Influencer marketing is one of the fastest-growing fields in the world right now. Being an Amazon influencer is not complicated. With Amazon downright being one of the largest and most influential e-commerce platforms in the world, it makes sense that they have an influencer program. So let's find out how to become an amazon influencer.
What Is The Amazon Influencer Program?
Have you heard of the Amazon affiliate program? Well, the Amazon influencer program is an extension of the Amazon affiliate program. Basically, being an Amazon influencer means creating product-related content and bringing it to Amazon. This serves to help customers to research and discover products that they might be interested in.
The Amazon influencer program enables you to monetize your content. This is done by inspiring customers to shop on Amazon through influencer marketing (promoting products). What you need to do is carefully select the best Amazon products (video game consoles), recommend them to your followers, and earn commissions. It's that simple.
However, there are certain set criteria you have to meet first in order to become an amazon influencer. The program is available to everyone; yes, however, you need to become an amazon influencer. You have to qualify first. So what are the criteria used to become part of the Amazon influencers?
Criteria Used To Select Amazon Influencers
What do you really need to do to become an Amazon Influencer? Well, firstly, you should know that the amazon influencer program works via social media accounts. So you need:
a) Social media accounts
Firstly, you need to have an active presence in most social media applications. For example, you can have a social media account on Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube. Twitter was originally part of the list, but it was removed.
b) Have a Substantial Following
By a substantial following, we mean many followers. A large following base translates to more Amazon customers. Some people speculate you need at least 20,000 followers to have a shot at the Amazon associates program or the Amazon influencer program.
However, it is pivotal to take into account that Amazon is not very strict on the number of followers. Therefore, the engagement with your following has to be valuable. Amazon also accepts even nano influencers and micro-influencers.
c) Organic Engagement
Organic engagement means all your followers have to be real people. This can be seen in the reaction to your content and social media posts in terms of likes and follows. Therefore, your social media presence and other engagement metrics have to be strong.
d) Country of Residence
Not everyone from all over the world can apply. You have to live or reside in the following countries: United Kingdom, India, France, Italy, Canada, United States, Spain, or Germany. You can also have an operational business in the mentioned countries to become an Amazon Influencer.
With these four major requirements, you have a decent shot at getting into the US ecommerce market. However, it should be duly recognized that it is not easy to get into these programs. Amazon has limited itself to working with social media influencers with their own personal brand or social media accounts that deal with designer products only.
How Does The Amazon Influencer Program Work?
After you have applied and are at last accepted to the Amazon influencers program, you can now start Amazon influencer marketing. There are multitudinous ways through which you can benefit from the Amazon influencer program. After becoming an Amazon influencer, here are a few ways that show how the program works.
1) Creating an Amazon Storefront
Amazon allows any Amazon influencer to create their own custom amazon storefront to promote products on. The Amazon influencer storefronts also let you share affiliate links (on Instagram Bio) and URL's to their social media platforms. If the storefront does well, Amazon then promotes the influencer storefront.
2) Recommendations
Brands can also work with the Amazon influencers to boost their products. In such situations, the Amazon influencers get free products to create content for. They can then post YouTube videos, Facebook stories, and even on their own custom storefronts. The Amazon influencers program is also beneficial to other brands.
3) Posting Relevant Content
Relevant content is important, especially when reviewing services or products. Your content has to be useful to your followers. Additionally, the content on your influencer page or Amazon influencer account has to help your followers make a decision about a product.
To break it down into minor and smaller steps, let's look at a simplified step-by-step view, and this is after you have applied and been accepted into the program.
- Create an Amazon storefront online store and add the products you, or brands you are working with, in that store.
- Share a link on YouTube, Instagram, or Facebook recommending the items.
- Your audience clicks on your Amazon storefront https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzcjlZ7FLSc link posted on social media or YouTube and gets redirected to your Amazon influencer store.
- Any audience member becomes a customer by purchasing the item you have recommended to them.
- You get a commission from Amazon. It is key to note that you don't get a commission from Amazon only and not the brand. You also get commissions on whatever the customer just purchased as well as everything else they purchased within the next 24 hours.
How To Apply To Amazon's Influencer Program
As we all know, Amazon sells almost everything. So creating a niche, you can comfortably work with is important. Building a follower base is also important if you want to be one of the Amazon associates. So here is how you can apply to the influencer program:
i) Amazon Account or Amazon Influencer Page Login
If you have an Amazon account, all you need to do is create an influencer account via the same logins. It can be a customer account, an Amazon business account, or Amazon's affiliate program account.
