with the rise of the affiliate marketing industry, there are ways for just about anyone to get in on the action. But how much do you really know about affiliate sales and marketing? Let’s bust one of the major misconceptions–you don’t need to be a famous social media influencer to be an affiliate marketer. In this post, we’re going to walk you through affiliate marketing ideas and tips any wedding photographer can try.
It’s important to note affiliate marketing isn’t completely effortless. But with just a little planning, you can build a self-sustaining affiliate strategy that takes up minimal time or brainpower. It’s an easy way to generate cash while you focus on bigger business priorities like strengthening client relationships, learning new skills, and editing.
photo by Oli & Steph Elopements
The Basics
Affiliate marketing seems a lot more complicated than it really is. All you need to know is that affiliate marketing is an arrangement where a company or brand pays you for referring customers.
As long as you have an audience and a place to share links, you can be an affiliate marketer. This is why wedding photographers are perfect for it! We love blogging for a multitude of reasons (such as SEO benefits for your website, elevating chances of publication, etc.). But it’s also the place that makes the most sense to incorporate affiliate links.
What Items Should You Promote?
Start by thinking about products or services that are useful to your audience. The more natural to you and your brand, the better. In order for affiliate promotions to be successful, they also need to be genuine.
photo by Gaetane Glize
Couple-Facing Ideas
If you’re focused on driving couples to your website and blog, then promoting items for couples is your best choice. You could do a roundup of the best bachelor gifts you’ve seen over the years, your favorite ring bearer props, or a guide to designing an heirloom-worthy wedding album. These blog topics give couples useful resources for their wedding planning journey. A few more affiliate ideas for couples include:
- Printed Products
- Clothing
- Wedding Decor
- Wedding-related services
- Registries
Photographer-Facing Item Categories
Instead of writing for couples, maybe you write blog posts for fellow photographers. Is your blog’s focus on education, mentoring, or community? If so, you’ll want to promote products that are useful for photographers, such as:
photo by Silvia Poropat
Top Affiliate Programs for Wedding Photographers
To make things easier for you, we’re rounding up some of the top affiliate programs for wedding photographers. Many only take seconds to apply for before you can start creating income-driving content.
- Junebug Albums
- Canvas Champ
- Great Big Canvas
- Rent the Runway
- Sartoro New York
- Etsy
- Amazon
- My Wedding Favors
- Wedding Hashers
- Appy Couple
- B&H Photo
- Adorama
- Peak Design
- Adobe
- Skylum
- KEH Camera
- KelbyOne
- Lightgram
- Tailwind App
How to Join Affiliate Programs
Some affiliate programs will have easy sign-ups available on their website or a connected portal. For Junebug Albums, it’s as easy as entering your name and email address, and your affiliate account is ready to go.
photo by Ashley White Photos
Other programs may have to be joined through an affiliate network (which is just like a marketplace for affiliate programs). There are hundreds of different networks, but don’t let that deter you. If you’re considering incorporating affiliate marketing into your business, we suggest joining networks like ShareASale, CJ, and Pepperjam.
We hope you give affiliate marketing a try. Let us know how it goes in the comments below or on our Facebook group page. If you’re hoping to get even more blog inspiration, this post has 25 different ideas for you to kickstart your affiliate sales.
photo by Magdalena Musz Photography
