Loyalty can still be difficult to maintain, or even build. That’s why many companies are now turning to affiliate marketing.

Customer Strategy

Loyalty just ain’t what it used to be. In a matter of minutes, consumers can hop online and do a little research to find out which brands offer the best-quality goods for the best price – all before committing to a purchase. Winner takes all. Of course, that isn’t to say consistency in quality, service, and user experience doesn’t help. It does. If you engage with customers and provide value, appreciation, and ease of purchase, youincentivizebrand loyalty.

But with all that in place, loyalty can still be difficult to maintain – or even build -and that’s why many companies are now turning toaffiliate marketing.

Affiliate marketing can do a lot to build trust, especially when that affiliate has a huge following. Rather than ask consumers to take your word for the quality of your goods and the worth of your wares, you ask someone else to do it for you – all while increasing the exposure and reach of your brand.

The Twofold Benefits of Affiliates

Because you’re asking a third party to review your products, the affiliates serve as endorsements (the first benefit). They offer relevant resources to consumers. Many affiliates use the products and compare them to other products in the same category. If they like what they see, they’ll recommend them to their customers, going so far as providing reasons why one product is better than the competition.

As you add affiliates to your program, each brings an additional page dedicated to your product, potentially capturing more real estate in search results (the second benefit). When consumers see more results for a particular brand, it inherently builds trust. They become more familiar with your name, and the more they see that name, the more they come to trust it.

Trust alone doesn’t build loyalty. But it can encourage purchases. Then, it’s up to you to deliver, which is your only opportunity to establish relationships and cultivate a little loyalty from those customers. Affiliates bring people to the table, and it’s up to the brand to take it to the next level.

Related article:

http://www.1to1media.com/customer-loyalty/using-affiliate-programs-improve-customer-loyalty