You can also go to the Amazon influencers page and click on "get started."
ii) Link Your Social Media Platforms
You want to link at least one of your social media channels. Select the social media platform with the highest following. The platform you select will host your affiliate link. When you link to YouTube or Facebook, you will know immediately if you have been approved for the program.
If you link your Instagram account, it will take five days for you to know the results. Basically, the Amazon store takes five days to make a decision for Instagram accounts. After submitting all the details, including your Instagram user name, follower count, among other things.
These details will be used to verify whether or not you can proceed with the process. Most influencers prefer to use their Instagram accounts.
iii) Account Information
Entering your account information is compulsory for any influencer program members or hopefuls. This is the final and last step of the registration process. After that, you will be required to enter your full names, address, and phone number, among other details. After that is done, you are free to save and finish.
In the last step of the final process, you will be required to follow the @amazoninfluencerprogram on Instagram for them to approve your request or application. Again, this is to ensure that you are a real person.
How To Promote Your Storefront On Your Social Media Platforms
Of course, for your storefront to do well, you need a niche such as luxury stores (beauty) or mountain climbing gear. After selecting what you want to promote, here is how you can make money off of the products. Every https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXZLE2fyi18i influencer page needs social media skills or digital marketing skills because it is an online business.
Here are two or three things you can do to promote your products or services on:
1) Instagram
- Add an influencer link to your bio. It should redirect customers to your storefront.
- Create compelling content to motivate the customers to click the link in your bio.
- Use all of Instagram's tools, such as stories, to widen your audience and promote your products on every specific social media post.
2) YouTube
- Insert your link on your channel's "about" page.
- Ensure to include your link in all of your video descriptions.
- Inform your viewers that they can purchase a product or service by clicking the link in the video description or on your "About" page.
3) Facebook
- In your "about" section, insert the link to your store.
- Use Facebook stories to widen the reach of the product you are endorsing.
- Use a "shop now" button that, when clicked, redirects your follower to buy the product.
- In every post about a product, ensure to add a link that redirects to your storefront as well as a link for the product page itself.
4) Podcasts
- Do a brief introduction of the item at the beginning of your podcast.
- Include a link to your storefront at the bottom of the podcast site.
- Inform your listeners to click on the link at the bottom of the page to access the product.
5) Websites And Blogs
- It is very pivotal to select your niche websites.
- Write honest reviews about them and insert hyper-links that open to your storefront.
- Ensure to create new content continuously to update your readers. For example, if you are reviewing a hand lotion, ensure to update your readers on its efficacy at half the bottle.
- Add hyperlinks to direct your audience to the item page.
- Add other hyperlinks for other related products so your viewers can view all your products in one place.
How to be One of The Best Types of Amazon Influencers
Becoming the best type of Amazon influencer requires dedication. It would be pre-eminent if you also learned how to leverage your social media account by doing the following:
a) Select a Niche
Selecting a niche will also translate into how much money you earn. For starters, select a niche that you are comfortable doing. It should come easily to you. Your following should also translate to customers who like your niche. For example, if beauty and makeup are your niches, you should focus on beauty products and services.
b) Most Active Platform
You might have more than five social media accounts, each with a different application. Therefore, it is important that you use the platform with the most followers and the best engagement. This will translate directly into customer data if they each click on your link.
c) Evergreen Content
You need to create content that does not go out of date. Making use of audio, video edits, and superior editing tools might be your ticket to creating evergreen content. It ensures that a video you create for a product today will still generate customers even five years from when you posted it.
d) Frequency
With social media, it's all about the quality of the content and the frequency with which you promote a product. Promoting a product well is important because the more customers like it, the more it appears when customers are shopping. This translates to customers.
How Much Do Amazon Influencers Earn?
Most influencers noted that they earn a few dollars to $1000 every month. However, there are different factors that influence your earnings as an influencer. They are:
- What your recommended products cost. Technically, the more they cost, the more your commission.
- The specific commission for your niche. It varies between 1% to 10% in each niche.
- Your follower count or audience makes or breaks the success of the product.
- The engagement level of your audience and how they react to the product.
- It is important to note that when you promote products on your social media, it is required that you inform your following of paid advertisements and affiliate links you may earn from.
The Bottom Line
Amazon associates program and influencer marketing program can earn you a few dollars of passive income. If you have the required qualifications, why not start today? You can easily monetize your social media following, and joining this program is a good place to start.
