This is just a little PSA to all the companies out there promoting their affiliate marketing programs. Programs that are designed to help other people sell your products. Programs that some companies make useless due to certain factors I’m going mention here.
Don’t Compete with Your Affiliates
I was an affiliate for a Japanese snack box company for a while and sold lots and lots of boxes. This encouraged me to post more and sell more boxes. The company gave its affiliates an exclusive discount code, which was better than anything posted anywhere else. This is affiliate marketing that works!
Fast forward to the new company I’m working with, Tokyo Treat and Sakura. They have great Japanese snack boxes, just as good as the other company. Even a bit better. But I have yet to sell one box. Why, you might wonder? Because there’s no reason for anyone to use my code.
Here’s my affiliate code:
Use Code SEWGEEKMAMA for $5 OFF with your first Sakuraco https://team.sakura.co/sewgeekmama or Tokyo Treat https://team.tokyotreat.com/sewgeekmama
Why It’s Not Working
First, $5 off is not that enticing. But I’d still use a $5 off code if I have one. But as soon as you click the link above, you’ll see there’s a pop-up on their website offering everybody $5 off if they fill in their e-mail. So why bother remembering to use my code? It’s not any better than the code they give everyone just for stopping by.
It’s incredibly annoying to have to compete with the company you are working with. And this happens all the time. I don’t even bother to post half the discount codes I have, because the websites have their own codes that are the same or even better.
Another example: Lettuce Grow used to have a great affiliate program with a friend code that saves people $50 off their farmstand. I sold a lot of farmstands! And then they had one sale after another promoting $75 off their farmstands!
Guess who didn’t have any sales for a while and stopped posting about Lettuce Grow? I still use their farmstand, I just don’t share about it like a I used to.
In case you are in the market for a hydroponic grow tower, check out my review (and promo code!) here:
So that’s my gripe today. I’m just very over the whole affiliate marketing thing. It’s too much hustle promoting someone else, with little payoff.
As a side note, I am sure many people do very well with affiliate marketing. I’m just not a fan of pushing sales, so I am not that great at it. I only promote things I really like, and those don’t seem to pay off well! lol
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